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8th Chalachitram National Film Festival Concludes, Celebrates Cultural Heritage and Social Awareness

By AT News |

Guwahati: The 8th Chalachitram National Film Festival – 2024 concluded at Jyoti Chitraban in Kahilipara, Guwahati, on October 27, celebrating diverse cinematic works. Jaswandha, directed by Shoneel Yallattikar, won the Best Film in the rest of India category, while A Sylvan Saga by Jyoti Prasad Das was awarded the Best Film in Northeast India. Das also took home the Best Director award, and Abhijit Nayak received the Best Screenplay award for Wrong Number, directed by Bijit Borgohain.

Awards for Best Cinematography went to Angsuman Barua & Pradip Ch Sarma for Aadi Shakti Maa Kamakhya and Chida Bora & Saril Nandan Deka for Teens of 1942 (directed by Samiran Deka). The Best Editing award was presented to Bhaskar Jyoti Bhuyan for Birubala - The Crusader by Dhiraj Kashyap, with a special mention from the jury for A Letter To My Home by Devajani Halder.

Organized by Chalachitram, an initiative of Vishwa Samvad Kendra Assam, the festival showcased 50 documentary and short films in both competitive and non-competitive categories. Themed “Our Heritage, Our Pride,” the event aimed to promote nationalism and celebrate India’s cultural legacy. Topics ranged from heritage and tourism to social reform, arts, and the environment.

The closing ceremony honored winners with cash prizes, trophies, and certificates, attended by notable cine-personalities including Assam’s evergreen actress Mridula Barua, filmmakers Atul Gangowar, Santosh Pathare, and others.

The inaugural screening featured The Last Generation by Prabal Khaund. Competing films included Prayojan (Krishna Das), The Butcher (Tashi Wangshu MJ), and Journey with A Dance Form (Pranjal Pratim Chetia). Non-competition screenings highlighted northeast films such as Being Bald (Krishna Das) and Destination (Dipak Kumar Roy). Films from outside the region included My National Flag (Sweta Kumar Dash) and The Village of Masks (Ritabrita Mitra), among others.

The festival, inaugurated by Cotton University VC Ramesh Ch Deka, featured performances and discussions, drawing young film enthusiasts to Jyoti Chitraban, a campus dedicated to Assam’s pioneer filmmaker Rupkonwar Jyotiprasad Agarwala.

The organizing team, represented by Kishor Shivam and others, hopes to inspire emerging filmmakers to use cinema as a medium for social empowerment, highlighting the rich heritage of Bharat beyond mere entertainment.

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