GUWAHATI, NOV 27: Come 29 and 30 November 2025, film buffs, cine critics and producer-directors from eastern India will get a unique opportunity to engage with film-works dedicated to fostering nationalism and paying homage to Bharat’s millennia-old civilisation, culture and heritage. The 9th edition of the Chalachitram National Film Festival (CNFF) will present around 30 selected short films.
A number of entries narrate stories about the human race and its struggle to preserve its legacy in a sustainable environment. Several films highlight young people grappling with rapid psychological changes, often leading them to isolate themselves from family and friends. Rediscovering unconditional love from those closest to them, they regain the strength to pursue studies and careers with a renewed sense of responsibility and belonging.
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Some films focus on slow learners and differently-abled children, offering audiences a window into the often-hidden emotional and painful experiences they face. Others explore traditional relationships overshadowed by misunderstanding and distrust within families—conflicts that eventually resolve through empathy and forgiveness in times of distress. Entries also touch on the loneliness of elderly professionals in urban settings, the erosion of family values, folk tales and marriage rituals that help heal emotional wounds, caste-based discrimination and the resilience of underprivileged individuals striving for dignity despite prejudice.
Themes extend to matriarchal communities where men traditionally leave their homes after marriage, leaving fathers isolated; ancient practices of magic that fuel youthful imagination; the surviving tradition of Assamese string puppetry; Bharat’s centuries-old textile industry struggling to withstand modern lifestyles; rural tales of malevolent spirits; human bonds with land, trees and nature; and abandoned national heritage sites awaiting rediscovery by a new generation.
India today hosts numerous national film festivals across the country of over 140 crore people. CNFF, now nearly a decade old, has earned a place among festivals such as the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival, Great Indian Film and Literature Festival, Asia Livelihood Documentary Festival, Alpavirama South Asian Short & Documentary Film Festival, Bangalore Queer Film Festival, Brahmaputra Valley Film Festival, Cinemela, Flashpoint Human Rights Film Festival, Golden Jury Film Festival, Hyderabad Bengali Film Fest, Indogma Film Festival, Jagran Film Festival, Jeevika Film Festival, Kalakari Film Festival, Madhubani Film Festival, New Delhi Film Festival, National Science Film Festival, Cinefan Festival of Asian and Arab Cinema, Patna Film Festival, Rajasthan Film Festival, Tigerland India Film Festival, Verite Film Festival, Vibgyor Film Festival and others.
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Founded in 2016 under the banner of Chalachitram with the aim of bringing films closer to ordinary people and using cinema to promote awareness of Indian culture and heritage, CNFF is now entering its ninth year. The inaugural edition, organised as the Guwahati Film Festival (GFF) in 2017 at Rabindra Bhawan, the Textile Institute and Cotton University’s Mass Communication Department, was renamed in 2019. Speaking at GFF-2017, then Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal remarked that “cinema reflects the philosophy of life and the expectations of society, and plays an important role in transforming it,” while recalling filmmakers like Jyotiprasad Agarwalla, Bhupen Hazarika, Bhabendra Nath Saikia, Jahnu Baruah and Manju Bora.
GFF-2018, held at the Jyoti Chitraban studio premises in Kahilipara, featured writer Manmohan G. Vaidya, award-winning filmmaker Santwana Bardoloi and others. Since CNFF-2019, the festival continues to showcase creative works—now largely digital—at the site dedicated to Assam’s pioneering filmmaker Rupkonwar Jyotiprasad. Organised by Chalachitram, a subsidiary of Vishwa Samvad Kendra-Assam, under the mentorship of Bharatiya Chitra Sadhna, the festival’s central theme, Our Heritage, Our Pride, draws distinguished film personalities from across India each year.
The festival covers a wide range of subjects: Indian heritage, indigenous societies, freedom movement heroes, epics and mythology, national integration, arts and artisans, manuscripts and paintings, traditional family values, cultural nationalism, women empowerment, environment, land and people, tourism, handicrafts and textiles, woodcarving, music and musicians, indigenous festivals, traditional sports, monuments and heritage sites, social reformers, and industries such as tea and oil. A jury of artistes, critics, filmmakers, writers and professionals selects the award-winning films, which are honoured with trophies, certificates and cash prizes in the presence of film enthusiasts and distinguished guests.
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(Nava Thakuria is a senior Indian journalist who contributes to various media outlets including print and digital platforms of India and across the world.)