In 1980s, when Manipur was inflicted with insurgency and armed violence, a group of women came out to the streets to uphold peace in the valley. Meira Paibis are loosely structured groups of women from each locality who volunteered to vigil through the night as a peace-building effort. ‘Fireflies’ takes us through the journey of these women in their struggles to protect their community from atrocities committed by the State. It explores the role of women in the conflict-ridden, male-dominated society of Manipur. Through powerful testimonies, this film looks into how gender identities are negotiated during the time of conflict and violence.
Related Movies
Trip to Manipur (1935)
Amateur film of a road trip through northeastern India, showing traditional dances and a gigantic flower float.
Bloody Phanek (NaN)
Bloody Phanek is a documentary film on phanek, an exclusive cloth similar to a sarong, which is worn by Manipuri women in northeastern India bordering Burma. The film blends the personal and the political. It starts from a personal impression that began from the earliest memories of the filmmaker's life. Bloody Phanek aims to discover how women use Phanek as a medium of protest while it explores the concept of impurity and how this attire challenges masculinity.
The Last Step (2025)
In the vibrant yet challenging world of Manipuri dance, Dyna and Arangbi dream of making it big. Dyna comes from a supportive family that encourages her aspirations, while Arangbi’s widowed mother struggles to run a pan shop and faces societal ridicule over her daughter’s career. The two women work as background dancers in local music videos, pushing themselves to excel in an environment where they are often invisible and misunderstood. As an audition for a coveted lead dancer role approaches, cracks begin to form in their friendship. Dyna's privilege and Arangbi's mounting frustrations collide, exposing deep-seated fears, insecurities, and societal judgments that plague their lives. The aftermath of the audition leaves them questioning their dreams and the price of pursuing a passion in a world that refuses to accept them. The story culminates in an open-ended epilogue, forcing the audience to ponder: Do dreams fade, or do we give up on them too soon?
Code Name Lucy: Spies Against Nazis (NaN)
The greatest secret of the Second World War has remained a mystery for the last 80 years: a Jewish Communist, Sandor Rado, led a spy network that proved essential to the victory of Allied Forces. Rado received details of strictly confidential strategies from the highest echelons of the Nazi State through Rudolf Roessler, a dedicated anti-Nazi he'd only known as code name "Lucy." Aided by key German industry leaders, Roessler transmitted timely information from high-ranking collaborators within the German army headquarters. Despite their achievement, Rado, Roessler and their sources remained unacknowledged heroes until today. Thanks to the recent declassification of secret archives, we are now able to step behind the scenes of this incredible story.
Silverback (2024)
Feature-length documentary following award-winning wildlife cameraman Vianet Djenguet as he documents a gruelling but vital mission to ‘habituate’ a notoriously protective 450lb silverback, in a last-ditch effort to save the critically endangered eastern lowland gorillas from extinction.
When Presenters Go Horribly Wrong (2024)
Jan Leeming narrates a collection of on-air disasters involving TV presenters, from live gaffes and wardrobe malfunctions to slip-ups, pratfalls and even flying fists.
Notes on the Death of A Cinema (2024)
A personal tribute to the liturgy of cinema, to its ghosts and its dreams.
Das Haus hinter dem Kupfergraben (1988)
The documentary portrays the art historian Wilhelm von Bode as a realistic visionary.
Museum für Deutsche Geschichte. Einblicke und Begegnungen (1988)
In 1952, the Central Committee of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED) decides to establish a "Museum of German History" (MfDG) in the Zeughaus Unter den Linden. As the central history museum of the GDR, it is committed to the Marxist-Leninist conception of history. The film Museum of German History. Insights and Encounters - a GDR television documentary from 1988 - shows the reconstruction of the war-damaged building, presents selected eras such as the Peasants' Wars and the Revolution of 1848 and observes the preparations for a special exhibition on "Artists in the Class Struggle". The film also provides insights into the restorers' workshops, the coin collection and the painting depot.
Tree of Life (2019)
A documentary that details the lives of Babak and Ahmad Ahmadpour 30 years after they starred as amateur child actors in Abbas Kiarostami's Koker Trilogy.
Seagull dog child (2025)
A seagull, a dog, a child, a call to prayer; Looking through a window, the corridor of a train, the wall of a medina; Everyday life is momentarily paused through the eyes of a stranger in an unknown land.
When Women Kill (1994)
What would make an ordinary woman kill her husband? This powerful documentary is about three battered women who, after years of violence, kill their abusers. These women killed when they felt they had no other options: the police and the courts did not protect them, and society failed to take them seriously. When Women Kill challenges the legal system to confront the systemic and widespread violence that men inflict daily on the home front.
Puppets Against Aids - Township to Tundra (1992)
In 1992, an independent South African puppetry group, the African Research and Educational Puppetry Program, were invited by OXFAM (Canada) to bring their highly successful educational program 'Puppets Against Aids' to tour rural and regional Canada for twelve weeks. This is the one-hour documentary that was produced from their Canadian Tour.