A grab of the films to be screened at the festival

Jan. 24: Altogether 49 films — most of them award winning — from India and 20 foreign countries will be screened during the Guwahati film festival, 2008, from February 1 to 7.

The festival, organised by the Guwahati Cine Club, will be held at Rabindra Bhawan and Lakhiram Baruah Sadan simultaneously.

Award-winning Kannada filmmaker Girish Kasaravalli will inaugurate the Guwahati film festival on February 1.

The vice-president of the club, Ranjib Baruah, said everyday seven films would be screened at the festival.

“The festival is part of our endeavour to bring good cinema to the people. We are trying to screen a whole array of films, particularly those from foreign countries, which are not readily available here. The club has already received the list of films from France, South Africa, Turkey, Bangladesh, Slovenia, China and Norway. We hope to receive the list of films from the rest of the foreign countries within this week,” Baruah said at a news conference today.

Among the list of foreign films received so far by the club there is a film from Turkey named Heart Break. The film, directed by Yavuz Turgul, has won six international film awards. The other films from Turkey include Ice Cream, Ice Cream, Two Girls and Borrowed Bride.

The Bangladeshi film Aha directed Enamul Karim Nirjhar, which was screened during the Goa film festival last year in the Indian panorama, will also be showcased during the Guwahati film festival.

Two award-winning films from Norway namely Kissed by Winter by Sara Johnsen and Hawaii Oslo by Erik Poppe will be screened.

While six best films each from South Africa and France will be screened, the club decided to screen seven Chinese films, including A Bright Moon and Dance without Music.

In Indian section, four Assamese films, including the historical Maniram Dewan, will be screened.

During the festival Guwahatians will be able to enjoy the Arunachalee film Sonam which earned accolades from the viewers at the 37th International Film Festival of India 2006 in Goa.

Cinema lovers will also get a chance to enjoy films in other regional languages, namely Kannada, Tamil and Malayalam.

The GCC is the oldest cine club of Assam. Set up in 1965, the club has been organising festivals and various functions to popularise cinema. The club also organises film appreciation course at frequent intervals. During the ensuing Guwahati film festival, chief minister Tarun Gogoi will release the GCC’s journal on cinema, Chitra Chinta.

Baruah said the club hopes to receive good response from the people of Guwahati to make the festival a grand success. He said the Federation of Film Society, New Delhi, is extending all possible help to the club to host the festival.