Germany honour for Manipuri film

GUWAHATI: Manipuri filmmaker Haobam Paban Kumar's feature film, Loktak Lairembee (Lady of the Lake), which won the award for the best film on environment conservation/preservation at the National Film Awards last year, has secured another prestigious prize - the 'German Star of India' award at the 14th Indian Film Festival in Stuttgart.
The film was shot with amateur actors around Loktak Lake.In this scenic backdrop, violence meets beauty when the government attempts to evict a small fishing community.
In the jury's view, Loktak Lairembee unflinchingly tells a story that is relevant to our time. "The film carves out a subtle, poetic and even hypnotic way into a world between dream and reality, where issues such as expulsion, human rights and conflicts that arise in our home, our world and our environment are portrayed with great integrity and honesty," said the jury.
Elated with the 'German Star of India' award, which entails a cash prize of 4,000, Paban Kumar told TOI, "This is a huge honour. The film is a very small film made with support of my family and friends."