Guwahati: The Assam Institute of Research for Tribals and Scheduled Castes (AIRTSC), Guwahati, successfully organized a one-day workshop on mobile filmmaking for tribal students. The workshop was a pre-festival event for the upcoming National Tribal Film and Literature Festival 2025, scheduled from March 27 to 29, supported by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, New Delhi.
The session aimed to promote indigenous knowledge preservation and dissemination through filmmaking. Tribal students from Assam Down Town University, Girijananda Chowdhury University (GCU), Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) Guwahati, Gauhati University, and Royal Global University (RGU) participated in the workshop.
National Award-winning filmmaker Kulanandini Mahanta facilitated the session, providing insights into visual storytelling and the technical aspects of mobile filmmaking. The workshop helped students understand key aspects such as framing and composition, art and production design, lighting, camera angles, shot sequences, and more.
Festival coordinator Madhu Raghavendra emphasized the significance of mobile filmmaking in amplifying indigenous voices and fostering creative expression, stating, “As a powerful medium, mobile filmmaking can encourage culturally inclusive development conversations.”
The event began with a talk on “Culture as a Worldview” by Dr. Kaling Dabi, a cultural documentarian and Festival Committee member. Smt. Binita Pegu, IAS, Secretary to the Government of Assam and Director of AIRTSC, expressed her enthusiasm, saying, “The workshop aims to empower tribal students by nurturing their storytelling skills through film. I am glad to see students taking a keen interest in learning the craft of mobile filmmaking.”
Also Read: Made with love, made with bamboo: How Mohan Saikia crafts his books