The two-day CNFF 2026 will be held at Jyoti Chitraban on October 24 and 25, with awards in short film, documentary, direction, screenplay, cinematography and editing categories.
GUWAHATI, September 29, 2026: The 10th Chalachitram National Film Festival (CNFF 2026) will be held in Guwahati on October 24 and 25, bringing more than 45 selected short films and documentaries to audiences at the Jyoti Chitraban premises in Kahilipara.
Organised by Chalachitram, a subsidiary of Vishwa Samvad Kendra-Assam, the two-day festival is expected to bring together film enthusiasts, critics, filmmakers and other members of the film community.
According to the organisers, the festival seeks to promote films engaging with India’s civilisation, culture, heritage and national identity.
Selected entries will compete for trophies, certificates and cash prizes, with a jury comprising artistes, film critics, filmmakers, writers and other professionals deciding the winners.
Six awards for Northeast India category
The festival will present six awards in the Northeast India category — Best Short Feature, Best Documentary, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography and Best Editing.
Two awards — Best Short Feature and Best Documentary — have been set aside for the Rest of India category.
CNFF is held under the mentorship of Bharatiya Chitra Sadhna.
The festival was initially launched as the Guwahati Film Festival in 2017 before being renamed in 2019.
Its central theme, “Our Heritage, Our Pride,” provides space for films covering subjects ranging from indigenous societies, freedom movement heroes, epics and mythology to national integration, traditional arts, women empowerment, environment and tourism.
Other themes include Yoga, meditation and Ayurveda, manuscripts and paintings, family values, music and musicians, indigenous festivals, traditional sports, monuments and heritage sites, social reformers, handicrafts, textiles and traditional industries.
Screenings ahead of October festival
As part of activities leading up to CNFF 2026, a film screening programme was recently organised at Nirmal Haloi College in Patacharkuchi in Assam’s Bajali district.
Award-winning short features and documentaries selected from the previous edition of the festival were screened for students.
Nirmal Haloi College Principal Dr Kaushik Kumar Deka, faculty members and former Barama College Principal Dr Tiken Das attended the programme. College cine club convener Rajen Das coordinated the event.
Award-winning documentary filmmaker Bibhu Dutta, retired Jyoti Chitraban sound engineer Deepak Dutta and CNFF Assistant Secretary Dhrubajyoti Deka were among those representing the festival.
Another screening programme is scheduled to be held at Nalbari College on October 3.
Platform for emerging filmmakers
VSK Assam Secretary Kishor Shivam, CNFF 2026 President Nava Thakuria and Secretary Bhagawat Pritam said the festival seeks to encourage emerging filmmakers to use cinema to engage with social issues, underprivileged communities and themes of national and cultural significance.
The organisers expect the October festival to provide filmmakers from the Northeast and other parts of India with a platform to screen their work before audiences, critics and members of the film community.
The 10th edition will be held on October 24 and 25 at Jyoti Chitraban, Kahilipara, Guwahati.
