‘Andro Dreams’ chosen as opening film for non-feature section in Indian Panorama

Guwahati, Oct 24: ‘Andro Dreams’, a documentary in the Manipuri language, has been chosen as the opening non-feature film for the Indian Panorama at the 54th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa, taking place from November 20 to 28.

This heartwarming documentary, directed by Meena Longjam, portrays the inspiring journey of an all-girls football club from the remote area of Andro in Imphal East district, Manipur.

‘Andro Dreams’ has already received the prestigious 'Best Documentary' Award at the 8th Jagran Film Festival in Mumbai, and it tells the compelling love story of Laibi, a resilient elderly woman, and her three-decade-old all-girls football club's battle against economic hardships, a patriarchal system, and orthodoxy in the ancient village of Andro in northeast India.

The film captures the challenges faced by two brave protagonists: Laibi, the manager of Andro Mahila Mandal Association Football Club (AMMA-FC) in her sixties, and Nirmala, their most promising young football player.

This selection is a source of great pride for the state of Manipur and the filmmakers behind ‘Andro Dreams’.

“It’s a very emotional moment for me. I’m very happy at the development. I think this kind of positive news will bring some hope for my state. We have been through troubled times. I’m thankful to everyone who has been helpful in the journey,” Meena told The Assam Tribune.

She also thanked the co-producer Jani Viswanath for trusting her work and coming on board to complete the project.

Dubai-based Jani Viswanath said: “The film was never made with either the intention or the expectation of awards. It is a work of sincere passion. We just wanted to show the exceptional strength of one woman against all odds.”

“The film is about hope and resilience emerging stronger than the challenges and curveballs that life keeps throwing at each one of us, and no matter at what age or where we come from to turn these shortcomings into opportunities and pursue them diligently is the only way to achieve our dreams.”

Besides ‘Andro Dream’, several other Northeast films have been selected for the Indian Panorama.

Only one film from the Northeast has been selected in the feature section. It’s ‘Mirbeen’, a Karbi language film directed by Mridul Gupta of Assam.

The non-feature films from the Northeast are – ‘Baruar Xongxar’ (Assamese) by Utpal Borpujari, ‘Kathabor’ (Assamese) by Keshar Jyoti Das, ‘Lachit’ (The Warrior) (Assamese) by Parthasarathi Mahanta, ‘Last Meet’ (Manipuri) by Waribam Dorendra Singh and ‘Mau: The Spirit Dreams Of Cheraw’ (Mizo) by Shilpika Bordoloi.