Imphal/IBNS: The restored version of the 1990 Manipuri film "Ishanou", directed by acclaimed filmmaker Aribam Syam Sharma, is scheduled to debut at the Cannes Film Festival from May 16-27.

The movie, which features Anoubam Kiranmala and Kangjam Tomba and focuses on the Maibi culture of Manipur, has been acknowledged as a World Classic and will be shown in the Cannes Classic section.

According to officials from the Manipur State Film Development Society (MSFDS), the 91-minute film was formerly an official entry to the Un Certain Regard category at Cannes in 1991, stated Northeast Now.

In collaboration with the Film Heritage Foundation in Mumbai and director Aribam Syam Sharma, the MSFDS initiated the ambitious restoration project for "Ishanou".

"Ishanou" is only the second celluloid Manipuri feature film that the SN Chand Cine Archive and the Museum of MSFDS has digitised and the first film to have undergone restoration.

Laimayum Surjakanta Sharma, Chairman of Film Forum Manipur (FFM), stated that Syam Sharma is a groundbreaking pioneer of Manipuri cinema who has been tirelessly working to depict the cultural and emotional nuances of the state and its people with a humanitarian vision through cinematic storytelling with a distinct artistic signature.

Several film-related organizations in Manipur had urged the Information and Broadcasting Ministry last year to bestow the Dadasaheb Phalke Award on Syam Sharma.

In November of last year, during the 53rd edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) held in Goa, Manipuri films were featured under the special Manipuri cinema category titled "Golden Jubilee of Manipuri Cinema."