The five-day 2nd edition of the Himalayan Film Festival (THFF) 2023 concluded on October 2. The festival was organised by the Department of Information and Public Relations (DIPR), UT Ladakh in collaboration with LAHDC Leh and supported by the Film and Television Federation of Ladakh (FTFL).

Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, Brigadier (Dr) BD Mishra (Retd), inaugurated the festival at the Sindhu Sanskriti Kendra (SSK), Leh.

Stating that THFF 2023 encompasses everything related to art and culture, L-G stated that The Himalayan Film Festival is a good platform for local filmmakers to showcase their talent and commended the organisers and people involved in organising the event. Terming Ladakhi youth as talented, L-G also stated that our youth can replace Bollywood actors by showcasing their rich acting and film-directing talent through platforms such as THFF. He also shared the UT Administration’s vision to promote Ladakhi youth in the fields of acting, singing, and film directing.

L-G launched the THFF 2023 brochure along with LAHDC Leh’s. The Carnival of Festivals: September- a month of festivals highlighting a series of events to be held in the month of September from next year onwards. 

L-G informed about the plan to celebrate the UT Foundation Day on October 31 on a grand scale by sending troupes comprising Ladakhi boys and girls to different states and UTs of India to showcase Ladakh’s rich culture and heritage.

Chairman, LAHDC Leh, Tashi Gyalson stated that THFF was an initiative towards providing a platform for local filmmakers and people from the film fraternity to exhibit their talent. He shared that earlier the local filmmakers despite being immensely talented lacked a proper platform to showcase their talent but that gap has now been filled by THFF. He expressed happiness over seeing filmmakers, who got the chance to showcase their works in the last edition of THFF, shining in their fields.

Commissioner Secretary, Information Department, Padma Angmo informed that 40 films, including 14 from Ladakh, would be screened during the five-day event. 

Screenwriter’s lab, photography workshop, and short film competition were conducted as part of THFF 2023 while master classes by top professionals in the field of filmmaking were part of the five-day event.

A combination of Ladakhi, mainstream Indian cinema as well as regional films from other Himalayan states was screened. Last Days of Summer- a short film by Ladakhi filmmaker Stenzin Tankong and Jaane Jaan- a feature film by Sujoy Ghosh- were screened on the opening day.    

Sun Behind the Cloud by debutant director Sonam Nurboo from Koyoul, Changthang left the audiences spell bounded with his screenwriting skill by beautifully weaving a story sans speech, thus highlighting that storytelling surpasses language or speech for that matter. The Wait by director Rinchen Norbu captured the loneliness and disconnect inherent in modern society, while Kangsing; Art Meet Ice was a documentation of the works of the local contemporary art group – Kangsing, showcasing local craftsmanship and their journey in the field of ice-sculpting.

Jungwa, the Broken Balance was enthusiastically received by the audience. Director Stanzin Gya later spoke of his journey as a filmmaker and of specifically filming Jungwa in a conflicting scenario during the 2010 flash floods.

Eikhoigi Yu (Our Home) by Romi Meitei, Kemra by Sameeksha and Sumit Raina, Apic Chuli (1 & 2) and Chuu by Iftikhar Hussain, Dhuin by Achal Mishra were also screened on day 2 of the ongoing film festival at Sindhu Sanskriti Kendra, Leh. The trending Netflix film Jaane Jaan by director Sujoy Ghosh and the superhit bollywood film Jawaan by director Atlee were feature films screened.

Local music band Luyangs captivated the audience with their performance in the amphitheater.