For the first time at the annual Hornbill festival, an open air screening of films and documentaries was held at Main Arena, Naga Heritage Village, Kisama from 2 to 4 December.

Film Fiesta: Open Air Cinema was organised by the Department of Information & Public Relations (DIPR).

According to DIPR, keeping in mind the magnitude of Hornbill Festival and its impact on the state and its citizens, it came up with the initiative to promote local talents and filmmakers while also promoting the culture of watching films and documents.

Along with films, short documentaries and PSAs were shown on the big screen to create awareness about local films among tourists coming from various parts of the country and the world and also among the Naga people.

The Film Fiesta was launched by Abu Metha, advisor to the Chief Minister of Nagaland, on the evening of 2 December.

The event began with the screening of Ground Zero, a documentary about sports persons from Nagaland and produced by the Nagaland Olympic Association.

Throughout the three days, various short films and animations were screened along with documentaries including The Barefoot Wonder, a documentary on the legendary Naga footballer Dr T Ao to promote the young talents of the state.

On the final day, a short film produced by DIPR titled Weightless premiered in front of a live audience. The film featured the actors and crew who participated in the series of training offered by the Film & Television Institute of India (FTII) in collaboration with DIPR.

According to the DIPR report, Manoj Patel from Mumbai stated that the screenings made him more connected with the local heritage and get to know the culture better. Tinuakum from Kohima said it is a very good opportunity for the locals and a much-needed platform for the local talents.