Skip to content Skip to navigation

Golden, Silver Rhino Awards to be presented in Guwahati International Short Film Festival

By AT News |


Some very exciting creations by short film makers from across the world will be showcased in the 1st Guwahati International Short Film Festival (GISFF) to be held on May 2nd and 3rd, 2011 at Assam State Museum Auditorium, Guwahati.


Altogether 200 films from countries like Spain, Italy, United Kingdom, Netherlands, USA and Australia as well as all over India will be screened during the festival under sections like World Kaleidoscope, Indian Kaleidoscope and the competitive section, North-East Shorts.


The World Kaleidoscope section will see screening of award winning short films from Cannes International Festival. Apart from that 7 award winning short films from Spain will also be screened in the World Kaleidoscope section, out of which PORQUE HAY COSAS QUE NUNCA SE OLVIDAN (Because There Are Things We Never forget) by award winning director Lucas Figueroa will open the festival.


A major highlight of the festival will be a special screening of the highly-acclaimed Malayalam "anthology film" titled "Kerala Cafe", directed by a team of ten directors - Lal Jose, Shaji Kailas, Anwar Rasheed, Shyamaprasad, B. Unnikrishnan, Revathy, Anjali Menon, M. Padmakumar, Shankar Ramakrishnan, and Uday Ananthan. For the first time in the history of Malayalam cinema, this film was conceived by a team of 10 directors. 10 cinematographers, musicians, editors, art directors and almost all the top Malayalam film actors. The cast includes Mammootty, Suresh Gopi, Dileep, Jayasurya, Prithviraj, Sreenivasan, Siddique, Sreenath, Rahman, Thilakan, Jagathy Sreekumar, Salim Kumar, Anoop Menon, Navya Nair, Shwetha Menon, Jyothirmayi, Rima Kallingal, Nithya Menon and Dhanya Mary Varghese.



The festival is an initiative by Creovaent Productions in association with Shamiana, the acclaimed short film club from Mumbai.


The jury that will judge the films in competition will be headed by eminent filmmaker Shyamaprasad from Kerala (director of award-winning Malayalam box office hits like Agnisakshi, Ore Kadal and Elektra). The special screening of critically acclaimed film ‘Kerala Café’ by Shyamaprasad will also be screened during the two day festival.


The other jury members will be Assamese actor Adil Hussain (who is acting in Ang Lee’s ‘Life of Pi’, Sridhar Raghavan’s ‘Agent Vinod’ and several other important films in various languages, after having received acclaim in films like 'Gangor' by Italian director Italo Spinelli, 'For Real' by Sona Jain and 'Ishqiya' by Abhishek Choubey), this year’s Aravindan Puraskaram winning director Nila Madhab Panda (whose feature debut ‘I Am Kalam’ has won 11 international awards till now) and internationally-acclaimed Manipuri filmmaker Haobam Paban Kumar (whose documentaries ‘AFSPA’ and ‘Mr India’ have earned global acclaim).


The competition films were selected from a large number of entries received from all over North-East India by a preview jury comprising noted theatre and film personality Nayan Prasad, eminent film editor Kaju, film critic Chandan Sharma and acclaimed director Bidyut Chakravarty.


The films in competition are:


Savages (Tarunabh Dutta), Serendipity (Suraj Duwarah), Dwita (Dipankar Das), Windows 4:3 (Angshuman Barkakoty), I Am a Poet (Shashanka Das & Deep Choudhury), Lemon Brothers Fall (Utpal Choudhury), The Silent Darkness (Jhulan Krishna Mahanta), IF (Khanjan Kishore Nath), Being Jobless (Shrutismita Changkakoti), 19/87 (Wanphrang K Diengdoh & Dondor E Lyngdoh), Bond (Anubhav Mahanta) and The 4th Law of Motion (Deepkamal Gogoi)


The festival will have a special tribute to young filmmaker Anghsuman Borkotoky by screening his film “Doctor, Nurse & Patient”, while another film by him Windows 4:3 will be in competition.


The prizes that will be given away in the competition section are for the Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Editing and Best Cinematography. The winners will be awarded with Golden and Silver Rhino along with certificates.


"The GISFF is an important initiative to create a platform to discuss, disseminate and in future market short fiction films, a genre that is finding more and more popularity all over the world in recent times. Young Assamese film entrepreneur Prithish Chakraborty of Creovaent Productions has developed the concept of the festival and I am sure in the coming years it will emerge as an important and exciting event in the film festival calendar of India," GISFF director and National Award-winning film critic Utpal Borpujari said.


  • 11949 reads

Add new comment

Other Contents by Author

Child’s death at Guwahati flyover site leads to arrests of contractor firm officials

In a swift development following public outrage, Assam Police have arrested three officials of Bhartia Infra Projects Ltd (BIPL) after the tragic death of a three-year-old boy who fell into an uncovered drain at the Arya Nagar flyover construction site in Guwahati. The incident, which occurred earlier this week, triggered shock across the city and led to demands for accountability from both the company and government authorities. According to reports, the toddler, identified as Sunit Kumar, slipped into an unguarded drain within the construction zone. CCTV footage and eyewitness accounts later revealed several exposed manholes and drains left unattended at the site. The flyover work had...

A Cry for Dignity on a Sacred Day

The morning broke like any other Teachers’ Day in Assam. Classrooms across the state were filled with garlands, songs, and the eager smiles of children bowing before their teachers. But while thousands of students offered prayers and gifts, more than 9,000 tutors left their schools behind and walked instead to the Latashil playground in Guwahati. It was here, on this very day of reverence, that the tutors chose protest over celebration. With banners aloft and voices hoarse with slogans, they demanded not flowers but justice. “We have given our entire lives to teaching,” one grey-haired tutor said, his eyes moist, his voice trembling. “Today we should have been in the classroom,...

