''Joseph's Son'' (

Meiteilon Meitei (; ) also known as Manipuri ), is a Tibeto-Burman language of northeast India. It is the official language and the lingua franca of Manipur and an additional official language in four districts of Assam. It is one of the constit ...

: ''Josephki Macha'') is a Manipuri film released in 2023. It is based on a true story and features Rewben Mashangva. The film was directed by Haobam Paban Kumar and produced by the National Film Development Corporation Limited, with Oli Pictures as a co-producer. The screenplay was written by Sudhir Naoroibam, a

Sahitya Akademi Award The Sahitya Akademi Award is a literary honour in India, which the Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, annually confers on writers of the most outstanding books of literary merit published in any of the 22 languages of the ...

winner, alongside Haobam. It is based on Sudhir Naoroibam's short story with the same title. The film premiered at the 25th Shanghai International Film Festival in June 2023, where it was the only Indian film among 11 which competed for the

Golden Goblet Award The Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF, , French: ''Festival international du film de Shanghai'') is the largest film festival in Asia and China's longest-running international cinema event. The first festival was established in Octobe ...

Synopsis

Joseph's Son follows the story of Joseph, a highlander caught in the midst of ethnic clashes as he searches for his missing son. The film portrays Joseph's escalating fear and anxiety as he grapples with the turmoil of ongoing conflict and his personal concerns. David, Joseph's son, is a dedicated footballer who has not returned home. His absence prompts his mother to persuade Joseph to undertake the search for him. After exhausting all avenues with David's friends and finding no leads, Joseph turns to the police for assistance. They inform him that a body in the

Imphal Imphal (; , ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Manipur. The metropolitan centre of the city contains the ruins of Kangla Palace (officially known as Kangla Fort), the royal seat of the former Kingdom of Manipur, surrounded by a ...

morgue may belong to David, and that he needs to verify the identity of the body in person. Despite his reservations and the daunting nature of the journey, Joseph reluctantly embarks on the long and arduous trip to Imphal. The film delves into Joseph's emotional and physical challenges as he confronts the possibility of a tragic outcome while navigating the chaos surrounding him.

Screening

In November 2023, Joseph's Son was selected for screening at the 29th

Kolkata International Film Festival The Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF) is an annual film festival held in Kolkata, India. Founded in 1995, it is the third oldest international film festival in India. The festival is organized by the West Bengal Film Centre under the W ...

(KIFF), which took place on 5 December 2023. It was also featured at the 28th

International Film Festival of Kerala The International Film Festival of Kerala (abbreviated as IFFK) is a film festival held annually in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala, India. This film festival started in 1996 and is hosted by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy ...

2023 in

Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram ( ), also known as Trivandrum, is the Capital city, capital city of the Indian state of Kerala. As of 2011, the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation had a population of 957,730 over an area of 214.86 sq. km, making it the ...

. Additionally, the film was one of 14 nominees for the Alternativa Film Awards 2023 in

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...

Accolades

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, 27881398 2023 documentary films 2023 films Meitei-language films Indian documentary films Films based on real people