A poster of the Iranian film, The Circle

Jorhat, March 18: A three-day international film extravaganza, focusing mostly on Asian cinema, will begin here on March 25.

Jayanta Madhav Dutta, secretary of the Assam Film Society, which is organising the festival, said discs of quality English movies were easily available in CD parlours or aired frequently on TV but quality Asian movies are seldom available for movie buffs.

“There are some very good Asian movies which get international recognition but we seldom get to see these. Although I, myself, have been associated in organising this festival since 2007, till date I have seen only clippings of Sri Lankan cinema and not a full length one. The film society will like to make up for this deficit,” Dutta said.

In keeping with this idea, the inaugural film to be screened will be Mon Pora, the debut work of young Bangladeshi director Ghiasuddin Selim.

“Usually Bangladesh remakes Bollywood movies. However, this is a love story which, we have heard, Bollywood wants to remake in an Indian landscape,” Dutta said.

Another entry from Bangladesh is Swapner Danae (On the wings of a dream) by Ghulam Rabbani Biplob. This movie won the Silver Peacock award at the Goa International Film Festival and another award at the Shanghai Film Festival last year.

Two short fiction films from Spain and one from Sweden, Kindness — A letter from Tibet, based on a Tibetan woman in exile in Sweden, who is portrayed as spiritual person embodying love and kindness like the Dalai Lama.

The Assamese films to be screened will include Padum Barua’s only venture in the 1960’s, Ganga Chilonir Pakhi, and Sanjeev Sabhapandit’s Jaan Phai Junaak, which is on the theme of superstitious beliefs and witch-hunting.

It is also the first high definition digital format film made in Assam.

The festival will also organise a seminar on Regional Films — Hopes and Challenges. Among the speakers will be Premendu Mazumdar and filmmakers Sanjeev Sabhapandit and Manoj Borpujari

Two books on Assamese films, Chalachitriyo Chinta Aru Durchinta by Noni and Chalachitra Aru Anonyo by Jatindra Saikia, will also be released.

For the inauguration, the organisers have invited George Baker and Binita Borgohain Nandi, the protagonists of the award-winning Assamese film, Chameli Memsaheb.

Some other interesting movies to be screened include Iranian film The Circle by Jafar Panahi, who is in jail for ruffling political feathers through the film, and the Tamil Shifting Prophecy by Menazur Rahman Barua on the emergence of the rural Muslim movement in the state.

Twelve feature films, including five from outside the state, three documentaries and three short fiction films will be screened at the Assam Agricultural University auditorium on the first two days. The valedictory function and last day’s shows will be held at the auditorium of the North East Institute of Science and Technology.