Glory for filmmaker Dip Bhuyan

It was a proud moment for Assam filmmaker Dip Bhuyan when his non-feature film ‘Seshasha’ (The Last Hope) was screened at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa recently.

‘Seshasha’, the 22.30-minute documentary on the plight of the wild animals especially the rhinos of Kaziranga National Park and the Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary during the floods in summer season, was nominated for screening in the Indian Panorama 2010 section in the festival. The film was directed and shot by Bhyuan himself.

Dip Bhuyan“When my documentary was screened at the IFFI on November 25 and 30 in front of global audiences, it was like a sweet reward to the hard work and the passion that has gone into the making of the film,” said the elated filmmaker.

The filmmaker, who is involved with numerous remarkable Assamese feature films over the years like ‘Hiya Diya Niya’, ‘Nayak’ ‘Konyadan’, has a special interest in wildlife and his ‘Seshasha’ highlights the poor plight of the animals and the supreme sacrifice made by the forest officials.

“The plight of the animals becomes very pathetic during the summer when Brahmaputra and its tributaries wreak havoc in Kaziranga and Pobitora sanctuary. Besides the forest guards also give their best to safeguard the wildlife. So it’s a tribute to them as well,” he said.

To get the desired result the filmmaker had to spent time in the park during four consecutive flood seasons since 2004. “I had to be very patient and bank on the limited resources for four years to get the right shots during the flood seasons in Kaziranga. Now, I feel all my hard works have been paid off,” Dip Bhuyan told Assam Times.

Meanwhile, ‘Seshasha’ also got a certificate merit award under the Best Film: Environment category and the Best TV Film: Non-Fiction category in Indian Documentary Producers’ Association’s (IDPA) Awards for Excellence, 2009.

Besides, the film was screened at the 2009 CMS VATAVARAN International Festival for Environment and Wildlife Films under the competition category in the natural heritage conservation section and at the Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF), 2010.