Short film 'The Lost Song' screened in lift-off seasons 2019: Sight & Sound

Prantik Deka

Curtains came down on the 3^rd Guwahati International Film Festival on recently, in which 100 films from 65 countries were screened. In the competition segment of the GIFF, Gajendra Ahire-directed 'Dear Molly' (Hodi) was adjudged the Best Feature Film while Arjunn Dutta received the Best Director award for 'Unsaid' (Abyakto). At the closing ceremony of the seven-day extravaganza, Sangeet Natak Akademi Award-winning actor Mohan Agashe said a film that does not force a viewer to think passes on adulterated information. The difference between good and bad movies is that good films provide authentic information, while bad ones pass on information laced with 'masala', he said. "Our formal education doesn't include how to see, feel and touch. The only media that teaches all of these is films.

In a country like India, a lot of people can't read and write. For them, the only source of information is movies and their own experiences," the veteran film personality said.

The closing film of the festival was 'To The Desert' (Al Desierto) by Argentinian director Ulises Rosell. This year, the competition segment was extended to national level after containing it for only state films in the earlier two editions.

The Special Jury Award was given to Sumitra Bhave for Art Direction in 'Seeing' (Dithee), while Philip Sangma for his acting in 'Ma Ama' by Dominic Sangma and 'Jwlwi – The Seed' by Rajni Basumatary bagged the Jury Special Mention certificates.

European film personality Nenad Dukic was the chairman of the Jury, while the other two members were Abu Sayeed and Santwana Bardoloi. Along with Dukic, the other dignitaries present during the Closing Ceremony included eminent cinematographer A K Bir, Argentinian Ambassador to India Daniel Chuburu and Assistant High Commissioner of Bangladesh in Guwahati Shah Mohammad Tanvir Monsur.

"I came here last year too and very impressed to see the festival growing every year. I will come next year also and hope that GIFF moves to a bigger place," Chuburu said. Monsur said Assam and Bangladesh are two brothers, which got separated during the partition of 1947. "We are going to be connected. Already the two prime ministers of the two countries have signed 72 agreements. India also provided USD 8 billion line of credit to various projects in Bangladesh," he added.

For the first time, 3rd GIFF also screened short films of debut filmmakers under the competition segment. 'Aharor Duporiya' was adjudged the Best Short Film. 'This is Life' and 'Soan Papdi' were awarded the Jury Special Mention certificates. The Jury Members of the short film segment were filmmakers Kangkan Deka and Jaicheng Jai Dohutia along with audiographer Debajit Gayan. The Assam government supported festival began on October 31 with the screening of Iranian film 'Charcoal' (Komur) by renowned director Esmaeel Monsef. Around 70 film personalities from India and abroad took part in the festival. Ambassadors from South Korea, Hungary, Taiwan, Trinidad and Tobago, Bolivia, Argentina and Bangladesh were also present among other diplomats.

The State Government-owned Jyoti Chitraban (Film Studio) Society organised the festival in association with the Dr Bhupen Hazarika Regional Government Film and Television Institute. This year, Iran was the country of focus with five films, while the focus region was Latin American and Caribbean countries with seven films in the GIFF 2019.

Apart from these countries, films from Sri Lanka, Hungary, South Korea, Spain, Israel, the US, Taiwan, Italy, Iceland, China, Canada, Philippines, Bangladesh, France, Portugal, Bhutan, Bolivia, Poland, Russia, Japan, Nepal, Germany, Belgium, Turkey, Kyrgyzstan, Indonesia, Vietnam, Qatar, Slovenia, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Syria, Denmark and Tunisia were also screened.

The film festival had a special session by Polish film director Krzysztof Zanussi and a retrospective of his movies were showcased. The festival was divided into eight categories with the tribute section being dedicated to Mrinal Sen and Girish Karnad. The other categories included World Cinema, Indian Showcase, Competition Section, North-East Kaleidoscope, 150 years of Celebrating the Mahatma and Indian Panorama. An important feature of the festival was Open Forum sessions on topics related to films and the region as well as Master Classes by film personalities in their respective fields.

short film 'the lost song' screened in lift-off seasons 2019

Of late, the production of short films and documentaries, often perceived as an ideal form of experimentation for young, emerging filmmakers, have grown exponentially in the State. A plethora of film festivals provide a springboard and impetus for filmmakers to make such films, whose budgets range from non-existent to minimal. The filmmakers are in constant touch with the changing trends in the contemporary movie scene. A number of short films and documentaries made by Assamese filmmakers have also captured the imaginations of viewers and critics around the world.

