GUWAHATI, July 22 - The 4th edition of the Brahmaputra Valley Film Festival (BVFF) was kicked off on Friday at Pragjyoti ITA Centre, Machkhowa. KV Eapen, Additional Chief Secretary, Planning and Development, was the guest of honour, while renowned filmmaker Prakash Jha and sound designer Amrit Pritam attended the function as special guests.
The three-day festival has been dedicated to the film fraternity of the Northeast and aims at providing a platform to the new and professional filmmakers of the region to come together and rediscover various aspects of movie making.
Speaking on the occasion, Prakash Jha said that he derives lot of inspiration from the Northeast. �There is something about the Brahmaputra which inspires me. This festival is a window which gives us a peek into the rich heritage and culture of the Northeast. Hindi cinema is just commercial cinema. Don�t give too much value to it. Filmmakers like us from Mumbai feel privileged to work with people from the Northeast.�
Sound designer Amrit Pritam, who hails from Assam, spoke about his struggle in Mumbai � how he failed to get any work in his first year in the nation�s entertainment and commercial capital. He said that it was sheer hard work that changed his destiny. Pritam maintained that there is no alternative to hard work in life.
Guest of honour KV Eapen said that importance should be given on promoting regional films as they come with new themes and fresh background.
Tanushree Hazarika, Managing Director of Eclectic Group and Festival Director of BVFF said, �What germinated as an idea among a couple of friends, turned out to be a full-fledged initiative. This is part of our effort to bridge the gap between mainland India and the Northeast.�
It needs to be mentioned here that 15 top entries of the Brahmaputra Valley Short Film Competition were screened for the audience. These films, which have been made by budding filmmakers from all across the Northeast, received overwhelming response. The results of the competition will be announced on Sunday.
Zualaa Chhangte directed Mizo film Kima�s Lode Beyond the Class, which won the award for best Mizo film at the National Awards, was the first feature film to be screened on Friday. The movie explores the journey of a young boy in Mizoram.
