The first ever Guwahati International Film Festival (GIFF) which started in Guwahati from October 28 brings new hope for the cine lovers across the region.

Being organized by Jyoti Chitraban Film Studio Society with the active support from Assam government, the first-of-its-kind in the entire region, more than 80 films from 35 countries are being screened at two venues – at Jyoti Chitraban and at Sankardev Kalakshetra in Guwahati.

Award winning young filmmaker Manjul Baruah is upbeat to be a part of the event. “I’m glad that it’s happening here in our place. We needed it for a long time. We are thankful to the state government for taking up this initiative,” Baruah, who has directed films like ‘Antareen’, said.

He said the youth of the region will gain a lot from this festival. “For many it will be a platform to know what is cinema all about. It will give the youngsters a new insight of the world cinema unlike Bollywood or Hollywood films. I’m eagerly waiting for this,” added Baruah.

Further, he said that there might be certain bottlenecks as a film festival of such magnitude is being organized for the very first time in the region. “But we all should join hands to make it a better event from next time onwards,” Baruah said.

Among others, the festival will screen five acclaimed Turkish movies as a part of ‘Country Focus’.

“For many it will be a new experience. Most of the people are aware of Hollywood and Bollywood films but they are ignorant of World Cinema. This festival will introduce world cinema to them,” said promising sound engineer Debajit Gayan who has worked in several known projects.

Gayan also said that this festival will also help the upcoming actors as they are exposed to a new way of seeing things besides television serials and Bollywood films.

“The kind of acting we get to see in world cinema will give our upcoming actors a new dimension. I hope they will learn something new. I hope it will bring a new trend,” added Gayan.

National award winning sound designer Amrit Pritam has wished good luck to the festival.

“I think it’s a great thing to happen. The people in general will be benefited from the festival. My best wishes for the festival,” said Pritam who recently became a member of The Academy.

The people in general especially the students’ fraternity too are excited to be a part of the mega event.

“This is something which we never experienced before in our state. We can watch world films online these days but to watch films in such environment would be a different experience altogether. Besides that, to meet the filmmakers from different parts of the country and abroad would be a life time experience for me,” said Ranjita Gogoi, a student of B Borooah College in Guwahati.

Subscribe to our Newsletter


Avatar photo
About TNM NewsDesk

-

The News Mill is a Guwahati-based digital media with focus on content from across Northeast India and beyond. We can be reached through [email protected]