HT Correspondent
JORHAT, Dec 26: As 2025 draws to a close, the makers of the Mising-language film Yakasik Omede have reason to celebrate, with the film continuing its strong run on the international festival circuit.
The directorial debut of Jayanta Madhab Dutta, Yakasik Omede has been selected for screening in the Debut Feature Film category at the 11th Jaffna International Cinema Festival, scheduled to open on January 1.
The film will also compete in the Indian competition section of the 11th Ajanta Ellora International Film Festival, to be held from January 28 to February 1 at Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar in Maharashtra.
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Dutta said the film was chosen alongside 10 other debut features from different parts of the world for the Jaffna festival, while it will compete with eight films in the Ajanta Ellora festival’s Indian competition segment.
Organised by the Marathwada Art Culture and Film Foundation and supported by the Department of Information and Broadcasting, the National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development (NaBFID) and the Maharashtra government, the Ajanta Ellora International Film Festival aims to showcase notable films from India and abroad while serving as a learning platform for aspiring filmmakers, technicians and cinema enthusiasts.
Set against the backdrop of Bhekeli Sapori, a sandbar on the Brahmaputra, Yakasik Omede (Yakashi’s Daughter) portrays the trials and tribulations of the Mising community living in riverine areas of Assam.
The film earlier won the Best Feature Film Award at the inaugural Dharti Aaba Tribal Film Festival 2025 held in Ranchi, Jharkhand, from October 14 to 16.
Reflecting on the film’s journey, Dutta said it was made on a shoestring budget, with several collaborators extending support beyond financial considerations.
Sound designer Amrit Pritam and sound mixer Debajit Changmai, both from Assam and currently based in Mumbai, co-produced the film and handled the sound work without charge.
Several technicians also accepted nominal remuneration, while the songs were recorded by Dutta’s wife using a mobile phone.
The film, he said, was put together over more than a year under challenging circumstances.
Dutta described the recognition the film has received so far as encouraging and said he was hopeful of further success at the Ajanta Ellora International Film Festival.
He also noted that among the films selected in the competition was a work by Anuparna Roy, who won the Best Director award at the 82nd Venice Film Festival in September 2025 for her debut film Songs of Forgotten Trees in the Horizons section.
