HT Correspondent
JORHAT, Oct 17: Dr Jayanta Madhab Dutta’s debut feature film Yakasik Omede (Yakasi’s Daughter), centered on the lives of the Mising community of Assam, has won the Best Feature Film Award at the 1st Dharti Aaba Tribal Film Festival 2025 held in Ranchi, Jharkhand from October 14 to 16.
Organised by the Dr Ramdayal Munda Tribal Welfare Research Institute under the Department of SC, ST, Minority and BC Welfare, Government of Jharkhand, the festival featured 52 films across three categories—Feature, Documentary and Short Documentary.
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Dutta, who is also the founder and general secretary of the Assam Film Society, said that out of seven selected feature films, his film was chosen for the top honour. The award, which included a trophy, citation, and a cheque of Rs 1 lakh, was jointly handed over to Dutta and the film’s producer Rajeswar Saikia by Jharkhand Minister Chamra Linda.
The jury cited the film’s “moving portrayal of a woman’s endurance and rebirth amidst loss and traditions” and praised its “visual grace and emotional honesty” as key reasons for its selection.
The four-member jury comprised Krishna Soren, Mahadev Toppo, Shyamal Karmakar and Karma Zimpa Bhutia, Director of the Tribal Research Institute.
Yakasik Omede, made on a modest budget of Rs 7 lakh, explores the challenges faced by the Mising community living on the sandbars of the Brahmaputra river—frequent natural disasters, lack of infrastructure and daily struggles borne with stoic acceptance. The film was earlier screened at the 16th Bengaluru International Film Festival, the 21st Third Eye Asian Film Festival and the World Film Festival in Kolkata.
