First International Tribal Film Festival wraps up in Arunachal Pradesh

The first edition of the International Tribal Film Festival (ITFF) was held in Dirang, Arunachal Pradesh.

Organized by the Arunachal Pradesh government, the event was held from 5 to 6 March and was supported by the ministry of information and broadcasting's Directorate of Film Festivals.

Mobile theatres were set up by PictureTime for the screenings, which showcased films on tribal art and culture, including films such as Aimee Baruah’s Semkhor, which is the first film in the Dimasa language; Vishal Chaliha’s Bodo film Sijou; Siddharth Tripathy’s documentary A Dog and his Man; and Shantanu Sen’s Water Burial, which won the National award for Best Film in environment conservation category. The screenings involved three inflatable screens while one open-air screen was set up at the venue.

A Dog And His Man is about pain and, probably, love, says director Siddharth Tripathy of his first feature

Artistes Sangay Tsheltrim and Chum Darang, who were seen in Radhe (2021) and Badhaai Do (2022) respectively, were present at the event which hosted panel discussions and saw a performance by singer and music composer from Assam, Joi Barua, in addition to the film screenings. There was also an interactive session with the National award-winning sound designer from the region Debajit Gayan. Gayan won the award for his work on the Khasi film Lewduh (2019).