Assamese film to be screened at London Festival

Guwahati: An Assamese film has been selected for screening at the London Film Festival (LFF) 2013 and its director ManjuBorah invited to attend the event.
'Laaj', a 2005 critically acclaimed film, will be part of a special screening of films from the subcontinent. Selected by the festival organizers, 'Laaj' will be screened along with films from several other countries of the world.It is an adaptation of a story by Arun Goswami, a noted Assamese litterateur, who based it on a real-life incident.
The festival will be a star-studded affair with the likes of noted actor and women activist Shabana Azmi, film historian Bhawana Somaya from the Indian film industry, among several others expected to grace the occasion. It will also host a panel discussion with Pakistani film directors. True to the festival theme, Beyond Borders, it will screen films from the USA, Kashmir & Assam in India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Great Britain. The festival will also include screenings, master classes and networking events from March 7-17.
"This wil boost the sagging morale of the Assamese filmmakers whose films have not being doing well commercially. Regional cinema must not ape the style of mainstream Bollywood films, and retain their uniqueness. I want to make movies that smack of the soil and depict it in a manner that lends it a universal appeal," said director Manju Borah.
Borah was the recipient of the Women of Excellence Award by FIfor outstanding contribution to the field of Film & Entrepreneurship in 2009. She was selected for the Satyajit Ray Memorial Award in 2012 by the Third Eye Asian Film Festival of Mumbai. Currently, she is the chairperson of Oscar's committee in India.