Documentary Film Festival, held between the 8th - 10th March 2023.
It was Supported by - Sasakawa Peace Foundation, Japan.; and the organisers were The Northeast India AV Archive and the Department of Mass Media, St. Anthony’s College, Shillong, India.
Collaborators included: Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival and Film Southasia.
I was one of the lead organising committee members and successfully hosted the event. (In the picture on the right, I am facilitating the discussion between the directors of the Oscar- nominated documentary feature film- 'Writing with Fire' and the members of the audience)
Climate Cafes, at the Spring Fling, ARC, University of Glasgow - Speaker, I led a discussion on global climate health with a screening of a short film from North-East India, loosely based on issues surrounding climate change.
I successfully coordinated the conducting of this Documentary Film Workshop which was a collaboration between the Sasakawa Peace Foundation- Japan, Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival, Japan, and the Mass Media Department, St. Anthony’s College, Shillong. I effectively curated the entire program. It included the screening of the films, Phum Shang (Floating Life), directed by Haobam Paban Kumar; Measures Of Impunity, directed by Maulee Senapati; Loralir Sadhukatha (Tales from our Childhood), directed by Mukul Haloi; OKINAWA: The Afterburn, directed by John JUNKERMAN; Dryads in a Snow Valley, directed by KOBAYASHI Shigeru and edited by HATA Takeshi; Roots and Longing, directed by Conrad Syiem and Tokyo Idols, directed by MIYAKE Kyoko. It also included talks by Maulee Senapati on the Challenges of Documentary in North East India and by Haobam Paban Kumar on Idea to Film: The Process.
I was founder of the Kaleidoscopic Arts Company. This company emerged in 2016, with an idea to work collaboratively with theatre enthusiasts, professionals and artistes interested in the performing arts genre and wishing to indulge in creating work together. Having been involved with theatre production since 2009, and having completed a Masters in Advanced Theatre Practice from the Royal central School of Speech and Drama, University of London, in 2012, the time felt ripe to start an initiative of this nature. To help with the working of the said structural organisation, I applied for and was even selected for a residency on the Strategic Management of the Art of Theatre organised by India Theatre Forum, Junoon & India Foundation for the Arts, sponsored by Norwegian Embassy, Goethe Institute, 2016. As a company we successfully worked on different commissioned projects.
As one of the lead organisers I played an important role in conceptualising the event idea itself. and researching the key elements in making the event a success. The event saw the likes of photographers like Manuel Vason, Raghu Rai, Prashant Panjiar, Rathika Ramasamy and other prolific national and regional photographers. Coordinating various aspects of the event was under my purview.
I successfully coordinated with Manuel Vason- a performance photographer from the UK, to exhibit his photographs in the exhibition as well as conduct a workshop.
I effectively prepared the content to be used for the proposal, and other material to successfully engage the different stakeholders, attract sponsors, increase the marketing/publicity of the said event and increase attendees & participation.
I was the central liaison person effectively communicating with the photographers, important dignitaries, sponsors, members of the press and local authorities, convincing them to be a part of the event.
I coordinated the press conference, acted as publicity manager- handling the social media pages and updating the festival website.
I also hosted the inaugural session, organised the workshops, panel discussions and in-event activities, I switched roles between being the face of the event as the central liaison person and then working behind the scenes on the media releases, publicity videos, posters, banners and as central coordinating lead of the core committee handling recruitments and behind the scene important decisions that needed to be taken.
The said festival was conceptualised to focus on films from the north-eastern region of the country (India). I was lead member of the organising team and coordinated various activities. These ranged from curating the selection of films concerned, communicating with key participants, resource persons, filmmakers, stakeholders, overseeing various activities within the festival, coordinating the inaugural show and hosting the event. I also managed the marketing/publicity activities, content creation, and budget management. I was the central liaison person between the different stakeholders and the core committee, and a key lead in making important decisions for the event.
(Click the video to watch a brief overview of the event)
In 2018, I took the initiative of organising the alumni meet for St. Anthony's College, Shillong (India). The last alumni meet had a low attendance and the association was unable to engage enough alumni in their annual activities. I had only a few months to plan. I successfully worked on a strategic management plan, led the team, devised an intensive promotional plan, designed an engaging program schedule, liaised with several artistes to perform for the day and effectively roped in partners for the event. The event saw a huge number of alumni participate and sign up for other programs conducted by the alumni. The program was a huge success.
The said conference was organised as a collaboration between three institutions of higher education in India. I was co-convenor of the two day conference. My role was to manage the conference- from call for papers, to inviting guest speakers, handling the budgeting considerations, managing the online application process, coordinating the team lending technical expertise to the event and hosting the program.
