GUWAHATI, Nov 11 - The first ever International Children Film Festival and International Short and Documentary Film Festival of the North East will be held here in the third week of January next year.
The two events will be organised by Jyoti Chitraban in collaboration with the Dr Bhupen Hazarika Regional Film and Television Institute and with support from the Government of Assam. Both the events have got the government�s nod and now only the final schedule remains to be declared.
Jyoti Chitraban Chairman Pabitra Marghetrita said that although the Children Film Festival and the Short and Documentary Film Festival are two different events, both will be held in a collaborative manner.
�The events, to be of three days� schedule each, will follow one another and will be of the same standard as the Guwahati International Film Festival (GIFF), which concluded recently. More than 100 films from over 50 countries will be screened within the six-day schedule,� Margherita said.
�A film festival becomes complete only when it includes films meant for various age groups. However, many film festivals are open only for persons in the age group of 18 years or above. This ultimately deprives the adolescents. But, so many films have been made for adolescents, too, and those films are helpful for their intellectual development,� Margherita said, stressing that the upcoming festival will give a space to such youths.
�A lot of films around the world depict the diversity, the struggle of a successful person and many other positive things. We will try to screen mostly such films in the children�s film festival,� he said.
The event will consist of both film screening and brainstorming sessions.
Talking about short films and documentaries, he said, �In most cases, a short film is the first step towards a career in filmmaking, and a creative person can make a beautiful short film with a low budget. In Assam, many short-film makers are working, and the aim of this festival will be to create a global platform for them.� There is a need to build a platform for documentary filmmakers in Assam, he added.
�A documentary is completely a research work; enjoying a documentary is like reading a book. So, we are going to organise a knowledge-based event with this festival, the aim of which will be intellectual and overall development of the student community,� he added.
