Day 1
Farhan Rocks Guwahati
His maiden venture to this region, created a buzz among the film enthusiasts and music lovers in the Northeast. He has got may many tags to wag –a musician, an actor and crooner. He is Farhan Akhtar.
Speaking about the region and its talented musicians, Farhan says, “Northeast India has produced so much talented musicians. All musicians are basically struggling musicians. But how you keep yourself up against all odds is what matters most.”
The first day began with the inauguration ceremony which was attended by Farhan Akhtar, Rahul Bose and Ronnie Lahiri. This was followed by a very special interaction by Farhan Akhtar conduted by Dcom Bhuyan. Later in the day, Jahnu Barua’s film, Konikar Ramdhenu was screened. Moloya Goswami, one of the stars was present at the screening and shared that although Assamese film industry has a long way to go, there are still very talented filmmakers in the region who are making good movies. After which Positive directed by Farhan Akhtar was screened.
Day 2
Rahul Shines
As a versatile actor, he rules both Bollywood and Tollywood movie industry. Choosing his role carefully and giving in his best Rahul Bose has been able to curve a niche for him.
The second day started with the screening of Everybody Says I Am Fine directed by Rahul Bose which was closely followed by a special interaction with Rahul Bose conducted by Dcom Bhuyan. He shared his experiences and urged actors and filmmakers of the region to strive hard as that is the only way to make a name for oneself.
Taking about the importance of regional cinema, Bose says, “For any region, it’s important to have good presence of regional cinema because it allows you to share your stories with the rest of the world.”
On his association with Brahmaputra Valley Film Festival the ace actor says, “I don’t have much idea about the regional cinemas of the Northeast except the Jahnu Barua’s work. But I’m happy to be a part of the film festival as it gives an opportunity to learn about the region and its cinema.”
Next Garo film, Echoes was screened. Later in the day, there was an interesting workshop on new age filmmaking by Soojit Sircar and Ronnie Lahiri where students of film making were given an opportunity to learn from experienced filmmakers. After that, Keibu Keioiba was screened, followed by an interaction with the director, Bhumenjoy Konsam. Ka LAD, a Khasi film was also screened.
The day ended with the screening of Madras Café which was introduced by the filmmakers themselves – Shoojit Sircar and Ronnie Lahiri. Both commented that even though there was some resistance when the film came out and it was banned in some places because of it, there was nothing in the movie that actually portrayed any biasness to any side in the story. We were happy that we were neutral in the way we presented it and that’s why we are happy that people appreciated the film.
In the evening Farhan Akhtar enthralled a massive audience with his foot tapping numbers at Greenwood resort at Khanapara.
Day 3
Anurag at his Best
When it comes to dealing with off-beat storytelling, no other Indian director even comes closer to Anurag Kashyap. He has given a new dimension to Bollywood cinemas what we call it a new age movie.
The last and final day of the festival started with the screening of Kaafiron Ki Namaaz, produced by Bhaskar Saikia. Next, there was a special interaction with Anurag Kashyap conducted by Dcom Bhuyan.
Anurag Kashyap stressed on the importance of making low-budget films and says, “Low-budget movies create more space for creativity,” adding, “Now a days, we don’t need that much of money to make a good movie as it was when I started making films.”
Kashyap also urged the Northeasterners to shun their laid back attitude and says, “I moved to Mumbai along with two of my friends – Imtiaz Ali and Jagdish Sharma. Jadish was from Manipur and he was the most talented among the three. But there is no news about him now.” And he urged people of the Northeast to fully utilize the talent they have.
This was followed closely with the award ceremony where Aribam Syam Sharma was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award.
The top 3 winners of the Brahmaputra Valley Short Film Contest were also awarded. The 2nd Runner up was given to Rogi Sankhya 666 Ani Aru Haru directed by Tribeny Rai. The 1st Runner up was given to Karfew directed by Romi Meitei. And the winner was Bamboo Shoots directed by Steven Ao. This was followed by screenings of Yarwng directed by Joseph Pulinthanath and Shorts by Anurag Kashyap.
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