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Documentary on Imphal battle selected in Indian Panorama
Dinesh Naorem’s feature film ‘Oitharei’ (Save My Soul) has secured a spot in the feature section of the 56th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2025
IMPHAL: Manipur filmmaker Borun Thokchom’s 80-minute documentary Battlefield - an exploration of the untold stories of the Second World War’s Imphal battle - has been officially selected in the non-feature section of Indian Panorama while Dinesh Naorem’s 102-minute feature film Oitharei (Save My Soul) has secured a spot in the feature section of the 56th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2025.
Battlefield — shot over ten years — is an evocative documentation of the WWII battlefields of Manipur ,featuring prominent war researcher Rajeshwor Yumnam and renowned writer Late Khuraijam Nimaicharan Singh.
It captures the enduring impact of the war on human lives and juxtaposes global commemoration of war heroes with the silence surrounding the contemporary humanitarian crisis in Manipur.
Produced by Manjoy Lourembam, Dr Radhesyam Oinam of Network Services Imphal, and Viswamithra Universals, Battlefield will have its world premiere at the 56th IFFI, scheduled from November 20 to 28, 2025, in Goa.
“Every family in Manipur has our own stories of WWII, so (we are) documenting it for future generations,” Borun said after securing the spot in IFFI. “We’ve visited almost all key WWII battlefields in the state to explore the impacts of such a historic war. Till now we’re getting its impact as (unexploded) bombs were detected during construction activities.”
Borun’s previous documentary film called I Rise, based on the ups and downs of the life of the boxing champion Laishram Sarita Devi, was awarded as the Best Documentary film on Sports in 13th Manipur State Film Awards, 2020.The film, which begins from 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea where Sarita refused to accept her bronze medal after protesting against the match decision, and produced by Films Division Mumbai had also bagged Best Audiography award.
Film critic Meghachandra Kongbam from Manipur has been invited by the National Film Development Corporation under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, to participate in an international Roundtable Discussion as part of the Masterclass Sessions at the forthcoming International Film Festival of India in Goa, commencing on November 20, 2025.
Former director of state Directorate Information and Public Relations Meghachandra Kongbam is a veteran film critic and film activist. Other distinguished participants include Barbara Lorey de Lacharrière from France, Deepa Gahlot from India, Elizabeth Kerr from Hong Kong, and Baradwaj Rangan from India.
