The Film Association of Nagaland (FAN) launched the International Association of Women in Radio and Television (IAWRT) Traveling Film Festival with an inaugural function at the Centre of Excellence for Music and Arts (CEMA) in Old Ministers’ Hill, Kohima, on May 2. The two-day event will feature screenings of 14 films along with panel discussions.
The IAWRT is a global network of 14 national chapters and members in 54 countries, with a commitment to the enhance women’s role and participation in media. It is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) in consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
During the event, Nupur Basu, an independent journalist, award-winning documentary filmmaker, and media educator from India, spoke on the diverse themes and passion evident in the selected films, as well as the struggles faced by independent filmmakers. She stressed the significance of such festivals, noting that mainstream media—where she worked for 35 years as a print and television journalist—has largely abandoned unbiased, unfiltered storytelling in favor of opinion-driven and often fake news.
“News was supposed to be unfiltered and unbiased, but today, many channels propagate opinions, often with a strong right-wing bias,” she said. Basu criticized the trend of studio debates over ground reporting, contrasting it with documentary filmmaking, which requires on-the-ground engagement and dedication. “Nagaland is rich with untold stories, and I hope local filmmakers will pursue them,” she added.
FAN President Yapangnaro Longkumer acknowledged the challenges faced but expressed hope that the festival would help cultivate a cinema culture in Nagaland. “Not everyone can access out-of-state or larger platforms, so bringing these films here is a privilege,” she said.
Longkumer also extended gratitude to the Department of Information & Public Relations, Task Force for Music and Arts (TaFMA), Women Resource Development, Art & Culture, NSACS, for the support extended to FAN and the IAWRT in organising the film festival. She mentioned that the idea of having film festivals is to hear the other voices, to hear alternative voices, and to showcase documentaries or films made by independent filmmakers.
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The event included a special musical performance by Evan and Shanyei, followed by film screenings.
The two-day IAWRT Travelling Film Festival will showcase 14 films. The first day witnessed the screening of Lovely & TipTop (Yuki Ellis), Anaar Daana/Sour Candy (Nishi Dugar), Bhangaar/Obsolete (Sumira Roy), Indu (Sameera Jain), My Grandfather’s House (Leylakhanim Ganbarli), The Call (Jyotsana Simha Thakuri), Blurred Boundaries (Imrana Khan), and We Were There (Sally Hllouby). A panel discussion on the topic ‘Films then and now – Understanding the narrative and shift in consumption,’ with Aparna Sanyal, a multiple award-winning documentary director and producer based in New Delhi, and Deepika Sharma, a documentary filmmaker and producer was also held today.
