by admin | Aug 22, 2024 | Festival Circuit
The Last Generation, an Assamese documentary film, has been selected for the Jharkhand International Film Festival and Awards, which will be held in Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh.
Directed by Prabal Khaund and produced by Gopal Jalan and Dhruvajyoti Kakoti under the banner of Jalan Films, The Last Generation explores the traditional Yaping Hulo and Tipe practices of the Apatani community in Arunachal Pradesh, which are now on the verge of extinction. The documentary focuses on how only a few elderly women continue to adorn these practices today. Once they pass away, these traditions will be lost forever, forming the film’s core theme and hence the title, The Last Generation.
Director Prabak Khaund says- ‘As the director of this documentary project, my mission is to capture the essence of the endangered tradition of Yapping hullo and Tippe practised by the Apatani people of Arunachal Pradesh’s Ziro Valley. It is a race against time to preserve this fading cultural heritage before it becomes obscurity. Through storytelling and visual documentation, I aim to showcase the significance of these rituals and the profound impact their extinction would have on the Apatani community. The few remaining elderly women who still know Yapping Hullo and Tippe are the last threads connecting us to this ancient tradition. By immersing viewers in their stories and experiences, I hope to raise awareness about the importance of cultural preservation. This documentary is a tribute to the resilience and beauty of the Apatani culture.’
Notably, this festival, organised by the Arunachal Pradesh Tourism Department, will be held in September in Itanagar. The documentary has already been selected for various festivals, such as the Durgapur International Film Festival, Nawada International Film Festival, International Film Festival of Shimla, Pune Short Film Festival, and Kerala’s International Documentary and Short Film Festival.
Prabal Khaund and Meenakshi Deka wrote the screenplay for The Last Generation. The film was shot in and around Ziro, where the Apatani community resides.
Prabal Khaund is the vice president of Chalachitram.
by admin | Aug 19, 2024 | Festival Circuit
Assamese feature film “Iron Girl” received a Special Jury Mention in the National Feature Film category at the 10th International Film Festival of Shimla, which took place from August 16th to 18th. The film was written, directed, and produced by Rajen Das, who received the award from the governor of Himachal Pradesh with one of the film’s actors, Jasmin Das.
Rajen Das says, ‘I dedicate the film to all the Deodhani artists of Assam, as the film portrays the tradition of Deodhani dance. I made this film after in-depth research on the subject, which took three years.’
Five films from Assam were showcased at the festival, including “The Last Generation” (documentary) by Prabal Khaund, “Fagu Khele Karunamoi” (documentary) by Utpal Datta, “Pai Tang” (feature) by Prabal Khaund, “The Nellie Story” by Parthajit Baruah, and “Iron Girl.” Rajen Das, Parthajit Baruah, and Utpal Datta represented their films at the festival. The festival was inaugurated by actor Seema Biswas, who also participated in the award ceremony and conducted a master class on acting.
by admin | Aug 17, 2024 | Festival Circuit
Emuthi Puthi, a feature film by Kulanandini Mahanta, has been declared the recipient of the Rajat Kamal Award for best film in the regional language (Assamese). The film was commercially released and drew attention from the audience in all sections for its novel theme and unique presentation.
Assamese writer Parthiv Dhar received the Swarna Kamal for Best Writing in Cinema for his book Kishor Kumar, which he co-wrote with Anirudh Bhattacharya.
Nabapam Deka’s ‘Sunyata’ short feature under 30 months receives the Best Short Film award. He says- ‘Xunyota – The journey of Xunyota began at the Kolkata International Film Festival. From there, it screened at several Indian festivals before crossing borders to be shown at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne. And now, as of yesterday, this film has brought home the National Award for Best Film. This film has completed a successful journey far beyond our imagination. In this moment, I want to extend my sincere thanks to my incredible team. Without your selfless contributions, none of this would have been possible.’
In the category of Best Feature Film in Each of the Language Other Than Those Specified In the Schedule VIII of the Constitution Dr. Bobby Sharma Baruah’s ‘Sikaichal’ won the award for Best Tiwa Film. In the non-feature category, Parthasarathi Mohanta’s documentary ‘Hargila’ and Aimi Barua’s documentary ‘Birubala: Witch to Padma Shri’ won special mention awards.
by admin | Jul 11, 2024 | Festival Circuit
Assamese film Pai Tang, meaning ‘Step of Hope’, has been selected for the 10th Shimla International Film Festival, which will be held from August 16. It is based on a true story of the endangered Tai Phake people who live in Assam.
Revealing the backstory, Prabal Khaund, the director, says, “Knowing very well that ethnic groups face the danger of going extinct along with their language, culture and heritage, I began researching on whether any such threatened ethnic entity existed in Assam, and discovered that one such ethnic group called Tai Phake had migrated as early as 1775 from the Hou Kong valley of Myanmar to Assam.
