The three-day Nagaland CineFest 2025 culminated on December 8, 2025, featuring a series of master classes, discussions, and film screenings. The valedictory session of the Nagaland CineFest 2025 was graced by Advisor to the Chief Minister and Chairman, IDAN, Abu Metha, as the special guest.
Metha, at the outset, commended the Department of Information & Public Relations for organizing the Nagaland CineFest 2025 and acknowledged that the Department has, of late, been doing exceptional work, emerging as one of the most vibrant departments and expanding into new verticals that are not only the norm and the usual but are giving opportunities to creativity, innovation, and most importantly, storytelling.
Metha emphasized the need to make stories from Nagaland known to the world and to express “our aspirations, our cry for honour and respect, our call for genuine peace and a lasting solution” through stories, books, films, and content, and not through violent means. He commended the Dreamz Unlimited team for their contribution to the film industry in Nagaland and for being excellent ambassadors for Nagaland and its people.
He urged all creative artists and innovators across various platforms and art forms to tell the stories of Nagaland and their way of life, and to showcase Nagaland through their creativity and hard work. He further highlighted the power of social media and modern information technology, encouraging innovators to make good use of all available tools to further their journey as creators and innovators.
Metha also called upon the organizers to put effort into making the Nagaland CineFest a national and global event in the years to come and to provide more opportunities for storytellers and filmmakers to reach out at the highest levels. He mentioned that the State’s creative economy is gradually growing and is one of the best in the Northeast, expressing hope that this is just the beginning of a long and fruitful journey for filmmakers and storytellers of the State.
Director, IPR, Dzüvinuo Theünuo, in her welcome address, expressed that it was an honour and privilege for the Department to host the Nagaland CineFest 2025, while also acknowledging the support of the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) under the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India. She also underscored the support and encouragement received from the Government of Nagaland, led by the Chief Secretary, who in his message said that the Government remains committed to creating opportunities for the youth to learn and innovate in the field of cinema.
She gave a brief recap of the three-day festival, saying that it had been an enriching experience, and further added that the Nagaland CineFest is a celebration of films, creativity, and cultural expression. The CineFest, she said, had been conceived as a platform to promote cinematic talent and encourage local storytellers, aiming to foster a wider appreciation of cinema as a medium of art, education, and social reflection.
The day began with a Masterclass on Film Appreciation by Writer-Director Niyaz Mujawar, followed by a masterclass on smartphone filmmaking conducted by filmmaker and strategist Adarsh Jain. In the afternoon, the film “The Missing Tourist,” produced by Dreamz Unlimited and DIPR, was screened.
Earlier, the Special Jury Award was presented to Kivini Shohe in recognition of her contribution and dedication to films.
The results of HIPFEST 2025, held under the theme ‘Seasons of Nagaland,’ were also declared, where a total of 97 photographers participated and 264 competition photos were displayed. Awards were presented to the winners Pelevizo Meyase, Tshetsholo Naro, and Asakho Chase, who secured first, second, and third positions respectively. In the category section, Avimanyu Banerjee won Best Portrait, Moasunep Pongen won Best Landscape, and Atam Wangsa won Best Wildlife.