Teachers’ Association Calls New Provincialisation Law a “Teacher-Killer Act”

Guwahati, September 5: On the occasion of Teachers’ Day, the All Assam Non-Provincialised Teachers’ and Employees’ Association strongly condemned the state government for neglecting their long-standing demand for provincialisation of services. Addressing a press conference at Dispur Press Club today, the organisation’s leaders narrated the decades of hardship faced by nearly 4,500 teachers and employees who continue to serve schools and colleges without provincial status. Many of them have been working since the 1990s but remain deprived of government recognition and financial security. Association secretary Purabi Kalita Saikia termed the new provincialisation law introduced by the...

Another Life Snatched by Guwahati’s Killer Drains

Guwahati today is not just a city of chaos and waterlogging—it has turned into a death trap. Open drains and reckless construction lie in wait, ready to claim lives, while the authorities responsible look the other way. This week alone, tragedy struck twice. Four-year-old Sumit Kumar slipped into an uncovered drain near Nilachal Nagar and never returned home. Hours later, Phuljit Sharma, an elderly citizen, fell into another open drain in Kahilipara, narrowly escaping death but left seriously injured. But Sumit and Phuljit are not exceptions. They are part of a long, shameful list. In 2023, Priya Kumari, a college student, lost her life when her scooter skidded near Ganeshguri and she...

Two Labourers Electrocuted at Guwahati Flyover Site: Zero Accountability, Safety Lapses Exposed

Another tragedy has struck Guwahati’s flyover construction drive. Two labourers lost their lives and others were grievously injured after coming into contact with an 11kV overhead power line at the under-construction GNB Road flyover. One of the victims fell from the structure after being electrocuted, while others narrowly survived. Shockingly, despite repeated accidents — 2 deaths and 5 injuries in just nine months — no investigation has been launched, and no agency has accepted responsibility. The Assam Power Distribution Company Limited (APDCL) has washed its hands off, claiming responsibility only “up to the electricity meter.” The Chief Electrical Inspector’s office says it...

Assam Erupts in Protest: AJYCP Slams Centre’s “Foreigners till 2024” Decision

The All Assam Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad (AJYCP) has launched a fiery protest in Guwahati, accusing the BJP-led Central government of “betraying Assam” by extending the stay of non-Muslim foreigners till December 31, 2024. According to AJYCP, this move tramples upon the Assam Accord and loads Assam with a 53-year burden of illegal migrants. Leaders warned that the Centre is turning the state into a “dumping ground” for Bangladeshis and destroying Assamese identity. “This government has insulted the memory of five martyrs of the anti-CAA movement. Instead of respecting Assam’s sacrifice, they have added ten more years to the foreigners’ burden,” thundered AJYCP president...

High Court Exposes Land Deal in Dima Hasao; AJYCP Calls Out Govt “Falsehood”

Guwahati: A storm has broken out after revelations in the Gauhati High Court that the Assam Government sold 3,000 bighas of tribal land in Dima Hasao to a private cement company at ₹2 lakh per bigha. The disclosure, made during a hearing yesterday, has drawn sharp reactions across the state. The land in question, reserved under the Sixth Schedule for tribal communities in Umrangso, was allotted to Mahabali Cement Company. Following petitions from affected parties, Justice Sanjay Kumar Medhi’s bench took a stern view, asking how such transfer of protected land could take place. The court directed the Assam Government to file an affidavit within two days, producing all related documents of...

Awareness Programme on Mental Health and Drug Abuse Held at Panbazar H.S. School, Guwahati

On 28th August 2025, Panbazar Higher Secondary School in Guwahati hosted an impactful Awareness Programme focused on mental health and drug abuse among teenage children. The event saw active participation from 60 students of Classes VI to XII, 11 school teachers, and a delegation of 15 Rotarians, demonstrating strong community collaboration. The session was led by expert resource persons Mr. Birendra Kr. Boxla and Mr. Richard Johnson Claridge from Snehalaya and Sita Centre, who addressed critical issues such as mental health challenges, peer pressure, and substance abuse dangers. They emphasized the importance of early intervention, open dialogue, and robust community support to help...

Five Years, 36,800 Crashes: Assam’s Roads Tell a Grim Story

A new report by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has laid bare a disturbing picture of road safety in Assam. In the past five years alone, the state witnessed over 36,800 accidents and the loss of more than 15,000 lives—a toll higher than in any other North-eastern state. The year-wise data shows little sign of relief. In 2019, Assam recorded 8,350 mishaps with 3,208 deaths. Though the pandemic year 2020 saw fewer vehicles on the road, it still registered 6,595 crashes and 2,629 fatalities. The following years saw the numbers climb back, and by 2023, the state reached 7,421 accidents and 3,296 deaths, marking a 10% jump in fatalities compared to 2022. Officials say...

Naga Agitation Intensifies on Assam-Nagaland Border, Farmers' Land and Livelihoods Under Threat

Sarupathar, August 31: The agitation by Naga groups along the Assam-Nagaland border has seen a sharp increase, severely disrupting the lives of local Assamese residents. The escalating unrest has been marked by repeated claims over Assam’s land by Naga factions, including demands for shares of farmers' crops and intimidation of villagers in border areas such as Uriamghat's Raja Pukhuri No. 1 village. The Naga groups assert that the land belonged to their forefathers and call for recognition of their rights, demanding contracts and taxes from Assamese farmers cultivating the disputed land. Following eviction drives by the Assam government to reclaim encroached lands, Naga activists have...