“As per the latest census, their population is only around two thousand. UNESCO has declared the status of their existence as threatened. The followers of Buddhism, the Tai Phake people brought along with around 400 manuscripts in 1775. These are preserved in their Monastery library. However, many in the young generation cannot read or write in their language, and do not even know the meaning of the texts of their 400 odd manuscripts.
“Pai Tang (this word, taken from their mother tongue, means ‘a step of hope’) depicts the real life of the Tai Phake people. The shooting location is their picturesque Namphake village of Naharkatiya, and many of the actors are from that ethnic group. I pray that this film will create sufficient awareness of the Tai Phake people and address their dilemma.”
Pai Tang had previously been screened at the Kolkata International Film Festival, the Bangalore International Film Festival, the Darbhanga International Film Festival, and the Northeast International Film Festival. It has been honoured with several prizes.
Director: Prabal Khaund
Screenplay: Prabal Khaund and Meenakshi Deka
Actors: Jnanapal Mahather, Hum Chen Winken, Nuk Chen Winken, Paim Thi Gohain
Cinematography: Papu Deka
Editor: Ramen Bora
Sound designer: Devjit Gayan
Music composer: Rajiv Kashyap
Singers: Ai Cha Thamaung and Je Hum Hailong
Producer: Nav Kumar Bhuyan
EP: Sangeeta Nath Bhuyan
Banner: Ans Entertainment
by admin | Jul 9, 2024 | Festival Circuit
Bearing testament to the burgeoning talent in Assamese cinema, five films from the State have been selected for the 17th SiGNS International Film Festival, to be held at Thunchath Ezhuthachan Malayalam University, Kerala, in early August. The films are Kaankhowa by Hira Das, Son of the Soil by Akanshya Bhagabati, Maya by Susmita Talukdar, Pickles and Orange by Tridisha Goswami, and Ekaki by Rupam Jyoti Malakar.
The director of Kankhowa, which had won the House of Illusions award for Best Short Film by a Woman Director at Chalachitram 2023, says, “I am very happy for our film Kaankhowa’s selection in this prestigious film festival, for it’s a filmmaker’s dream to reach as wide an audience as possible.”
SiGNS, a pioneering festival in India for digital videos, is home to the prestigious John Abraham National Award. This national-level competition for documentaries and short fiction, named in memory of John Abraham, adds a layer of significance to the festival. The John Abraham Award was instituted in 1999 by the Kerala Region of the Federation of Film Societies of India in memory of John Abraham.
In 2005, the competition was extended to the national level, and the festival was renamed SiGNS. It focuses on documentary and short fiction films in video format. SiGNS has carved a niche for itself in the festival map in India and is entering its 17th edition this year. The festival is organised by the Kerala region of the Federation of Film Societies of India (FFSI) in association with Malayalam University.
by admin | Jul 6, 2024 | Festival Circuit
The 30th edition of the Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF), organised by the Information and Cultural Affairs Department, Government of West Bengal, is scheduled to be held between 4 – 11 December 2024 in Kolkata, the cultural capital of the State. Accredited by the International Federation of Film Producers’ Association (FIAPF), KIFF promises to be more exciting, appealing and satisfying to cinema lovers as they will continue to feel the charm of world-class cinema in the City of Joy.
The film world of Assam feels a close connection with Kolkata. Earlier, Assamese films were made in Kolkata’s studios. Assam’s first Government film studio started in 1960, and after that, this relationship came to a halt. Later, the relationship was revived with the KIFF. Thirty years ago, Assam had no proper film festival. Film lovers love to visit KIFF, which is not so far from Assam. Later, It became a habit for a few film lovers. Many filmmakers submitted their films for the festival; many films were screened, and a few bagged awards.
Filmmaker Produyt Kumar Deka says, “My film ‘Samiran Baruah Ahi Ase’ was screened at KIFF, and it was a big support for the team. I observed that KIFF always promotes films with new content and narrative.”
A documentary titled ‘Challenge’, directed by Sibanu Bora and Ramen Bora was awarded Best Documentary at KIFF, which has boosted the filmmaker duo’s zeal for filmmaking. Ramen Bora says, “Our film had Indian Premier in KIFF, which was a great encouragement for us. We, my co-director and our cinematographer, attended the festival, and we returned. Later, we learned that our film had been selected for the Best Documentary Award. We stood speechless.’
Competition Category
International Competition: Innovation in Moving Images
Competition in Indian Languages
Asian Select (NETPAC Award)
Bengali Panorama
National Competition on Documentary
National Competition on Short Fiction
Non-Competition Category
Cinema International
