Guwahati: Come 24 and 25 October 2026, the film buffs, cine critics, and movie producer-directors of eastern India will have a unique opportunity to encounter film-works, dedicated to foster nationalism and paying homage to Bharat’s thousands of years old civilization, culture, and heritage, as the 10th edition of Chalachitram National Film Festival (CNFF) unfolds selected short duration films at Jyoti Chitraban film society premises in Kahilipara locality of the city. Organised by Chalachitram (https://chalachitram.in), a subsidiary of Vishwa Samvad Kendra- Assam, the unique film festival will honour the selected entries with trophies, certificates, and cash prizes in the presence of distinguished film personalities and cine-goers.
The distinctive film festival under the mentorship of Bharatiya Chitra Sadhna was initially launched as the Guwahati Film Festival in 2017. It was renamed in 2019 with the central theme of ‘Our Heritage Our Pride’ which encompasses various issues like Indian heritage, indigenous society, heroes of the freedom movement, epics & mythology, national integration & solidarity, arts & artisans, Yoga-meditation-Ayurveda, manuscripts & paintings, tradition and family values, cultural nationalism, women empowerment, environment, land & people, tourism, arts, handicrafts & textiles, wood carving, manuscript & manuscript paintings, painting & woodcarving, music and musicians, indigenous festivals, traditional sports, monuments & heritage sites, social reformers & pioneers, tea and oil industries, etc.
A jury board consisting of artists, critics, film-makers, writers, and other professionals will select the award-winning films. Five awards will be presented in the North East India category, including best short feature, best documentary, best director, best screenplay, cinematography and editing, whereas two awards are kept for the All India category, comprising the best short feature and best documentary. All categories are open to professionals as well as novice filmmakers, where the entries should be limited to one minute to 25 minutes, and must be produced between 1 Sept 2025 and 1 Sept 2026. The entry dates include Early Bird (10 to 30 June) without fee, regular deadline (1 –20 July) with fees of Rs 500, and final deadline (20 July till 2 Sept) with fees of Rs 1,000. The entries can be sent directly to CNFF office (e-mail: chalachitramne@gmail.com) or through Filmfreeway.com.
India today witnesses a number of intriguing national film festivals across the country at different time slots. Thus, the CNFF has joined the elite clubs comprised of the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival, Great Indian Film and Literature Festival, Asia Livelihood Documentary Festival, Alpavirama South Asian Short & Documentary Film-fest, Bangalore Queer Film-fest, Brahmaputra Valley Film-fest, Cinemela Film-fest, Flashpoint Human Rights Film-fest, Golden Jury Film-fest, Hyderabad Bengali Film-fest, Indogma Film-fest, Jagran Film-fest, Jeevika Film-fest, Kalakari Film-fest, Madhubani Film-fest, New Delhi Film-fest, National Science Film-fest, Cinefan Festival of Asian and Arab Cinema, Patna Film-fest, Rajasthan Film-fest, Tigerland India Film-fest, Verite Film-fest, Vibgyor Film-fest, etc.
The 9th CNFF, inaugurated by Dr Sunil Mohanty, Asom Khetra Prachar Pramukh of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh by lighting sacred lamps in front of Bharat Mata’s portrait as well as Dr Bhupen Hazarika, Zubeen Garg, and Deepak Sarma, showcased over 30 short features and documentaries in both competitive and only screening categories. Scary loneliness of old age, while silently finding reasons to live and also gracefully depart from the world, redefining the meaning of death, searching for a peaceful home with close ones, fraud and greed mesmerising the modern lives, an environment supporting the human race, the socio-cultural heritages of Bharat enriched with the legacy of thousands of years, and many other issues came with those entries. Some passionately narrated the tales of aged professionals living in urban localities who deserve helping hands from their well-wishers, some even take solace in folk tales & songs adoring marriage and other rituals to overcome their relentless anguish, encountering eroded family values where almost everybody suffers in different forms.
The caste-ridden society and its implications on under-privileged individuals while accessing a dignified life and living to overcome challenges with a determination to defy the prejudices were also featured in some visual pieces. Projected slow learners and differently-abled children in some entries may expose a different world to the audience, many of whom have little idea about the painful and emotional moments surrounding those minors. The matriarchal society, where men traditionally leave their own family to adopt a new one after marriage thus putting those fathers in isolation, ancient practises of magic that amuse the young people and help them fantasize to achieve the impossible, the surviving traditional Assamese string puppetry, the thousands of years old textile industry across Bharat and their legacy facing the turmoil of modern technology, tales embracing the malevolent spirit once listened and consumed by everyone in the rural world attracted the film-enthusiasts.
The young people finding it difficult to cope with the constant changes in their psychological needs and isolating themselves from other relatives was also addressed in some film works, but with a positive note, as they energize themselves after rediscovering the unconditional love and affection from their nearest ones and prepare for marching ahead, pursuing studies and future careers with a sense of responsibility and belongingness in society. The closing ceremony was graced by the then State legislative assembly speaker, Biswajit Daimary, with a number of distinguished film personalities, other dignitaries, and cine-goers. On behalf of the organizing committee, VSK Assam secretary Kishor Shivam, CNFF president Nava Thakuria, and secretary Bhagawat Pritam, hope that the film festival would go a long way to encourage the budding filmmakers in engaging the medium for social changes across the sub-continent, empowering the underprivileged section and creating a sense of patriotism among everyone.
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CNFF-2026: भारतीय विरासत, देशभक्ति और सामाजिक सरोकारों पर आधारित फिल्मों का राष्ट्रीय संगम
नव ठाकुरीया
गुवाहाटी: पूर्वोत्तर भारत के फिल्म प्रेमियों, समीक्षकों और फिल्म निर्माता-निर्देशकों के लिए 24 और 25 अक्टूबर 2026 को देशभक्ति, भारतीय सभ्यता, संस्कृति और विरासत पर आधारित फिल्मों को देखने का विशेष अवसर मिलेगा। चलचित्रम नेशनल फिल्म फेस्टिवल (CNFF) का 10वां संस्करण गुवाहाटी के कहिलीपाड़ा स्थित ज्योति चित्रबन फिल्म सोसाइटी परिसर में आयोजित होगा, जहां चयनित लघु फिल्में और डॉक्यूमेंट्री प्रदर्शित की जाएंगी। विश्व संवाद केंद्र-असम की सहयोगी संस्था चलचित्रम (https://chalachitram.in/) द्वारा आयोजित इस राष्ट्रीय फिल्म महोत्सव में प्रतिष्ठित फिल्म हस्तियों और फिल्म प्रेमियों की उपस्थिति में चयनित प्रविष्टियों को ट्रॉफी, प्रमाणपत्र और नकद पुरस्कार प्रदान किए जाएंगे।
भारतीय चित्र साधना के मार्गदर्शन में शुरू हुए इस महोत्सव की शुरुआत वर्ष 2017 में गुवाहाटी फिल्म फेस्टिवल के रूप में हुई थी। वर्ष 2019 में इसका नाम बदलकर चलचित्रम नेशनल फिल्म फेस्टिवल रखा गया और इसे ‘हमारी विरासत, हमारा गौरव’ (Our Heritage Our Pride) विषय के साथ नया स्वरूप दिया गया। महोत्सव में भारतीय विरासत, स्थानीय समाज, स्वतंत्रता संग्राम के नायक, महाकाव्य एवं पौराणिक कथाएं
