Young filmmakers from the North East to hit the streets against Citizenship Bill

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: Voices of protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019 (earlier known as 2016) has reached the reel world with young filmmakers from the North East are going to join the ongoing anti-Bill agitation in the region.

These young and promising filmmakers, including national awardees, said they cannot remain at their comfort zone at a time when the indigenous people of Assam and other parts of North East are faced with the threat of losing their identity and culture due to the Centre’s move to pass the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill.

“It is high time for us to come out from our comfort zone in the reel world and raise a voice for the region and its people. The reel world and real world are interconnected. The proposed controversial legislation will be dangerous for the indigenous people and resulted in fragmentation of the Assamese society. So we the people of reel world cannot remain a mute spectator,” Deep Choudhury, winner of the Indira Gandhi award for best debut film of a director for Alifa, said.

The young filmmakers under the banner of North East Filmmakers Forum (NEFF), will soon join the agitation led by the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU), North East Students’ Organization and other organisations across the region.

“We have already met the AASU office bearers and we will join them in carrying forward the agitation against the Bill. We have other issues related to cinema, but first we need to stop the Bill from being passed in the Parliament,” NEFF chairman Nesimul Mazid said.

The filmmakers’ move has come close on the heel of renowned singer Zubeen Garg wrote a strongly worded open letter to Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal asking him to take a stand against the ruling-BJP government, which is pushing the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill. Zubeen known for his outspoken comments, recently said he will be releasing his new song, “Politics nokoriba bandhu (Don’t do politics, my friend)” composed specifically to describe the ruling BJP’s political agenda behind the Bill.

The signer will be holding another protest, with the AASU at Latasil playground on January 23. “Those doing politics with the Citizenship Bill must understand that we are not goats or cows who can be herded. Us Northeasterners are different,” Zubeen said.

Also read: Filmmaker urges government to take steps for development of Assamese film industry