Manipuri filmmakers can now safeguard not only their celluloid films but also their video and digital works, as the Manipur State Film Development Society (MSFDS) has widened the scope of its SN Chand Cine Archive & Museum (SNCCAM) to embrace modern formats.
With the launch of a secure online server for storing digital films, MSFDS has appealed to producers and directors to deposit their works with the archive, describing each film as part of the collective cultural memory that deserves protection for future generations.
Established in 2021 during the Golden Jubilee of Manipuri Cinema and named after the state’s first film director, SN Chand, SNCCAM remains the country’s only state-run film archive and museum. It houses a Film Vault, Conservatory Lab, Exhibition Gallery and Hall, and has quickly gained recognition for its preservation milestones.
Among its celebrated achievements is the restoration of Ishanou by Aribam Syam Sharma, showcased in the Cannes Classics Section in 2023, and the ongoing restoration of Imagi Ningthem (1982) in Italy, the first Indian film to win the Grand Prix at Nantes. The archive has also preserved Manipuri cinema’s first feature film, Brojendragee Luhongba, in 4K.
Currently, 132 fragile reels are being digitized at the National Film Archives of India under the National Film Heritage Mission, while talks are on to retrieve 27 Manipuri film negatives from the West Bengal Film Development Corporation. To further enrich its collection, SNCCAM is also acquiring antique yet functional film equipment from Hyderabad.
Despite these strides, the archive continues to operate without permanent staff, relying on volunteers and daily-wage workers, a challenge MSFDS hopes to overcome soon.
