NEW DELHI: Information and Broadcasting secretary Bimal Julka has said that the forthcoming International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in November will have a special section on the North East to expose the feature and non-feature films made in Meghalaya. 

In addition, the Films Division has implemented a special component under a Plan Scheme for production of short films from the North East. The Division has commissioned 54 films from the North East in the past five years. 

Julka was speaking after inaugurating the third edition of the Indian Panorama Film Festival at U Soso Tham auditorium in Shillong last evening. The festival opened with the screening of the award winning Marathi film Dr. Prakash Baba Amte: the Real Hero, directed by Samruddhi Porey.

A host of film personalities including director Anjan Dutt were present at the inaugural ceremony, which was also attended by Meghalaya chief minister Dr. Mukul Sangma and Meghalaya Information and Public Relations minister A.L. Hek. 

Julka said that the Ministry has been focusing on showcasing films from the North East to encourage production of films in the region. A North East Film Festival was also held in New Delhi recently.

Appreciating film productions by young film makers from the North East, Julka said numerous short and non-feature films from the region have received National Awards.

Julka informed that in 2014-2015, a week-long film-making workshop was also organized in Aizawl in Mizoram and another workshop is currently being conducted in Silchar in Assam. In this endeavour, the Films Division plans to conduct four such film making workshops every year in the North East, to familiarize film makers from these states with the latest technology in film making. 

Eight feature films and three non-feature films will be screened over three days. The film festival is being organised by the Directorate of Film Festivals in collaboration with the state Government.

Other feature films to be screened during the festival are Drishyam (Malayalam), December 1 (Kannada), Kuttram Kadithal (Tamil), Ankhon Dekhi (Hindi), Othello (Assamese), Ri (Khasi), Teenkahon (Bengali) and Ranjana Ami Ar Ashbona (Bengali). Non-feature films to be screened during the festival are Songs of the Blue Hills by Utpal Borpujari (Nagamese/English), A Dream Never Dies (Assamese) and Ek Hota Kau (Marathi). 

Indian Panorama Film Festival is being held in Shillong for the last two years and this will be the third edition of the festival.