‘Fireflies in the Dark’: A story of hope from Manipur

Even in the darkest times, stories of hope endure. That is the story of ‘Enoong Ngallamdai’ (Fireflies in the Dark), a Manipuri film set against the backdrop of the conflict that has continued to scar Manipur for the past several years.

The 85-minute film had its world premiere at the 2026 Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) recently, where it was screened as part of the Panorama Cinemas of Asia lineup. Set during the ethnic violence that erupted in Manipur in 2023, ‘Fireflies in the Dark’ explores survival, resilience and the human cost of conflict through three interwoven stories.

A pregnant woman struggles to give birth as gunfire surrounds her. A young boy searches for his mother, accompanied only by a displaced stray calf. And a cafe owner risks her own safety to shelter people fleeing for their lives.

Producer Jani Viswanath said the film uses fragmented, non-linear storytelling and intimate handheld photography to portray the conflict without aestheticising violence. Instead, she said, the film turns its gaze towards the margins of catastrophe and asks what it means to keep going when everything around you has stopped.

“A quiet but powerful reminder that hope, however flickering, always finds a way to endure,” Viswanath said.

Chingsanglakpa and Yogesh Lohan have written the story. Lohan, who also directed the film, said his journey began with meeting survivors in Manipur.

“I came to this project first as a screenwriter. Before writing a single scene, I travelled to Manipur and met survivors who had lost everything. What struck me was not only their pain and trauma, but the quiet, stubborn hope that still lived in their eyes. That hope became the heartbeat of the film,” he said. Lohan said the film sought to honour those lives without spectacle and was shot across real locations in Manipur with the trust and support of local communities. “That trust lives in every frame,” he said.

“The world we inhabit is one increasingly shaped by violence, division and unrest. And yet, within that reality, human beings continue to find reasons to hold on. This film is a celebration of that instinct and the belief that light, however small, will always find a way through.”

For Lohan, the Vancouver screening was an emotional milestone.

“After everything we have gone through to bring this film to life, seeing it finally reach an audience feels incredibly special,” he said.

Bala Hijam Ningthoujam, known for the BAFTA-winning film ‘Boong’, Leishangthem Tonthoingambi Devi, Angom Pamdamba Singh, Aheibam Chiranjit, Luwang Yumlembam and Ratan Lai play key roles. The film also features several first-time actors who had never faced a camera before, including people from remote villages and refugee camps.

Viswanath recalled that the production and shoot were extremely challenging. “It was a challenging but interesting situation to handle every day. One of its most striking aspects is that the film features first-time actors who never faced a camera before, some from remote villages and some from refugee camps, bringing raw, lived reality onscreen,” she said.

Viswanath’s filmography includes the multi-award-winning Assamese film ‘Xhoixobote Dhemalite’ (Rainbow Fields), directed by Bidyut Kotoky; Boro films ‘Jwlwi - The Seed’ and ‘Gorai Phakri’ (Wild Swans), both directed by Rajni Basumatary; and ‘Andro Dreams’, a Manipuri documentary directed by Meena Longjam.

Her films have consistently focused on regional narratives, overlooked communities and themes of resilience, perseverance and hope. “The main message I want to convey as a humanitarian is that violence, conflict and chaos in any community anywhere in the world is never a solution to long-term peace. We need unity, positivity and harmony to sustain a habitable world,” Viswanath said.

Ravi Ranjan Sharma served as director of photography, while Meena Longjam supported the project as creative director.

The post-production team brought together sound designers Amrit Pritam and Debajit Changmai, music composer Daniel B George and editor Tinni Mitra. Rajni Basumatary served as executive producer.

Together, the team has created a film that looks beyond the violence to the people living through it, finding small traces of hope in the darkest of times.