Northeast Indian Films Dominate Kolkata Film Festival Awards

In the 31st edition of the Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF), held from November 6-13, 2025, films from India's Northeast region have made a significant impact. Five films from the region were selected for the competition in the Indian language films category, and several of them received top honors.

Tribeny Rai's 'Chhora Jastai' (The Shape Of Momo) won the award for best film, while Pradip Kurbah was named best director for 'Ha Lyngkha Bneng' (The Elysian Field). Khanjan Kishore Nath's 'Kangbo Aloti' (The Lost Path) received the special jury award.

This growing presence of Northeast Indian cinema was the focus of a panel discussion at the KIFF, attended by veteran filmmakers from the region. Assamese filmmaker Manju Borah expressed her joy at seeing new talents from the Brahmaputra Valley and the diverse dialects of the Northeast being represented on the big screen.

Meghalaya filmmaker Pradip Kurbah, a three-time National Award winner, spoke about the challenges of surviving as a filmmaker in the state, where there are only two cinema screens in the capital city of Shillong. He has resorted to traveling to villages to screen his films, as it is the only way to recover costs.

Sikkim filmmaker Tribeny Rai, whose film was also screened at the Busan International Film Festival, shared her motivation to change the "misrepresentation" of people from the Northeast in mainstream Indian cinema, where they are often portrayed as "simpletons and exotic creatures."

The Meghalaya government's recent initiative to start an OTT platform called 'Hello Meghalaya' and provide financial support to filmmakers from the region is a positive step in furthering the growth of Northeast Indian cinema.