Rupak Bhuyan's short film bags 7 awards in International Film Festivals

SIVASAGAR, Sept 10: Writer, director, and noted theatre personality of Sivasagar, Rupak Bhuyan bagged 7 international film festival awards for his new 21-minute short film ''anya ek prithvi''( A Different World), which is based on the world of the visually impaired people. 

The awards include -(1) Buddha Int'l Film Fest, Pune (Best Indian Short Film), (2)  Athvikvaruni Int'l Film Fest, Chennai (Best Experimental Short Film), (3) Golden Sparrow Int'l Film Fest, Goa,(Special Jury Award and Best International Short Film), (4) Nitin Int'l Film Fest, Malaysia (Best Experimental Short Film),(5) Rohip Int'l Film Fest, Goa, (Best Experimental Short Film),(6) Makizmithran Int'l Film, Goa,( Best Experimental Short Film), and (7) Madras Int'l Film Fest, Chennai,( Special Mention Award and Best Experimental Short Film).

Talking to The Assam Tribune , Bhuyan said that he was inspired to make a film on the visually impaired after producing a drama in Sivasagar Natya Mandir, a couple of years back with the students of the Moran Blind School. One of the students requested him to make a film also with them as they were highly thrilled with their performance on the stage. Bunya's son and his sister Ranjana Chaliha also inspired him to make the film. He wrote a script and finally on Jan 5, 2022, he brought 22 blind students from different places in Assam. He chose an ideal location in Sapekhati Dhuniapathar gaon and did the shooting there over a fortnight. The villagers generously helped the cast and crew of the film and Bhuyan expressed gratitude to them. Bhuyan said that he did not have any financial assistance from any individual or institution for making the film.

Bhuyan said that making a film with a visually impaired one is highly challenging but their superior sensitivity and their wonderful capacity to follow oral instructions made the task easy. Taking up the project, he made telephonic conversations with every individual of the group to understand their world and their feeling and conceptions. He added that his film was shown in a preliminary selection round in Hollywood Raleigh Studio on August 29. If it gets selected, it will be included in a group of five best short films for to be shown before a panel of eminent critics and filmmakers. Bhuyan said that his film is the first Assamese film of any category to be screened in Hollywood. He is hopeful that it will have a good response in Hollywood. Bhuyan now is busy with two of his new stories The True Love and Abyakta.