Chalachitram National Film Festival - 25 Concludes With High Note In Guwahati

By Nava Thakuria, New Age Islam

3 December 2025

Scary loneliness of old ages while silently finding reasons to live and also gracefully depart the world, redefining the meaning of death, searching a peaceful home with closest ones, fraud and greed mesmerising  the modern lives, an environment supporting the human race, socio-cultural heritages of Bharat enriched with thousands of years of legacy and many other striving issues came alive as 9th  Chalachitram National Film Festival showcased over 30 short features and documentaries at Jyoti Chitraban premise in Kahilipara locality of Guwahati on 29 and 30 November 2025. Organized by Chalachitram, a subsidiary of Vishwa Samvad Kendra-Assam, the CNFF-25 screened the entries in both competitive  and only screening categories, where  ‘Koli’, directed by Jyotirmoy Mazumder, was adjudged as the best short film in north-eastern section, and ‘Joba’, directed by Indira Baikerikar, got the award for best short feature in the rest of India category.

Best documentary award was conferred on ‘The String Master’, directed by Biswajit Das, whereas best director’s award went to Bismita Borah for her short feature ‘Who Will Call Out Father Father’. ‘Expectation’ team comprising Ramjyoti Krincharan, Ajijul Islam and Elvachisa Sangma received best cinematography award, whereas best editing award went to  Samujjal Kashyap for the film ‘Muga’ and best screenplay award to Irungbam Manisana for ‘The Silent Performer’. The jury board consisting of  renowned filmmaker, critic & writer, Vijayakrishnan, national award winning filmmaker Maipaksana Haorongbam and leading sound designer & mixer Debajit Gayan made a special mention to  ‘Just Breath’, directed by Shreyas S Gautam. ‘Aham Bhartam’, directed by Bharat Bala, was shown as the opening film of the festival and ‘The First Film’, directed by Piyush Thakur, was screened as the closing one.

A few selected entries passionately narrated the tales of  aged professionals living in urban localities who deserve  helping hands from their well-wishers, some even take solace on folk tales & songs adoring marriage and other rituals to overcome their relentless anguish, encountering eroded family values where almost everybody suffers in different forms. Other selected entries revolved around the traditional love, now overshadowed by growing misunderstanding and no trust, among the family members which finally triumph in the time of distress with a true sense of empathy and forgiveness shown by everyone.  The young people finding it difficult to cope up with the constant changes in their psychological needs and isolating themselves from other relatives was also addressed in some films, but with a positive note as  they energize themselves after rediscovering the unconditional love and affection from nearest ones and prepare for marching ahead pursuing studies and future careers with the sense of responsibility and belongingness in the society.

The caste-ridden society and its implications on under-privileged individuals while accessing a  dignified life and living to overcome challenges with a determination to defy the prejudices was  also featured in some visual pieces. Projected slow learners and differently-able children in some entries may expose a different world to the audience, many of whom have little idea about the painful and emotional moments surrounding those minors. The matriarchal society, where men traditionally leave their own family to adopt a new one after marriage thus putting those fathers in isolation, ancient practises of magic that amuse the young people and help them fantasize to achieve the impossible , the surviving traditional Assamese string puppetry, thousands of years of old textile industry across Bharat and their legacy facing the turmoil of modern technology and lifestyle adopted by most of the people, tales embracing the malevolent spirit once listened and consumed by everyone in the rural world attracted the attention of film-enthusiasts.

An outdoor discussion on film performance, technique and audience’s response, where popular Assamese actors Jatin Bora and Kapil Bora along with multifaceted performers Poonam Gurung and Kamal Lochan participated, attracted a good number of young filmmakers and appreciators. Moderated by poet and film critic Aparajita Pujari, the deliberation covered a relevant topic ‘Performing the Self: Acting in the Age of Social Media’. The speakers narrated their experiences and also challenges while confronting a world where the boundary between personal identity and public persona increasingly grows blurred. The discussion explored how this new digital stage goes on reshaping performance, audience expectations, and a mounting competition in show business.

The unique  visual feast for film buffs with the central theme ‘Our Heritage Our Pride’ received nearly hundred entries (produced between 1 November 2024 and 15 September 2025 with the duration of maximum 25 minutes), out of which the preview committee comprising veteran filmmaker Bibhu Dutta, award winning director Jhulan Krishna Mahanta and accomplished cinematographer Hiten Thakuria  selected the package for screening. The festival was inaugurated  by Dr Sunil Mohanty, Asom Khetra prachar pramukh of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, on 29 November  by lighting sacred lamps in front of Bharat Mata’s portrait and also three Assamese cultural icons namely Bharat Ratna Dr Bhupen Hazarika, heart-throb Zubeen Garg and flutist Deepak Sarma. Mohanty in his address asserted that a powerful media like cinema must not be used for earning money with entertainment only, rather it has a major role to play  fostering nationalism and paying homage to thousands of years of India’s civilisation and cultural heritage.

The distinctive film-fest under the mentorship of Bharatiya Chitra Sadhna was initially launched as Guwahati Film Festival in 2017 and it was renamed in 2019 with the central theme of ‘Our Heritage Our Pride’ with an aim to bring film-works closer to the common people. The inaugural edition was organised at Rabindra Bhawan and nearby institutions, but later it was renamed and permanently shifted to Jyoti Chitraban film studio premise. Gracing the GFF-2017, the then Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal, opined that cinema reflects the philosophy of life, reality and expectations of society, and it plays an important role in transforming society. Since its third edition (CNFF-2019), the film-fest continues to showcase creative works on celluloid (now digital outlets) at the premise dedicated to the auspicious memory of Assam’s pioneer film-maker Rupkonwar Jyotiprasad Agarwala.

Gracing the closing function, Assam legislative assembly speaker Biswajit Daimary appreciated the move to encourage the short duration filmmakers with a gorgeous platform. He also expressed hope that they would continue making films focusing on the country’s heritage and culture. Daimary cited a number of mythological and historical characters from far eastern Bharat which deserve due reflections in the movies and digital platforms. Sharing the dais, Jyoti Chitraban film society chairman Bidyasagar Bora and CNFF-25  president Nava Thakuria also encouraged the film fraternity in their endeavour to create films for the national cause. Release of souvenir Chalachitram and a special screening of ‘Mon Jai’ as a tribute to Zubeen Garg added colour to the festival. India today witnesses a number of intriguing national film festivals across the country of over one billion population in different time slots and the CNFF has now joined the elite clubs.   On behalf of the organizing committee Kishor Shivam, Bhagawat Pritam, Riju Dutta, Sanjib Parasar, Deepak Dutta, Pranjit Deka, Buddha Boro, etc, hoped that the CNFF would go a long way to encourage the budding filmmakers in engaging the medium for  social changes across the sub-continent in the coming days.

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