The Plasticity of the Global or Manipuri Cinema's Resilient Becoming

Focusing on the emergence of a vibrant Manipuri video-cinema industry in North-east India over the past decade, this talk will develop aframework of plasticity to think about the dynamic folds of the global and the local. Caught between a repressive state and a militant separatist movement, contemporary Manipuri filmmakers draw on diverse inspirations (Bollywood, Manipuri aesthetic traditions, Korean hallyu) and infrastructural affordances (state sponsorship, censorship from the political underground, media piracy) to fashion a resilient, future-oriented cultural field. This presentation will explore ways in which this formation enriches our understanding of microregional identities and "minor" cultures, translocal exchanges, and the question of resistance.Contact: 919 668-2603.