Shillong: Films play an important role in cultural integration, psychological integration as well as tourism promotion besides being a very powerful medium of expression, Meghalaya Governor K K Paul said today.
"What we need is a total cultural integration and it is here that the role of films becomes very important," Paul said at the inauguration of the four-day Indian Panaroma Film Festival (IPFF) here.
Stating that till recently, films were the cheapest source of entertainment and had a countrywide following in several languages, he said that now, even though there were other avenues of entertainment, the appeal and relevance of cinema had not diminished and continues to grow.
Stating that entire Bollywood seemed to get stuck in the tea gardens of Darjeeling, the Governor said that the Northeast had waterfalls, natural clouds, mountainscapes and tea gardens.
He also said that there was no dearth of talent in the NE and films could play an integrative role by giving enhanced exposure to talented boys and girls. The Governor released the souvenir of the Indian Panaroma Film Festival.
Earlier, celebrities like Dekh Indian Circus film's actor and director, Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Mangesh Hadawale besides others were also introduced to the audience. Dekh Indian Circus was screened as the opening film at the festival.
The IPFF is being organised by the Meghalaya's Department of Information and Public Relations in collaboration with the Government of India's Ministry of Information and Broadcasting through the Directorate of Film Festivals.
