The 10th edition of the Chalachitram National Film Festival (CNFF) will be held in Guwahati on 24 and 25 October 2026, bringing together filmmakers, critics and cinema enthusiasts from across eastern India.
The festival, organised by Chalachitram, a subsidiary of Vishwa Samvad Kendra (VSK), Assam, will take place at the Jyoti Chitraban Film Society premises in Kahilipara. According to the organisers, the festival will showcase short films centred on nationalism, Indian civilisation, culture and heritage. Selected entries will be honoured with trophies, certificates and cash prizes in the presence of film personalities and cinephiles.
The festival, conducted under the mentorship of Bharatiya Chitra Sadhna, was launched in 2017 as the Guwahati Film Festival before being renamed the Chalachitram National Film Festival in 2019. It adopts the central theme, ‘Our Heritage Our Pride’, covering subjects including Indian heritage, indigenous communities, freedom movement heroes, epics and mythology, national integration, arts and artisans, yoga, meditation, Ayurveda, manuscripts, paintings, family values, women empowerment, environmental conservation, tourism, handicrafts, textiles, traditional sports, heritage sites, social reformers, and the tea and oil industries, among others.
Award-winning films will be selected by a jury comprising artistes, critics, filmmakers, writers and other professionals.
In the North East India category, awards will be presented for Best Short Feature, Best Documentary, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, and Best Editing. The All India category will include awards for Best Short Feature and Best Documentary.
The competition is open to both professional and first-time filmmakers. Entries must have a duration of between one and 25 minutes and should have been produced between 1 September 2025 and 1 September 2026.
The organisers have announced three submission windows. Early Bird entries from 10 to 30 June can be submitted free of charge. The regular submission period from 1 to 20 July carries an entry fee of Rs 500, while entries submitted between 20 July and 2 September will require a fee of Rs 1,000.
Films may be submitted directly to the CNFF office via email at chalachitramne@gmail.com or through FilmFreeway.
The organisers noted that the festival has become part of a growing network of film festivals across India, alongside events such as the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival, Brahmaputra Valley Film Festival, Jagran Film Festival, National Science Film Festival, Rajasthan Film Festival, and several others.
The previous edition of the festival featured more than 30 short films and documentaries in both competitive and non-competitive screening categories. The event was inaugurated by Dr Sunil Mohanty, Asom Kshetra Prachar Pramukh of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), who lit ceremonial lamps before portraits of Bharat Mata, Dr Bhupen Hazarika, Zubeen Garg and Deepak Sarma.
The films screened explored a wide range of themes, including ageing and loneliness, death and mortality, family relationships, fraud and greed, environmental concerns, and India’s socio-cultural heritage. Several films focused on elderly people living in urban areas, changing family structures, folk traditions, caste-related discrimination, the experiences of differently abled children, matriarchal societies, traditional magic practices, Assamese string puppetry, India’s textile heritage, folklore, and the mental health challenges faced by young people.
The closing ceremony of the ninth edition was attended by the then Speaker of the Assam Legislative Assembly, Biswajit Daimary, along with filmmakers, other dignitaries and cinema enthusiasts.
On behalf of the organising committee, VSK Assam secretary Kishor Shivam, CNFF president Nava Thakuria and secretary Bhagawat Pritam expressed hope that the festival would encourage emerging filmmakers to use cinema as a medium for social change, support underprivileged communities and promote patriotism.
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