One of the oldest film festivals in eastern India, International Guwahati Film Festival’s (IGFF) 12th edition will start from December 11 at District Library in Guwahati. Organized by Gauhati Cine Club (GCC), the festival will pay tribute to filmmaker Mrinal Sen.

Announcing about the festival, GCC president AK Absar Hazarika said that Tunisia will be the country focus at this edition.

“We are glad to announce the 12th edition of the festival. We have been organizing the festival from December 10 to 16 every year. As we are a non-profit cine society, we have been organizing this festival with our limited resources and for the love of cinema,” Hazarika said.

He said that they are paying tribute to Mrinal Sen by screening his national award winning film Antareen (The Confined). Antareen was made in 1993 which is based on a story named Badshahat Ka Khatimah by Saadat Hasan Manto.

“Mrinal Sen is one of the greatest filmmakers of the country. It’s our small effort to pay tribute to him. On the occasion, we will also remember Girish Karnad,” Hazarika added.

Sen died on December 30, 2018 and Karnad passed away on June 10 this year.

Tunisian film Porto Farina by Ibrahim Letaief will be the inaugural film. There will be three more films from the North African country.

In the retrospective segment, three films of François Truffaut, one of the greatest French filmmakers, — Bed and Board (1970), Love on the Run (1979) and The Woman Next Door (1981) will be screened.

Apart from that Three Brothers (Czech Republic), Pains of Autumn (Turkey), Bulbul (Nepal), Sincerely Yours, Dhaka (Bangladesh) and Katha (Singapore) are some of the notable films to be screened during the festival.

GCC secretary Madhurima Barua said that they are having 25 slots in the festivals which include 23 feature films and two slots for a short film package from BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) and another package of some selected local short films.

Besides, there will a short film competition from the region.

From the northeast India, Pokhilar Pakhi (Assam), Ji Galpar Sesh Nai (Assam), Dhokbu (Sikkim) and In the Land of Poisoned Women (Arunachal Pradesh) will be screened.

Aribam Syam Sharma’s ‘Nongphadok Lakpa Atithi’ (The Guest) will be the closing film where the legendary Manipuri filmmaker will also be present.

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