Students at the Gauhati University are gearing up for the second edition of the Guwahati International Film Festival (GIFF) which will be held from October 25-31.
The Department of Communication and Journalism (DCJ), Gauhati University (GU) wore an aura of excitement for the past few days with enthusiastic students from various departments arriving to register for the second edition of Guwahati International Film Festival.
While providing the film viewers with a fresh and enlightening experience, GIFF has turned into a platform for the students to interact with eminent film personalities – from the region and beyond.
Speaking to The News Mill, head of the Department of Communication and Journalism at Gauhati University, Ankuran Dutta, said that the initiative will go a long way in creating a film culture in the region. “GIFF is an important initiative by the Assam government along with Jyoti Chitraban. Being one of the oldest media departments of the country, we are responsible for the promotion of film culture in the state. This film fest will play big role towards achieving this…we are happy to be a part of this initiative.”
Dutta further added, “Actually we have to create such an environment that we can show some classic movies to the students. But unfortunately, such atmosphere wasn’t made yet inside the university campus. A strong film club is needed in the campus. In this situation, GIFF will be a very good step where some good movies will be shown.”
Assistant Professor (DCJ), GU, Chandan Kumar Goswami, said that students from varied courses are registering for the film festival. “Students from various departments are coming for registration spontaneously. It is a good sign. Cinema is a strong medium to educate the viewers and one can learn so many things from the films. We are expecting that at least 300 students from the university will register for the film festival.”
Speaking about the enthusiasm among the students, Lenio Krichena, a GU student, said that GIFF is a very good platform for young filmmakers who want to learn from the veterans of the industry. “GIFF will inspire the young filmmakers of Northeast region. One can see the movies and develop their own skills. It can also be understood how the people of other countries make their movies. Interaction with the foreign delegates will help us understand their perspective. We can learn about their society, culture, economy…It will breach the gap between countries.”
Thanking the state government and Jyoti Chitraban for the initiative another student, Tinamoni Konwar, said that GIFF will enable students like her to explore classic cinema which otherwise are not available here.
For Moses Wangsa, GIFF is an opportunity to learn the basic techniques of filmmaking. “The master classes section at GIFF is a great platform for us. We can learn a lot about the basic techniques of filmmaking. It really feels good that such an opportunity is being given to us, in this part of the country which was rare a few years back.”