More recently, 'The Lost Song', an Assamese short film with a duration of 7 minute and 40 seconds, was screened at the Lift-Off International Film Festival, in the category of First Time Filmmakers Showcase, in the illustrious Pinewood Studios, in England. The festival is the global exchange network of exceptional talent through cinematic storytelling. Founded in 2010, the Lift-Off International Film Festivals' are a not-for-profit global initiative to give exposure and opportunity to filmmakers who are creating original, thought provoking and exceptional stories. Set in London, Liverpool, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Amsterdam, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Vancouver, Singapore and Sydney throughout the year, the Lift-Off Season aims to showcase and introduce creators from around the world.

Scripted and directed by Abhigyan Kashyap, 'The Lost Song', based on environmental conservation, has made a good impression on the viewers. Interestingly, the film was screened along with 114 films from across the world at the Lift-Off International Festival. More recently, the film was showcased at the 3rd Guwahati International Film Festival in the specially curated open air screening section of the festival.

The story of the film revolves around the misery of a city dweller and his concern for the loss of connection with mother nature. He longs for the perfect tranquility and the innocent way of life. He finds himself miserable amidst growing commotion over pollution, traffic hazards, soaring inflation, insecurity, among other big-city urban woes. He finds solace when he immerses himself in mother nature in his sweet thoughts, away from the chaos of his city life, only to return again.

Abhigyan, who has the experience of working as an assistant director in the Marathi film 'Chinton', holds a lot of promise in his debut effort. The only character in the film is played by Abhishek Borthakur, who is a film activist and a member of Gauhati Cine Club. Presented by The Golden Peacock Entertainment in association with Street Dog Pictures, the film's editing and sound mixing has been done by Bikash Mochahary and videography is by Abhigyan Kashyap and Chetan Sharma.

2^nd nagaland film fest concludes

A two-day second edition of Nagaland Film Festival organised by the Directorate of Information and Public Relations, Nagaland, in collaboration with the Film Association of Nagaland, concluded at the Capital Convention Centre, Kohima, recently.

Nagaland Chief Secretary, Temjen Toy, gracing the valedictory programme as the special guest, in his address stated that film making in Nagaland is still at its nascent stage. Saying that as Nagaland is gifted with a 'huge conservatory of creative minds', Toy also expressed that 'this sector requires support' and that the government has a very important role to play. Acknowledging the presence of budding filmmakers in the state, he said the government will play an active role as facilitator. He expressed the need to have one theatre in the State capital for which he sought the support of everyone. Toy opined that the film festival of Nagaland would grow from strength to strength and it would encourage the passionate and talented youth in the field of film making.

Prominent filmmaker and a member of the jury in competition section, Utpal Borpujari, emphasised on the importance of proper training in the field of film making and suggested the formation of film appreciation clubs in schools to promote story telling among the young minds and to train them to become better viewers and filmmakers.

In the non-fiction category, the Best Film was bagged by the Manipuri documentary film 'Nawa-spirit of Atey' by Santa Maria and Amar Maibam. In the fiction category, the Best Film was bagged by the Assamese entry 'Fade in', directed by Ankurjyoti Deka. Both the fiction and non-fiction works received Rs. 50,000 each with trophies and certificates.

The Special Mention Film was bagged by Chentei Khiamniungan's 'Strength in Diversity', which also received a certificate and a trophy.

The award winning films were screened after the prize distribution ceremony. The film festival was attended by FAN members, IPR officials, delegates from Sikkim, Manipur, Meghalaya, Assam, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Sweden, and others.

dr bhupen hazarika sanghati award presented

'Dr Bhupen Hazarika Sanghati Award' for the year 2019 was presented to Karbi folklore scholar and writer Lungse Timung at a programme held recently in Golaghat.

Receiving the award, he said that Dr Hazarika was instrumental in uniting the people of the North-East. "We should preserve the songs of Dr Hazarika and his works," he said.

The award was instituted by All Golaghat District Students' Union (AGDSU) and Dr Bhupen Hazarika Smriti Rakhya Samiti (DBHSRS) in 2013.

The open meeting organised in this connection was chaired by the president of DBHSRS and attended by noted litterateur Dr Bhimkanta Baruah and moderated by the secretary of DBHSRS Rohit Gogoi. The welcome address was delivered by AASU leader Raju Phukan.

The meeting was attended by Sukur Singh Rongpi, Singh Hanse, Siddinath Bora, Sanju Bora, Ranjit Kr. Sen, Sarjen Hanse, Mridul Saikia, Abhibartan Goswami, etc.

Earlier, the programme began with flag hoisting, followed by smriti tarpan , which was initiated by Golaghat DC Dhiren Hazarika.

The programme ended with vote of thanks by the president of all Golaghat District Students' Union Nirajan Sonowal.