There is a distinct charm to the Brahmaputra Valley Film Festival (BVFF), held annually in Assam’s capital city of Guwahati, that sets it apart from the larger film festivals across the country. As renowned editor and director Nitin Baid put it, while speaking at the closing event of the festival’s ninth edition on December 8, BVFF almost feels personal, even “cosy.” Though arguably the largest film festival in the northeast at the moment, it retains an intimate quality that puts its attendees at ease, fostering an atmosphere where conversations flow effortlessly, even between a casual film lover and some of the most prolific talents in the country.
Tanushree Hazarika, the festival’s director, says this was one of her primary objectives when setting up BVFF in 2013. “The northeast has rarely had great platforms for our young filmmakers to learn about cinema, or even network properly with experienced professionals. But over the past decade, we have been able to help build such connections—a couple of participants in our short film competitions have even received opportunities to assist brilliant filmmakers after meeting them here,” she adds.
The idea for BVFF emerged from a casual conversation between two friends, says Tanushree, recalling how her close friend, acclaimed writer-director Reema Kagti, planted the seed in her head. “We were discussing cinema and realised there are no prominent film festivals in the northeast. I was a young entrepreneur, 30 years old, and I jumped at the idea. Why not give it a shot, I thought.”
The festival’s growth since then has been gradual and organic—expanding from a single-screen theatre to the sprawling Jyoti Chitraban Film Studio in the past two years. It was from the hallowed confines of this studio that more than nine decades ago, the Assamese film industry took shape under the creative vision of the ‘founder of Assamese cinema’, Rupkonwar Jyoti Prasad Agarwala. (Jyoti Prasad’s 1935 film Joymoti is widely regarded to be the first Assamese film ever made.)
”So many of us are acutely ignorant of the wonderful work that is happening in the regional circuits,” says Sneha Desai, writer of the acclaimed film Laapata Ladies, who conducted an interactive session on screenwriting at the festival.
”It is high time that there is a common platform for creative people from every department to showcase their chops on a national level. BVFF is a fantastic initiative that celebrates the creative juices that flow in Assam. Such events go a great way in bridging these sore gaps,” she adds.
At the core of the BVFF project is a small but influential group of people who have helped the festival develop into what it is today. Besides Tanushree, there is Pallavi Chumki Barua, a prominent advocate and filmmaker who serves as BVFF’s creative director. Bjorn DeNiese, who is a hotelier and Tanushree’s business partner at Tattva Creations (the company that owns the IP of BVFF), is the communication director of the festival. Then there is noted journalist Karma Paljor, who is the publicity director, and filmmaker and producer Samujjal Kashyap, the technical director.
The team acknowledges that their strong industry connections have been foundational in strengthening the festival’s capital, bringing in talents such as Zoya Akhtar, Dibakar Banerjee, Reema Kagti, Ronnie Lahiri, Adil Hussain, Raju Hirani, Prakash Jha, Boman Irani, Farhan Akhtar, Imtiaz Ali, and Shoojit Sircar over the years to interact with aspiring filmmakers at the festival.
The ninth edition was star-studded in its own right, featuring sessions with prominent filmmakers such as Tigmanshu Dhulia (Paan Singh Tomar, Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster), Abhishek Chaubey (Sonchiriya, Udta Punjab), Leena Yadav (Shabd, Parched), Anvita Dutt (Bulbbul, Qala), Sandeep Modi (Chumbak, The Night Manager), and Navdeep Singh (Manorama Six Feet Under, NH10). It also hosted writer Sneha Desai (Maharaj, Laapata Ladies), actors Ravi Sarma (Sri Raghupati, Tumi Aahibaane), Aishwarya Lekshmi (Mayaanadhi, Varathan), producer Dimpy Agrawal (The Archies, Bhavesh Joshi Superhero), editor Nitin Baid (Gully Boy, Masaan), cinematographer Shreya Dev Dube (Ulajh, Thar), and artist Sidhant Gandhi (Toosid).
Smriti Kiran, former artistic director of MAMI Mumbai Film Festival, had collaborated with BVFF this year to create their industry programme. She says that once Tanushree brought her in, she made a deliberate decision to diversify the range of talent and press invited to the event. “I wanted people from different regions to be involved, which is why I connected with Aishwarya, who is an actor primarily in Malayalam and Tamil cinema. If I continue to be associated with the festival in the coming editions, I will aim to bring in more intersectionality, diversity, and wider impact for the wonderful work the team is doing,” she says.
According to Smriti, the plan is to position BVFF as a “gateway to the northeast,” while simultaneously acting as a platform for northeastern filmmakers to network and empower themselves. “People in the northeast are extremely talented, and we have seen what they can achieve with the right kind of opportunities. Take, for example, Rima Das, Haobam Paban Kumar, Kenny Basumatary, Reema Kagti, Lakshmi Priya Devi, Ronnie Lahiri—they are all northeastern filmmakers who have become important names in the film industry. Unfortunately, the film culture in the region has suffered because of accessibility. There are also not enough theatres. Through BVFF, we want to bring the best professionals right to their doorstep. We want to be the springboard that enables the incredible untapped talent here to take formidable strides,” she says.
Akash Kashyap, a 27-year-old Assamese filmmaker, whose short film Trail of White was screened at the festival this year, says he was especially charmed by the opportunities to discuss his work with many of these stalwarts and gain insight from them. “The festival gave me unprecedented exposure to the industry, which I’m grateful for,” he adds. Akash’s Trail of White was in the competition section for short films, though the award was ultimately won by Dipankar Das and Elvachisa ch Sangma for Chanchisoa (Expectations).
The award for Best Documentary went to Teens of 1942, directed by Samiran Deka, while Binoranjan Oinam was named Best Director for his feature film Langdai Ama (The Juncture). The Best Feature Film title was awarded to the festival’s opening film, Bibo Binanao (My Three Sisters), directed by the crowd-favourite Kenny Deori Basumatary. Veteran Assamese actor Pranjal Saikia—renowned for his work in films such as Hiya Diya Niya, Daag, and Barood—was bestowed with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Other notable films screened at the festival include Payal Kapadia’s much-acclaimed All We Imagine As Light, Rima Das’ Village Rockstars 2, Vipin Radhakrishnan’s Angammal, Akshay Shah’s entertaining documentary Zende: The Supercop, and the restored French classic The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, directed by Jacques Demy.
Just over a decade old now, BVFF is a work in progress. A few of the curated films seem far superior to others, with a portion of the selection—predominantly in the competition section—coming across as relatively amateurish. In the 10th edition, however, the festival will be bigger and better, says communication director Bjorn DeNiese. “We have a lot more planned at a larger scale, and much of the ninth edition was just a preview to that.” Bjorn refuses to go into too much detail, so here’s until next year.