Aribam Syam Sharma's Ishanou to be restored for Cannes world premiere

Veteran filmmaker Aribam Syam Sharma's acclaimed Manipuri film, Ishanou, has been shortlisted for a world premiere at the Festival de Cannes 2023.

And Film Heritage Foundation (FHF) will be restoring the film for the world premiere after the huge success of restoring Aravindan Govindan’s Thamp̄, which was screened at Cannes last year.

An Instagram post of FHF stated that Ishanou tells a poignant tale of love and loss steeped in Manipuri culture. The film has been restored by Film Heritage Foundation at L’Immagine Ritrovata laboratory and Prasad Corporation Pvt. Ltd.’s Post-Studios, Chennai, in association with the producer and director, Aribam Syam Sharma and Manipur State Film Development Society (MSFDS).

"Ishanou was restored using the best surviving elements: the 16 mm original camera negative preserved at the National Film Archive of India and two 35 mm prints preserved by Aribam Syam Sharma. The sound was digitised from the 35 mm acetate print and the grading was supervised by Aribam Syam Sharma," the caption read. The upcoming film festival will take place from May 16 to May 27.