SHILLONG: The tourism department hosted the Hello Meghalaya Conclave 2024, showcasing the state’s ambitious push to develop its film industry through the announcement of significant grants for filmmakers.
Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma and Tourism Minister Paul Lyngdoh unveiled the “Financial Assistance Guidelines for Film Production,’ a structured policy offering grants up to Rs 35 lakh across four categories, marking a milestone for Meghalaya’s creative ecosystem.
Category A, focused on nomination-based filmmakers, carries the largest grant of Rs 35 lakh. This funding will be disbursed in phases—20% upon script selection, 30% for pre-production, another 30% during production, and the remaining 20% upon completion or post-production of the project.
Category B, dedicated to filmmakers with CBFC-certified movies, offers a corpus of Rs 25 lakh. Fiction web series under Category C can receive Rs 20 lakh, while Category D aims to nurture emerging talent with Rs 5 lakh grants for short films.
In addition to these grants, the policy also introduced a national collaboration and exchange program, which will commission one film annually.
The initiative mandates that the cast and crew consist of 50% professionals from Meghalaya and 50% from other regions of the country, promoting national-level collaboration and creating opportunities for local talent to work with established professionals.
