Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma has announced plans to set up a Film City as part of a broader push to build a film-making ecosystem in the state. He made the announcement while inaugurating the three-day Shillong International Film Festival at State Convention Centre here on Wednesday. Addressing the occasion, the Chief Minister positioned cinema as both a cultural and economic opportunity for Meghalaya, where a large young population is increasingly looking for non-traditional career avenues.
“Our youth are immensely talented but lack platforms and an ecosystem to showcase their abilities,” he said, adding that filmmaking can generate jobs across sectors — from acting and direction to technical work, design, music and logistics. He said the proposed Film City is intended to anchor that ecosystem and attract productions to the state.
The government is also considering a Film Institute to provide hands-on training and professionalise a sector that has so far grown largely on passion and informal learning. The announcement builds on a series of ongoing initiatives, including a state film policy, a proposed OTT platform, and performance-driven programmes such as the Meghalaya Grassroots Music Project (MGMP).