CNFF-24: A meaningful initiative to encourage responsible film making

It was a film festival with differences that underlined various intriguing contents covering the loneliness in older people, human affection, youth aspiration, environmental protection, and the buoyant flavour of patriotism.

- NAVA THAKURIA

A unique visual feast of film buffs came alive with the 8th Chalachitram National Film Festival-2024, held at the prehistoric city of Guwahati in the far eastern part of India. Organised by Chalachitram, a film society under the mentorship of Bharatiya Chitra Sadhna and Vishwa Samvad Kendra Assam, keeping an eye on fostering nationalism through film works and paying homage to thousands of years of Indian civilization, culture, and heritage, the two-day festival showcased 50 documentary and short feature films in both the competition and only screening categories. The curtain came down for the annual film fest on 27 October at the Jyoti Chitraban premises after honouring Jaswandha as the best movie in the rest of India category and A Sylvan Saga in the north-eastern club.

Directed by Shoneel Yallattikar and produced by Noopur Lidbide, Nishad Kulkarni and Shoneel, Jaswandha revolves around the story of an aged couple living in an urbanised location with melancholy but hoping for some refreshing experience with the arrival of the monsoon. Brilliantly cast by veteran actors Neena Kulkarni and Mohan Joshi, the short feature impressed both the audience and jury members. On the other hand, A Sylvan Saga narrates the struggling tale of a baby single-horn rhinoceros, which was rescued from a tea garden near Kaziranga National Park and raised for translocation to Manas National Park for her future productive life. Produced and directed by Jyoti Prasad Das, the docu-feature inherently narrates the success story for the protection of rhinos and other wildlife in Assam. An artist and filmmaker by profession, JP Das also received the best director's award.