AIFF- Monthly 2025

POOVU (FLOWER)

In life, he hadn’t travelled much. Fleeing from the homeland with his mother was his first. Adolescence was a passage through the pain of lost love. A honeymoon train ride to Delhi with his wife was the second of his journeys. And later, the journey of holding his daughter’s hand.
What is left is a journey unburdened by the inevitability of return and in the midst of it, he travels along a path he chose, but had failed to tread.
Travelling with four women who influenced him most in life – mother, wife, daughter and the first lover is fifty year old Jeevan. And time and seasons and places entwine hands with Jeevan on this journey. Just as he had desired.

ONENESS

Inspired by a true event from 2013, ONENESS tells the story of Ivan Martin, a young boy from a deeply conservative Christian family in Manipur, India. In a society where homosexuality is condemned and silenced, Ivan’s heart defies fear when he falls in love with Pamheiba, a boy from the Meitei community. Their bond, forged in secrecy and strength, becomes a radical act of love in a society that refuses to accept them.

When their relationship is discovered, Ivan is forced into the harrowing ordeal of conversion therapy by his own family. His father and older brother, Daniel, driven by blind faith and societal shame, do everything in their power to “correct” him. But amid the cruelty and rejection, Ivan finds support from his mother and sister, whose quiet resistance becomes his only source of solace.

As tensions rise and the pressure to conform mounts, love becomes both a refuge and a rebellion. The film reaches a shattering climax when Daniel, unable to accept the truth, commits an irreversible act that alters their lives forever. ONENESS is a stirring portrayal of love, identity, and the cost of being true to oneself in a world built on intolerance. It is a call for empathy, acceptance, and the courage to stand against hate.

In over 50 years of Manipuri cinema, ONENESS stands as the first-ever film to boldly confront sexual identity and authentically explore same-sex relationships.

• ONENESS made its world premiere at KASHISH Pride Film Festival 2024, South Asia’s Largest Queer Film Festival.
• ONENESS is listed in the Top 3 Manipuri Films on IMDb.
• ELLE India listed ONENESS in the Top 8 Films At KASHISH 2024.
• MID-DAY listed ONENESS in the Top 10 Films At KASHISH 2024.
• Official Selection at the BANGALORE QUEER FILM FESTIVAL 2024.
• Official Selection at the 2nd Eikhoigi Imphal International Film Festival 2025 (2nd EIIFF 2025).
• Official Selection – In Competition – at the 2nd North East India Film Festival, Manipur, 2025.
• Won BEST DIRECTOR – Northeast (Priyakanta Laishram) at the PRAG CINE AWARDS 2025.
• Nominated for BEST FILM – Northeast, BEST ACTOR – Northeast (Priyakanta Laishram), and BEST ACTRESS – Northeast (Maya Choudhury) at the PRAG CINE AWARDS 2025.
• Official Selection – Finalist – In Competition at the Aravali International Film Festival 2025, New Delhi.