Jyoti Chitraban Set to Roll Out Red Carpet for Guwahati Asian Film Festival 2026 on January 22

Guwahati: The second chapter of the Guwahati Asian Film Festival (GAFF) is all set to unfold at Jyoti Chitraban from Thursday, bringing four days of cinematic celebration to the city. The festival will present 26 films spanning regional, national, and international cinema, with entries from 10 Asian nations.

GAFF 2026 will open on January 22 with Sunday, a feature film from Uzbekistan directed by Shokir Kholikov. The opening-day line-up also features the Japanese film S by Masahiro Ota, which will make its India premiere in the Asian Cinema section. Adding to the evening, An Evening Ballad by Bishal Swargiary will be screened under the Indian Showcase (non-competition) segment.

The festival is being organised by Trending Now Media, with support from the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India.

According to the organisers, this year’s edition has been carefully curated from more than 200 film submissions, nearly 90 of which were received from outside India. Reflecting on the journey so far, Monita Borgohain, Honorary Festival Director of GAFF, said the enthusiastic response to the inaugural edition encouraged the team to scale up the festival.

“The warmth and enthusiasm shown by audiences during our first edition motivated us to envision a more expansive second chapter. GAFF 2026 aims to raise the bar, celebrating the diversity of Asian cinema while welcoming an even wider community of filmmakers from across the continent,” she said.

Over the four-day festival, audiences will be treated to films from Vietnam, Mongolia, Uzbekistan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Japan, Myanmar, Iran, Kazakhstan, and China. Indian cinema will also feature prominently, with films in a wide range of languages, including Marathi, Bajjika, Malayalam, Hindi, Tulu, Nepali, Assamese, Karbi, Bodo, Mishing, Manipuri, and Bengali.

Beyond film screenings, GAFF 2026 will host a series of masterclasses, panel discussions, and interactive sessions, bringing together filmmakers, critics, and industry professionals from India and across Asia.

Positioned as the only festival in the region dedicated exclusively to Asian cinema, the Guwahati Asian Film Festival continues to strengthen its role as a cultural bridge, fostering cinematic dialogue and cross-border exchange in Northeast India.

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