Shillong : The Hello Meghalaya Conclave took place in Shillong, serving as a vibrant gathering for the cultural community. As Meghalaya’s indigenous OTT platform, Hello Meghalaya offers invaluable opportunities to filmmakers, artists, and content creators. The event was organized by the Department of Tourism, Government of Meghalaya.
Since the launch of Hello Meghalaya in 11th July 2024, the app had seen an overwhelming response with over 3.14 lakhs total app downloads and 2 lakh registrations in just a span of 5 months, 281K total number of views, 7.33K total content downloads, and 5.05K total content shared. The top-performing content includes Ka Daw, Thong Iong Nga, Ehrang, Ka Chithi, and Papa, with Thadlaskein, Laskein, and Mawlai being among the top regions for views. Hello Meghalaya also boasts a strong social media presence, with nine thousand YouTube subscribers, five thousand Instagram followers, and over four thousand Facebook followers, all achieved within six months.
Dr. Vijay Kumar D, IAS, expressed his pride in the success of Hello Meghalaya as an OTT platform launched by a state government. He shared an experience from his visit to Nongnah, a village in Southwest Khasi Hills located over three hours from Shillong. During his interaction with farmers and youth in the village, the youth showcased the Hello Meghalaya app, highlighting its impressive reach even in remote areas.
The conclave showcased the video presentation of the journey of Hello Meghalaya over the span of 5 months. Shri Conrad K Sangma, Hon’ble Chief Minister launched the Guidelines of Film Grant Booklet, to encourage film production and to promote the use of local language a corpus fund has been created by the Government of Meghalaya to provide financial assistance to filmmakers. The corpus fund is based on 4 categories- A, B, C and D. Under Category A, nominated filmmakers will receive up to Rs 35 lakhs to produce one feature film within a calendar year. Category B offers up to Rs 25 lakhs for feature films, while Category C provides up to Rs 20 lakhs for web series, disbursed per episode, with a minimum of 10 episodes, each 30-40 minutes long. Category D supports emerging filmmakers from Meghalaya with up to Rs 5 lakhs to create short films.
Following the launch of the booklet, sanction letters amounting to Rs 35 lakh each were distributed to three prominent filmmakers of the state – Dominic Sangma, Pradip Kurbah, and Simi Khongtiang on a nomination basis.
Hon’ble Chief Minister of Meghalaya, Shri Conrad K Sangma, praised Hello Meghalaya OTT platform and said “in the last few months, six months or so, we have really been able to push this, you know, to the next level. I should say we are very happy with the kind of response we’re getting. We are very happy that today we are launching, in fact, the new guidelines for the film production, again, an area which I am very, very keen to promote again. There are so many programs that the state government is running today to support the youth, and we want you to take advantage of that, because we want to give you that platform. We want to give you that opportunity.”
He spoke about the brimming talent in Meghalaya and the government’s commitment to nurture their growth. Recognising this evolution, the government established a robust ecosystem through Hello Meghalaya to empower local producers and content creators.
Hon’ble Chief Minister said that the Guidelines of Film Grant Booklet launched today is a testament to commitment to supporting filmmakers in their endeavours providing a necessary framework for financial assistance and ensuring that creative minds have the resources they need to bring their visions to life.
The financial assistance of Rs 35 lakh each to the three selected filmmakers and the Corpus fund will encourage the production of original content, including films, web series, and short films that promote the state’s cultural heritage, natural beauty, and local languages, he added.
The conclave featured an award ceremony honouring storytellers across categories like films, web series, and documentaries, highlighting the importance of diverse narratives. Winners in each category received a cash prize of Rs 25,000. Additionally, five beneficiaries from the state were recognized with Rs 10,000 each as a token of appreciation for their contributions to the app’s success.
Speaking about handholding the film makers, Shri Paul Lyngdoh, Hon’ble Tourism Minister of Meghalaya said that the government looks forward to the day that they should be in a position to stand on their own and in 2025 they look forward to seeing Shillong’ State Central Library to be able to have a multiplex to screen movies.
Lyngdoh added that the platform will serve as a window into our culture, stories, and people, embodying the spirit of “by the people, for the people, to the people.” The Hon’ble Tourism Minister lauded the movie ‘Rapture” stating it as “a masterpiece that not only placed Meghalaya on the global cinematic map but also demonstrated the immense talent and potential of our filmmakers.”
Earlier, the conclave featured the screening of Dominic Sangma’s latest and critically acclaimed award winning ‘Rapture’ (Rimdogittanga). Panel discussions were also held which laid emphasis on the potential of Indigenous Storytelling in Meghalaya. The panellist included prominent filmmakers from the state: Dominic Sangma, Simi Khongtiang, Commander Shangpliang and Lucky D Kharsati.
Another important panel discussion was carried out in the conclave emphasising on The Role of Cinema in Bridging Cultural and Regional Divides where Kunal Sharma who is currently writing a film that’s set in north-eastern part of India said he will come back to Meghalaya for research, adding it is God’s gift to come to Meghalaya. He did not reveal much about the movie. According to him, cinema can play a very big role in someone’s life. The panellist included Nationally renowned filmmakers: Dinesh Shenoy, Kunal Sharma, Pradeep Reddy, Manish Gaekwad and Pradip Kurbah.
Dinesh Shenoy said that the people will be curious to know about Shillong and the state through Rapture. Pradeep Reddy said cinema is a wonderful medium to bridge cultures between states. Pradip Kurbah said film makers within the Northeastern region should also watch each other’s movies. He further said that film makers doing a film on the region should go through proper channel and sources, not to make a film based on assumptions. Dinesh Shenoy said that there should be a single window to get clearance for location. Manish Gaekwad spoke about empowering locals to tell nice stories and tell stories as locally as possible.