Three films from northeast screened at Kolkata International Film Fest

Kolkata: Films from the northeast have been a regular feature at the annual Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF), especially over the last decade. KIFF 2024, too, continued that trend with three films from the region showcased at the 30th edition of the festival that concluded in the city on Wednesday. While two of these films – ‘Burkha The Veil' and ‘Alokanv' – are features by Assamese directors, ‘Chara Iyong' is a documentary by Manipuri filmmaker and musician, Ningthouja Lancha. ‘Burkha The Veil', by noted Assamese writer, stage actor and filmmaker Hiren Bora, was also part of the Competition on Indian Language Films at the festival and had three screenings across various venues in the city. "I have been visiting KIFF since 2009 and it's a festival which is close to my heart as I got the opportunities to showcase a few of my films here since then," Bora, who attended his film's screenings, told TOI. Bora's film tells the story of teenager Reshma, a bright Muslim girl residing in a village along the banks of Brahmaputra, and the hurdles she faces in her quest for education and empowerment. "Child marriage remains a significant issue in entire India, including Assam. Despite being prohibited by law, child marriage is still prevalent, especially in rural and remote places. Hence, I decided to choose this subject to bring more awareness," said Bora, who has been making films on social issues over his long career. His film, ‘Basundhara The Earth' won the Rajat Kamal award for Best Feature Film in Assamese in 2009 and was screened at festival circuits in London, Nottingham and Canada, as well as in Mumbai, Pune, New Delhi and Goa. His 2014 film ‘Khobh The Anguish' was the second Assamese film after Dr Bhabendra Nath Saikia's ‘Sandhyaraag' in 1977 to be selected for participation at the prestigious Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in 2015 while 2019's ‘Seema The Untold Story' also travelled to various prestigious film festivals. Asked why he chose the topic despite improving statistics for child marriage in Assam, Bora pointed out how his state still lagged its neighbours in literacy rate. "Assam has seen an upward trend when it comes to literacy compared to earlier years but I feel more awareness is required in remote places. Our neighboring state Mizoram's literacy rate is quite impressive, which is more than 90%. I hope through this film, I can convey the message of education to the people of Assam and lead to significant advancement," he added. The other Assamese film at this year's KIFF is Paramesh Deka's ‘Alokanv' or Seven Days, which is a fiction set in the backdrop of the Galo tribal community in a remote Arunachal Pradesh village. It is Deka's debut feature film and the filmmaker had close interaction with the Galo community before deciding to set his story around them.