Pune: The National Film Archives of India (
NFAI),
Symbiosis, and a group of students will screen some of the most acclaimed and recent films from the
northeastern states, including the very first film made in the
Tiwa language, spoken in parts of
Assam and
Meghalaya.
“Choloma, directed by Sumir Dewri, will be the closing film of the festival, titled Fragrances from the North East. It is the first film ever made in Tiwa. The films included in the programme encompass a broad range of subjects,” said NFAI director Prakash Magdum, at a news conference.
The two-day festival will begin on February 24. Zubeen Garg, the popular singer from Assam, will open the festival along with flautist Bikramjit Singh.
As earlier, the organizers have ensured that cultural performances accompany film screenings, apart from stalls featuring cuisines as well as handicrafts from the seven states.
The festival will include 11 films, curated in part by the National Award-winning film critic Utpal Borpujari.
The line-up also includes Borpujari’s directorial debut Ishu.
“The Assamese film Xhoixobote Dhemalite will premiere at the festival, and within a few hours, the director Bidyut Kotoky will also screen the film at a New York film festival. The critically-acclaimed film will be released commercially soon,” said Barnali Bhavsar, of Symbiosis’ north-eastern cultural centre. The film is a portrayal of lost childhoods during the Assam movement in the 1980s.
Some selections in the festival are markedly different in tone.
Sonar Boron Pakhi, a film in the Koch-Rajbongshi tongue, is a biopic of the legendary folk singer Protima Barua Pandey. The artiste was known for bringing Goalparia folk music into the mainstream, which became extremely popular in Assam and in neighbouring West Bengal.
The program also includes Kenny Basumantary’s sequel to his film Local Kung Fu.
The second film in the series is as an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors.
“The film will be screened at the ELTIS in Model Colony. Besides, the directors of some of the films will be at the festival to interact with the audience members,” Bhavsar added.
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