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Manipuri film 'Enoong Ngallamdai', which talks about hope amid conflict, premiered at Vancouver fest
Manipuri film 'Enoong Ngallamdai', which talks about hope amid conflict, premiered at Vancouver fest
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Guwahati, Even in the darkest times, stories of hope endure, and the Manipuri feature film 'Enoong Ngallamdai' , set against the backdrop of years of conflict in the northeastern state, seeks to portray that.
The movie, which premiered at the Vancouver International Film Festival, explores survival, resilience and the human cost of conflict through three interwoven stories set during the ethnic violence that erupted in Manipur in 2023, the makers said.
The film revolves around a pregnant woman struggling to give birth as gunfire surrounds her, a young boy searching for his mother, accompanied only by a displaced stray calf, and a cafe owner risking her own safety to shelter people fleeing for their lives.
The 85-minute film premiered at the 2026 Vancouver International Film Festival on October 6 and was screened as part of the Panorama Cinemas of Asia lineup.
Writer-director of the film Yogesh Lohan said his journey began with meeting survivors in Manipur.
"I came to this project first as a screenwriter. Before writing a single scene, I travelled to Manipur and met survivors who had lost everything. What struck me was not only their pain and trauma, but the quiet, stubborn hope that still lived in their eyes. That hope became the heartbeat of the film," he added.
The film was shot across real locations in Manipur with the trust and support of local communities, Lohan said.
"That trust lives in every frame. The world we inhabit is one increasingly shaped by violence, division and unrest. And yet, within that reality, human beings continue to find reasons to hold on," he added.
The director said that 'Fireflies in the Dark' is a celebration of the instinct and belief that light, however small, will always find a way through.
"The Vancouver screening was an emotional milestone. After everything we have gone through to bring this film to life, seeing it finally reach an audience feels incredibly special," he added.
Producer Jani Viswanath said the movie uses fragmented, non-linear storytelling and intimate handheld photography to portray the conflict without aestheticising violence.
The film turns its gaze towards the margins of catastrophe and asks what it means to keep going when everything around has stopped, she added.
"A quiet but powerful reminder that hope, however flickering, always finds a way to endure," Viswanath said.
Bala Hijam Ningthoujam, known for the BAFTA-winning Manipuri film 'Boong', Leishangthem Tonthoingambi Devi, Angom Pamdamba Singh, Aheibam Chiranjit, Luwang Yumlembam and Ratan Lai played key roles in 'Fireflies in the Dark'.
The film also features several first-time actors from remote villages and refugee camps, the makers said.
Viswanath, whose filmography includes the multi-award-winning Assamese film 'Xhoixobote Dhemalite' , Bodo films 'Jwlwi - The Seed' and 'Gorai Phakri' , and the Manipuri documentary 'Andro Dreams', said the production was extremely challenging.
"The main message I want to convey as a humanitarian is that violence, conflict and chaos in any community anywhere in the world are never a solution to long-term peace. We need unity, positivity and harmony to sustain a habitable world," she added.
The producer said that one of the film's most striking aspects is that it features first-time actors who had never faced a camera before, some from remote villages and others from refugee camps, bringing raw, lived reality onscreen.
Ravi Ranjan Sharma served as director of photography in 'Fireflies in the Dark', while Meena Longjam supported the project as creative director.
The post-production team included sound designers Amrit Pritam and Debajit Changmai, music composer Daniel B George and editor Tinni Mitra, with Rajni Basumatary as executive producer.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
