Aribam Syam Sharma is an Indian filmmaker and composer from
Manipur
Manipur () is a state in northeastern India with Imphal as its capital. It borders the Indian states of Assam to the west, Mizoram to the south, and Nagaland to the north and shares the international border with Myanmar, specifically t ...
. He debuted in the first Manipuri film ''
Matamgi Manipur'' as an actor. In 1974, he directed his first movie ''
Lamja Parshuram''. It became the first Manipuri film to run for 100 days in the box office. His 1979 film ''
Olangthagee Wangmadasoo'' was the first ever and the only Manipuri film to run for 32 weeks. It also broke the local box office records of ''Sholay''.
His fourth film as a director,
''Imagi Ningthem'' (My Son, My precious) brought him international recognition when the film received the
''Montgolfiere d' Or'' at the
''Festival of Three Continents'', Nantes in 1982.
His 1990 film
''Ishanou'' (The Chosen One) was screened in the
Un Certain Regard
(; 'A Certain Glance') is a section of the Cannes Film Festival's official selection. It is run at the Debussy, parallel to the competition for the . This section was introduced in 1978 by Gilles Jacob.
The section presents 20 films with unusua ...
section at the
1991 Cannes Film Festival
The 44th Cannes Film Festival was held from 9 to 20 May 1991. French-Polish filmmaker Roman Polanski served as jury president for the main competition.
American filmmakers Joel Coen and Ethan Coen won the Palme d'Or, the festival's top prize, ...
.
In 2006, the Government of India awarded Sharma with the
Padmashri
The Padma Shri ( IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 Janu ...
,
but he returned the award in February 2019 to protest against the Indian Government's decision to enact the
Citizenship Amendment Bill of 2019.
In recognition of his contribution in the Indian documentary cinema, the Government of India conferred him ''Dr. V. Shantaram Lifetime Achievement Award'' in the 10th Mumbai International Film Festival, 2008 organised by the Films Division. Syam Sharma was given the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 7th Manipur State Film Festival 2010. He was also conferred with the ''Jewel of Manipuri Cinema'' award on 14 May 2015 by the Film Forum Manipur and the Manipur State Film Development Society.
Filmography
Feature films
Non-feature films
Bibliography
In popular culture
Documentary films focussing on the life and the filmmaking career of Aribam Syam Sharma was made by Gurumayum Nirmal Sharma and Th. Brajabidhu.
Another non-feature film on the filmmaker titled ''
Pabung Syam'' was also made in 2020 by
Haobam Paban Kumar and produced by
Films Division of India
The Films Division of India (FDI), commonly referred as Films Division, was established in 1948 following the independence of India. It was the first state film production and distribution unit, under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting ...
. The film was selected at the
52nd International Film Festival of India 2021 in the non-feature section of Indian Panorama.
References
External links
*
Aribam Syam Sharma, Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sharma, Aribam Syam
Meitei Brahmins
Brahmins of Manipur
Film directors from Manipur
1936 births
Living people
People from Imphal
Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts
Indian documentary filmmakers
Indian autobiographers
20th-century Indian people
21st-century Indian people
Screenwriters from Manipur
Musicians from Manipur