Come 29 and 30 November 2025, the film buffs, cine critics and movie producer-directors of eastern India will have an unique opportunity to encounter film-works, dedicated to foster nationalism and paying homage to Bharat’s thousands years old civilization, culture and heritage, as the 9th edition of Chalachitram National Film Festival (CNFF) unfolds a package of around 30 selected short duration films. Organised by Chalachitram, a subsidiary of Vishwa Samvad Kendra- Assam, under the mentorship of Bharatiya Chitra Sadhna, the festival of short films with the central theme ‘Our Heritage Our Pride’ always attracts distinguished film personalities from different parts of India to grace the spectacular event.
The distinctive film-fest encompasses various issues like Indian heritage, indigenous society, heroes of the freedom movement, epics & mythology, national integration & solidarity, arts & artisans, manuscripts & paintings, tradition and family values, cultural nationalism, women empowerment, environment, land & people, tourism, arts, handicrafts & textiles, wood carving, manuscript & manuscript paintings, painting & woodcarving, music and musicians, indigenous festivals, traditional sports, monuments & heritage sites, social reformers & pioneers, tea and oil industries, etc. A jury board consisting of artistes, critics, film-makers, writers and other professionals select the award winning films, where they are honoured with trophies, certificates, and cash prizes in the presence of distinguished film personalities and cine-goers.
With a moderate beginning in 2016 with conceptualizing a society named Chalachitram with the primary aim of bringing film-works closer to the common people and also engaging the creative pieces as the weapon to create awareness of Indian culture and heritage, the CNFF for documentaries and short features has arrived on its ninth year. The inaugural edition was organised as Guwahati Film Festival (GFF) in 2017 at Rabindra Bhawan, Textile Institute, and Cotton University’s mass communication department, but in 2019 the unique festival was renamed.
Gracing the GFF-2017, the then Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal, opined ‘cinema reflects the philosophy of life, reality and expectations of society, and it plays an important role in transforming society’ recalling the contributions of pioneer filmmakers like Jyotiprasad Agarwalla, Bhupen Hazarika, Bhabendra Nath Saikia, Jahnu Baruah, Manju Bora, etc to the Assamese film world. The GFF-2018, shifted to Jyoti Chitraban film studio premise in Kahilipara, was attended by noted writer Manmohan G Vaidya, award winning film director Santwana Bardoloi with others. Since its third edition (CNFF-2019), the distinctive film-fest continues to showcase creative works on celluloid (now digital outlets) at the premise dedicated to the auspicious memory of Assam’s pioneer film-maker Rupkonwar Jyotiprasad.
CNFF-2025: A spectacular event enriching nationalism
