By Bobo Khuraijam
IMPHAL, March 29: “I was drawn into non-fiction films watching Discovery and National Geographic television channels. Though I grew up watching lot of Hindi films and Asian children cinemas” said filmmaker Meena Longjam after the results of National Films Awards, 2015 was announced.
Announced recently as winner of the 63rd National Film Award, 2015 by the Directorate of Film Festivals, under the Ministry of Information Broadcasting, Government of India, on social issues category for her debut film ‘Autodriver’, and the first woman filmmaker of Manipur ever to be given the award, Meena, talking to IFP said she has been a keen observer of her surroundings since childhood and often makes silent ‘conversations’ with the clouds.
“I believe in portraying the depth of reality, the web of life we live in”, Meena said, adding that film studies lessons ranging from Lumière brothers to Neo-realism cinemas deeply fascinated her during her master’s degree programme in communication.
When asked on how she discovered the subject of her film, Meena said she saw Oinam Laibi first in Pangei, Imphal East area driving her auto rickshaw. “I couldn’t take my eyes off from this cute woman, dressed in rugged green khaki with a hat, her vehicle packed with passengers. That was how I began searching for this amazing soul”, she said.
Meena stressed that as of now her passion is more with fact-finding and documenting realities, she hasn’t thought of embarking on making feature films. “I am more prone to women empowering subjects and luckily my proposal on another very inspiring lady from our state has been accepted by EMMRC, Manipur University”, she said.
It may be mentioned that her film ‘Autodriver’ was premiered at Signs film festival Kerala 2015 where she bagged the Jury special Award. The film has been selected for screening in numerous national and international film festivals in competition section sharing Manipuri’s woman spirited role in the society.
Thirty one year old single mother, Meena, who is also the producer of the film, is the eldest daughter of Longjam Ibotombi Singh and Longjam ongbi Ibeyaima Devi, of Lamboikhongnangkhong Uripok Kangchup Road Imphal. She completed Masters in Communication from Madras Christian College. Interestingly, her dissertation was on eminent filmmaker A Syam Sharma, on his life and films.
It may also be mentioned that Meena, since 2013 has been working with Doordarshan Kendra Imphal as script writer, narrator and interviewer on contract basis. ‘Autodriver’ was part of a project development workshop organised by Docedge, Kolkata in association with Television and Cine Foundation, Imphal. Filmmaker Oinam Doren is the cinematographer and co-producer of the film.