Shillong, Nov 9: Arts and Culture Minister, A.L. Hek has urged film makers to make documentary film on Meghalaya’s 50 years journey since 1972.

Meghalaya will celebrate 50 years of statehood in 2022. The state was carved out of Assam as full-fledged state on January 21, 1972.

Hek made this appeal while speaking on the last day of the three-day Kelvin Cinema festival of films at U Soso Tham auditorium here on Saturday evening.

The Kelvin Cinema Festival of films is named after the famous Kelvin Cinema Hall in Meghalaya. The festival was organised by the Shankar Lall Geonka and Jeevan Ram Mungi Devi Geonka Public Charitable Trust in association with the Meghalaya directorate of information and public relations and department of arts and culture.

The aim of the festival was to raise the standard of filmmaking in Meghalaya and it was supported by the Arts Cine Entertainment Society and Federation of Film Societies of India.

The festival also seeks to encourage entrepreneurs of the film industry in Northeast to come up with new exciting ideas that will contribute towards the development of the film industry and the state.

“In 2022, Meghalaya will complete 50 years of statehood. I therefore urge film makers to come up with a documentary film on Meghalaya’s 50 years of journey from 1972 to 2022,” Hek announced.

Hek congratulated film makers who participated in the festival, and termed film making an opportunity for the youth and talented people to showcase their talents and also to create jobs.

Altogether, 740 entries from all over India for the festival, but only 11 were selected for screening at the three-day festival.

Two short films from Meghalaya – Mouse Trap directed by student of St Anthony’s College, Anees A Noronha, and Wither Me Away directed Khasi filmmaker, El Dhar – were also selected for screening at the festival.

Special screening of two feature films from Meghalaya was also held.

Maama, a film in Garo language was screened on the first day, while ïewduh, a Khasi film was screened on the last day of the festival.

Nooreh directed by Ashish Pandey was adjudged winner from among other short films screened at the festival.

Nooreh is about a small village in the Kashmir Valley, along the India-Pakistan border, always caught in the crossfire between the two warring nations. One night, Nooreh, an 8-year-old girl, discovers that the gun battle rages when she sleeps.