Short film ‘Xunyota’ (Void), directed by Nabapan Deka and produced by Hiranmoy Gogoi, has received Special Jury Mention Award in the competition on Indian short films at the recently concluded 28th Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF).
Bidya Bharati, Hemanta Debnath and Angshu Borah have acted in the film.
‘Xunyota’, meaning ‘void’, touches upon the unspoken nuances of grief and loss. The story explores the changing trajectory of a young, school-going girl, Bina’s life, after her mother is left bed-ridden by a terminal illness. The key focus of the movie is the absence of conversations or intense emotions, in a way to emphasize the core idea of emptiness.
“Xunyota is a plethora of emotions, delicately woven into a tragic story in silence. The relationship between mother and daughter, and the morbidity of death mock the very idea of beatitude and hope, and sadness fades into oblivion with father’s hard-edged attitude towards life,” said director Nabapan Deka.
“The key focus of the movie is the absence of conversations or intense emotions, in a way to emphasize the core idea of emptiness.”
Nabapan hails from Guwahati and is currently working as a sound editor and sound designer in Mumbai. He has completed his graduation in film studies from the Regional Government Film and Television Institute, Assam.
Nabapan says that he is highly motivated in narrative filmmaking and expressing human emotions through visuals. This inclination towards exploring the human sensorium has now led him to make his directorial debut with this short film, ‘Xunyota’.
Nabapan also has collective experience of working in the sound department for a number of films, documentaries, ads, and web series.
Other key individuals associated with the film are: director of photography: Nihal Bhandari; editor: Joydeep Mukherjee, Divya Hansda; location sound: Bishal Nath; sound design: Nabapan Deka (the director himself); re-recording mixer: Rhitwik Raj Pathak; background music: Tapanjyoti Phukan; makeup: Moumita Saikia; project manager: Meren Longkumer; assistant director: Jitu Das; assistant cinematographer: Agrima Verma; production assistant: Nilotpal Tamuli, Gourav Gogoi; BTS: Shantanu Tamuli.
Another film from Assam – Bobby Sarma Baruah directed Tiwa language film ‘Sikaisal‘ (Only if Trees Could Speak) has won Special Jury Mention Award at KIFF.
