Xhoixobote Dhemalite or Rainbow Fields, an Assamese film, which recently won the Best Foreign Film in the Hollywood International Cinefest, is lacking fund to release the film in Assam.
Rainbow Fields which deals with the mental trauma of children growing up during the turbulent years of 1980s in Assam, is the second feature film of national award winning filmmaker Bidyut Kotoky.
To take out the film from the post-production studio by paying the balance dues so that it can be released in Assam and elsewhere, the makers started a crowdfunding campaign with Wishberry.in to gather a sum of Rs 10 lakhs.
The film has been selected for the prestigious KID FIRST Film Festival – world’s largest film festival for kids. Now in its 17th year, the KIDS FIRST! Film Festivals offers a showcase for short and feature films from major studios as well as independent and student filmmakers. The festival partners with more than 50 venues nationwide that host screenings of selected films year-round.
Rainbow Fields was also one of the films shortlist in the CLINIK Kathmandu film lab (2015) along with eight other projects from five South Asian countries. The script has been mentored by Michael Henrichs (associate producer Chauthi Koot which was part of the Official selection in Cannes 2015).
“Xhoixobote Dhemalite (Rainbow Fields…) is a semi autobiographical film. It is based on the life of children growing up in the Assam of 1980s, those violent times… and how that violence affected their life,” director Bidyut Kotoky told The News Mill.
Kotoky further added that the story idea was with him for a while. “But the birth of my daughter propelled me put it down in the film. Time and again I’m being troubled by the question – if we have borrowed this world from our children, than what kind of a world will we leave behind for them? Xhoixobote Dhemalite (Rainbow Fields…) is an attempt to address these questions. I am under no illusions that my films will change the world – but at least it will allow me look at the eyes of my daughter unflinchingly,” said Kotoky.
The Hollywood International Cinefest was held in Los Angeles on June 24 and June 25 and received over 400 submissions and films from America, UK, France, China, South Korea, Cambodia and Hong Kong besides India.
Veteran actor Victor Banerjee, who plays an important role of a grandfather in the film said, “To share in Bidyut’s overdue international recognition and also participate in an artistic accomplishment related to my beloved land of Assam, makes this one of the proudest moments of my life and career”.
Renowned sound designer Amrit Pritam has designed the sound for this film. “A beautiful movie, beautifully connected to my heart and soul…,” he said.
The film also stars Dipannita Sharma, Nakul Vaid, Naved Aslam, Nipon Goswami and Nikumoni Barua among others. Camera is by Satya Prakash Rath and editing by Pallavi Kotoky. Original music is by Anurag Saikia. Title track is sung by Nilotpal Bora and Dipakshi Kalita.
The film is produced by ‘India Stories’, a Mumbai based production house and co-produced by Bidyut’s ‘dhruv creative productions’ and ‘Kurmasana Kreates’, a US based production house. Mukul Gogoi is associate producer of the film.
