Last Updated on October 26, 2026 11:29 pm by INDIAN AWAAZ
Nava Thakuria
The curtain came down to 10th Chalachitram National Film Festival (CNFF) as ‘Toy Gun’ (directed by Parashuram Thingnam from Manipur) and ‘The Silent Crisis’ (directed by Smitakshi B Goswami from Assam) were honoured with the best short feature and best documentary awards respectively in the northeast India section. Awards for best short feature and best documentary in the rest of India section, awards were given to ‘Gaach Pathar’ (directed by Somnath Bag) and ‘The Redemption’ (directed by Harikishan MV) respectively.
The closing function at Jyoti Chitraban film studio premise in Kahilipara locality of Guwahati in northeast India on 25 October 2026 was graced by State minister Nilima Devi and RSS’s Asom Kshetra Prachar Pramukh Dr Sunil Mohanty. Other awards were went to the best director Sumi Saikia for ‘In 9 Months’, Shiddhartha Sharma for ‘Ankur’, best cinematographer to Rupamjyoti Saikia for ‘The Khamyang Story’, best editor to Ambarish Barkataki for ‘Ananta Jatra’ and Jury’s special mention to ‘Take Away’ (directed by Nithan).
In her speech, the minister admitted that making documentaries and short features always remains a challenging job. She urged the filmmakers to adopt stories of martyrs and great personalities for film making so that the new generation can realize India’s glorious history and culture. On the other hand, Dr Mohanty observed that various anti national elements tried to use the medium of cinema for propagating negative narratives about Bharat and its cherished heritage. He expressed hope that Chalachitram would inspire the film fraternity to produce more cinemas based on Indian heritage and culture for the international audience.
The two-day festival opened on October 24 with the screening of the Japanese film ‘Kintsugi’, directed by Noomen Noomen. The film portrays the tragic journey of a young professional haunted by unresolved grief and childhood trauma, who eventually comes to terms with death and finds peace beyond life.
The two-day festival showcased 44 acclaimed documentaries and short feature films across competitive and non-competitive screening sections. The festival concluded with the screening of ‘Present’, directed by Uzbek filmmaker Asadbek Akmal Ogli. The film follows young cancer patients who find temporary joy in the company of a clown, before the story takes a tragic turn and unfolds an unexpected revelation.
Organised by Chalachitram, a subsidiary of Vishwa Samvad Kendra–Assam, the festival was held under the central theme ‘Our Heritage, Our Pride’. The festival was inaugurated by Dr Santwana Bardoloi, a National Award-winning film director. A festival souvenir titled Chalachitram, edited by senior cine journalist Hemchandra Doley, was released by Vidyasagar, chairman of Jyoti Chitraban Film Society, during the inaugural ceremony. The festival also featured a special tribute screening of ‘Bhupen Da Uncut’, directed by noted filmmaker Bobbeeta Sharma, commemorating the birth centenary of Bharat Ratna Dr Bhupen Hazarika.
Members of the preview committee, including Jhulan Krishna Mahanta, Bibhu Dutta, Hiten Thakuria, Dipak Dutta and Babita Sharma, were introduced to the audience, along with jury members Vishnu Sarma from Delhi, Sujit Debbarma from Tripura and Ramen Bora from Assam. All volunteers associated with Chalachitram were also acknowledged.
With a moderate beginning in 2016 with conceptualizing a society named Chalachitram with the primary aim of bringing film-works closer to the common people and also engaging the creative pieces as the weapon to create awareness of Indian culture and heritage, the CNFF for documentaries and short features has arrived on its ninth year.