The Hello Meghalaya Conclave 2024, which was organized by the tourist department, demonstrated the state’s determined efforts to grow its film industry by announcing large grants for filmmakers. Meghalaya’s creative ecosystem reached a significant milestone when Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma and Tourism Minister Paul Lyngdoh introduced the “Financial Assistance Guidelines for Film Production,” a structured policy that offers awards up to Rs 35 lakh across four categories.
Nomination-based filmmakers are the subject of Category A, which offers the biggest reward of Rs 35 lakh. Phases of this financing will be distributed as follows: 20% will be paid upon script selection, 30% during pre-production, 30% during production, and the final 20% upon project completion or post-production. A corpus of Rs 25 lakh is available to filmmakers with CBFC-certified films under Category B. While Category D seeks to develop up-and-coming talent with Rs 5 lakh grants for short films, Category C offers Rs 20 lakh for fiction web series.
The policy also established a national partnership and exchange program, which will commission one film every year, in addition to these grants. By requiring that 50% of the cast and crew be professionals from Meghalaya and 50% be from other parts of the nation, the program fosters national cooperation and gives up-and-coming talent the chance to collaborate with seasoned pros.
