Imphal, Nov 23 : The curtains of the Palace auditorium of the Manipur State Film Development Society (MSFDS), a Manipur government undertaking, are set to rise once again from Monday for an eventful five days of cinema.

The seventh Sangai Film Festival-2025 will bring back old, cherished narratives blended with contemporary stories, inviting cinephiles, students and families alike to experience cinema that honours the past while embracing the new.

MSFDS Secretary Sunzu Bachaspatimayum said that the festival is entry free, no barriers, no tickets, only a shared love for films.

From November 24 to 28, the festival promises a journey through the evolving soul of Manipuri cinema, where earlier milestones meet the voices of a fearless new generation of filmmakers.

The festival's programme brings together an impressive spread -- Indian Panorama selections including the critically acclaimed 'Oitharei' by Dinesh Naorem and Andro Dreams by Meena Longjam.

The multi award-winning feature 'Oneness' by Priyakanta Laishram.

Bachaspatimayum said that 10 short films by emerging filmmakers will be screened under the "New Voices" section, offering fresh perspectives and storytelling styles.

A rare treat for film history enthusiasts, six digitally remastered Manipuri celluloid classics, screened under rediscovering Manipur in collaboration with NFAI (National Film Archive of India) and MSFDS, with Aribam Syam Sharma's 'Orchids' of Manipur.

Opening the retrospective beyond regional cinema, this year's edition broadens its horizon with four internationally acclaimed documentary features -- 'And Towards Happy Alleys', 'Dolls Do Not Die', 'Life is Beautiful' and the Sundance-winning 'A House Made of Splinters', he added.

Presented in collaboration with DocEdge Kolkata and the Documentary Resource Initiative, the package brings global conflicts, memories, dreams and survival to the screen.

Adding depth to the screenings, the festival will host a thought-provoking in-conversation session titled 'From Idea to Screen: Financing & Finding Audience', featuring noted film personalities Nilotpal Majumdar, Ranajit Ray and Manipur's own Romi Meitei, moderated by filmmaker and journalist Bobo Khuraijam.

It will offer young storytellers a chance to listen, question and learn first-hand about the long and often unforgiving journey of filmmaking from established professionals.

Organised by MSFDS and sponsored by the Tourism Department with support from the Department of Art and Culture of Manipur government, the festival opens on Monday (November 24).

The MSFDS Secretary said that film lovers will also have the opportunity to meet both veterans and young talents in Q&A sessions after screenings -- moments of honesty where creators speak of struggles, sacrifices and the stubborn passion that keeps cinema alive.

At a time when the pace of the world leaves little room for pause, the seventh Sangai Film Festival offers five days to sit together in the dark, to feel, to reflect, and to celebrate Manipur, on screen and in spirit, Bachaspatimayum said.

Meanwhile, Sangai Film Festival will be organised at the same time as Manipur's annual Sangai Festival, a 10-day tourism festival organised by the state government's Tourism Department to boost tourism and related economy.

The 10-day Sangai Tourism Festival began at Hapta Kangjeibung in Manipur's capital Imphal on Friday (November 21).

The Sangai Festival is named after the state animal, the Sangai, a critically endangered brow-antlered deer found in the marshy wetland of Keibul Lamjao National Park, about 45 km from Imphal.

/IANS