In a move to empower local talent and catalyse the growth of the State’s film industry, Shri Conrad K. Sangma, Hon’ble Chief Minister, along with the Hon’ble Tourism Minister, Department of Tourism, Government of Meghalaya, today, disbursed grants to filmmakers, a transformative initiative under Hello Meghalaya. Held at the State Convention Centre, Shillong, this event etched a historic moment for Meghalaya’s diverse artistic community, bringing together filmmakers, content creators, and cultural luminaries to celebrate the power of creativity and filmmaking. The event was graced by Shri Conrad K Sangma, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Meghalaya, as the Chief Guest; alongside Bah Paul Lyngdoh, Hon’ble Tourism Minister of Meghalaya, as the Guest of Honour, Dr Vijay Kumar D., IAS, Commissioner & Secretary, Tourism department; Shri Cyril V D Diengdoh, IAS, Director, Tourism department, Shri Harish Choudhary, IFS, Principal Conservator, Forest department, Shri Robert Lyngdoh, Chief Administrative Officer, the Meghalyan Age Limited (MAL) and members of MAL. Other attendees included directors, filmmakers, and content creators. The Hon’ble Chief Minister stated that in the last many years, the government of Meghalaya has realized the importance of really looking at our young generation as almost 50% of the State’s population is below the age of 20 making Meghalaya one of the youngest states in the country today. “Realizing the strength that we have we felt the need as policymakers to really focus on what drives the youth of our State and how we can provide an ecosystem and platform for the youth to grow, to do what they love to do and create value out of it. We believe that our youth have much potential, and they can do many things,” he further added. He emphasized on the huge potential of Meghalaya’s film industry in the presence of many creative people; and platforms such as Hello Meghalaya provide the opportunity in the right way. The grant is based on 4 categories- A, B, C and D. Under Category A, six nominated filmmakers will receive up to Rs 35 lakhs to produce one feature film within a calendar year. Under Category B, eighteen filmmakers received up to Rs 25 lakhs for feature films, while under Category C, four filmmakers received Rs 20 lakhs for web series, disbursed per episode, with a minimum of 10 episodes, each 30-40 minutes long. Under Category D, nineteen filmmakers, emerging filmmakers from Meghalaya, received with up to Rs 5 lakhs to create short films. Shri Paul Lyngdoh stated that this event takes the film fraternity forward and celebrates the spirit of Meghalaya and the indigenous traditions of the Khasis, Jaintias and Garos. He expressed his happiness on the Hello Meghalaya platform having done well since its launch. On the Meghalaya Film Tourism Policy he welcomed positive tangible suggestions and inputs from the people. The event also featured the highly anticipated first look of Ha Lyngkha Bneng (The Elysian Field) which was directed by Mr Pradip Kurbah and his team. During the programme, the Filmmaking Exchange Programme was also announced where for the first time Meghalaya Tourism in collaboration with Film and Television Institute (FTI), Arunachal Pradesh, will conduct masterclass sessions taught by Mr Dominic Sangma, an award winning and a celebrated director, further strengthening regional collaboration in the creative arts. The exchange programme, supported by Tourism Department, Government of Meghalaya, will feature 30 students – 15 students from Meghalaya and 15 students from Arunachal Pradesh. The event culminated with a spectacular road show and flag-off ceremony led by Hon’ble Chief Minister Shri Conrad K Sangma. The road Show aims to feature movies, content, promotional activities, and awareness on topics/issues that will be displayed in various locations across different districts of the State for 30 days.