South Assam Film Festival Set for June 12 and 13

Silchar is set to come alive once again with the presence of renowned film personalities as the fourth edition of the South Assam Film Festival (SAFF) 2026 takes place on June 12 and 13 at Banga Bhavan, Silchar. The two-day festival is being organized by Club Ichchedana and is expected to attract film enthusiasts from across the region.

This year's festival will feature a host of celebrated Tollywood personalities, including veteran actor-director Arindam Sil, actress Debolina Dutta, actor Saheb Chatterjee, actress and legislator Papia Adhikari, Parmita Munshi, Joybrata Das, and Soumya Sarkar.

A total of eight films will be screened during the festival. Three of these are directed by Sharmistha Dev, Chairperson of SAFF and President of Club Ichchedana. Her films include the feature films Shades and becha thakar gan, along with the short film The Favourite. The festival will also showcase Norpishach, directed by Dibakar Nag.

The festival will open on June 12 with Joybrata Das's The Academy of Fine Arts as the inaugural screening. Other films scheduled for the first day include Suman Mukhopadhyay's acclaimed Putulnacher Itikatha and Sharmistha Dev's Shades.

A special cultural programme dedicated to legendary filmmaker Satyajit Roy will be one of the highlights of the opening ceremony.

The festival will also pay tribute to the late actor, playwright, and writer Rahul Arunoday Banerjee, who attended the third edition of the festival as a guest last year. He passed away unexpectedly while shooting for a film in Talsari near Digha, less than a year after his visit to Silchar.

On June 13, audiences will have the opportunity to watch Parmita Munshi's Ami Jokhon Hema Malini, Arindam Sil's Kapur, and Sharmistha Dev's Beche Thakar Gaan and The Favourite. The festival will conclude with a grand Award Night ceremony.

The official inauguration is scheduled for 3:00 PM on June 12. Invitations have been extended to several distinguished guests, including Prof. Niranjan Roy, Vice-Chancellor of Gurucharan University, and Prof. Rajib Mohan Pant, Vice-Chancellor of Assam University.

A press conference outlining the festival's preparations and programme was held in Silchar on Monday. It was chaired by Sharmistha Dev and attended by Club Ichchedana Secretary Indrani Saha, Vice-President Lipi Saha Chand, Media In-Charge Arjun Pal, and Sports In-Charge Abhijit Dev.

Speakers at the press conference highlighted the importance of such initiatives in promoting regional cinema, nurturing local talent, and strengthening the film culture of the Barak Valley and South Assam.

EN/SA