Guwahati: The prestigious Gauhati Cine Club, founded in 1965, will host the 18th International Guwahati Film Festival from February 13 to 17, 2026. The five day event will take place at the Kanaklal Baruah Auditorium, Assam State Museum, Ambari.

This year, the festival will screen 16 films from Germany, Russia, Portugal, Iran, Sri Lanka, Brazil, Vietnam and Montenegro. Along with international cinema, selected films in Assamese, Bangla, Bodo, Manipuri and English will also be shown, giving viewers a wide and rich mix of stories and styles.

Among the highlights is Girls Will Be Girls (2024, 120 minutes), directed by Shuchi Talati. The film won the Best Gender Sensitive Film award at the Film Critics Guild competition and received wide praise.

The 18th edition is dedicated to two major cultural figures of Assam. Dr. Bhupen Hazarika, legendary musician, filmmaker and one of the founder members of the Gauhati Cine Club, will be remembered with special respect. The festival will also pay tribute to cultural icon Zubeen Garg, who passed away recently. As a homage, the film Dinabandhu (2004, 133 minutes), directed by Munin Baruah and featuring Zubeen Garg in a key role, will be screened.

Renowned filmmaker Aribam Syam Sharma from Manipur will attend the inaugural function as Chief Guest. A special retrospective of three of his films has been arranged. His classic Ishanou (1990, 91 minutes) will open the festival. The other two films in the segment are Imagi Ningthem and Sanabi.

The festival will also host the premiere of the Assamese film Samarpan, directed by Arup Manna. Celebrated filmmaker Rajni Basumatary will attend the inaugural function as Guest of Honour. Her film Gorai Phakhri (2023, 95 minutes) will be screened as the closing film.

The event is being organized in collaboration with the Federation of Film Societies of India, Eastern Region, Kolkata, the Film Critics Guild, and the producers and directors of the participating films.

For details, interested persons may contact 70020-33374 or 99542-36869. Updates are available on the official Facebook pages of Gauhati Cine Club and the International Guwahati Film Festival. Offline registration can be done at the Gauhati Cine Club office in Panbazar or at the GCC site office at the Assam State Museum premises.

Gauhati Cine Club President A.K. Absar Hazarika and Secretary Madhurima Barua have urged cine lovers, including life, general and student members of the Club, to take part and help make the festival a success.