Feb. 5: The fourth edition of Cine ASA (Art Society Asom) Guwahati International Film Festival today began at Rabindra Bhawan. The seven-day festival will screen altogether 40 films, including 35 foreign and five Indian.

However, actor Biju Phukan, the chief guest of the festival, regretted that no Assamese movie would be screened. Only, the award-winning film Firingoti by Jahnu Barua (1992) will be screened at the festival to mark completion of his 30 years in the Assamese film industry.

“I am obliged to be a part of this festival, which has been successfully organised for the fourth time. But it is surprising that an international film festival organised in the state doesn’t have an Assamese movie to feature, apart from Firingoti. This only says there is no scope in this industry for budding talents,” said Phukan, who have completed 40 years in this profession.

Bitopan Borborah, director of the festival, said, “It is very sad that we couldn’t incorporate any new Assamese films. We couldn’t find a recent Assamese movie which would be on a par with the foreign films that have been shortlisted in this film festival.”

While Phukan spoke about the present status of the Assamese film industry and ways to upgrade the same, he also cited the need to have a mini digital cinema hall.

“Besides movies, this hall can be used to hold film festivals. Numerous meetings have been held to have a digital cinema hall, but without any results,” he said.

The festival opened with the Bengali film Naukadubi by Rituparno Ghosh. The movie is set in the 1920s, based on a novel by Rabindranath Tagore, featuring Prosenjit Chatterjee, Jisshu Sengupta, Raima Sen and Riya Sen.

The festival has been organised by Cine Art Society, Asom, in association with Assam State Film (Finance and Development) Corporation. In the city, the screenings will be done at three different venues, including Rabindra Bhawan, Gauhati University and Indian Institute of Technology. Apart from these venues the festival will also be held at Dibrugarh and Lakhimpur. The 40 films will be screened in all the venues across the state during the seven-day festival.

“To host such festivals is imperative, because it is a platform, where the movie buffs are in for a treat of good movies from different countries, as they are not easily available,” said Borborah.

The festival will also screen films from Italy, Germany, Canada, South Africa, Bangladesh, Norway, Chile, Switzerland, Poland, Israel, Iran, Mexico, Turkey and Taiwan.