Biswajeet Bora (born 8 August 1979) is an Indian filmmaker, producer writer & editor and one of the renowned filmmakers from Northeast India, now based in Mumbai. He made his directorial debut in Bollywood with the first Indian carbon neutral film ''
Aisa Yeh Jahaan'' . The film is now currently available in Amazon Prime, Jio Cinema and Hotstar. He directed the Superhit
Assamese
Assamese may refer to:
* Assamese people, a socio-ethnolinguistic identity of north-eastern India
* People of Assam, multi-ethnic, multi-linguistic and multi-religious people of Assam
* Assamese language, one of the easternmost Indo-Aryan language ...
film ''Bahniman'' which was released in 2016. He received the Golden Royal Bengal Tiger Trophy for Best Director at the National Competition Section: Competition on Indian Languages of
26th Kolkata International Film Festival
The 26th Kolkata International Film Festival took place from 8 to 15 January 2021. It was scheduled to take place from 5 to 12 November 2020 but was postponed to January 2021 due to COVID-19 pandemic in India.
Inauguration
The 26th Kolkata I ...
2021 for the film ''God on the Balcony''. His film ''God on the Balcony'' received First Best Film in the Asian Cinema Competition at the prestigious 13th Bengaluru International Film Festival 2022. His latest film ''
Boomba Ride'' made it to 'Indian Panorama' of the
52nd International Film Festival of India
The 52nd International Film Festival of India opened on 20 November with '' The King of All the World'' (''El Rey de Todo El Mundo'') by Carlos Saura in Goa. Like 51st edition this edition was also held in hybrid format, that combined online ...
,
Goa
Goa () is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is located between the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to th ...
for the year 2021. Also, the film has been selected at the prestigious 26th
International Film Festival of Kerala
The International Film Festival of Kerala (abbreviated as IFFK) is a film festival held annually in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala, India. This film festival started in 1996 and is hosted by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy ...
, 2021, 27th Kolkata International Film Festival 2021, 20th Pune International Film Festival 2022 and 20th Dhaka International Film Festival 2022.
His latest film ''
Boomba Ride'' was among the 6 Indian films selected for screening at Cannes 2022 by the
Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, India under
Marche Du Film
Marche ( , ) is one of the twenty regions of Italy. In English, the region is sometimes referred to as The Marches ( ). The region is located in the central area of the country, bordered by Emilia-Romagna and the republic of San Marino to the ...
2022.
Biography
Early life and education
Biswajeet was born in the village of No. 1 Senchowa,
Golaghat
Golaghat ( ''Gʊlaɡʱat'' ) one of the largest subdivisions of the Indian state of Assam, later elevated to the position of a full–fledged district headquarter on 5 October 1987, is a city and a municipality and the seat of administrat ...
,
Assam
Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...
, India, to Purna Chandra Bora and Monju Bora. He started his artistic life as an actor in amateur plays when he was 16. He later joined Evergreen Drama and Film Institute of Golaghat, to know about the craft. Also, he started playing martial arts at the age of 15. He received black belt in Martial Art in 1999. Later he shifted his base to film related writing in Assamese newspapers and also into direction and directed a few plays. After securing a degree in Assamese literature in 2001 from
Golaghat Commerce College, he decided to go to Mumbai to pursue his career as a film editor.
Career
Initially, Biswajeet Bora wanted to be an actor and being from Assam, he started with theatre. He did a lot of work as an actor and also directed a few plays. Then he moved to Mumbai. Coming to Mumbai he joined an editing studio and started working as an editor. Then he assisted internationally acclaimed filmmaker
Jahnu Barua
Jahnu Barua (born 1952) is an Indian film director. He has written and directed a number of Assamese and Hindi films. Some of his notable films are '' Halodhia Choraye Baodhan Khai'' (1987), ''Firingoti'' (1992), '' Xagoroloi Bohu Door'' (1995), ...
for several years before making films, including the Assamese film ''Ejak Jonakir Jhilmil'' (A Thousand Fireflies Sparkle) in 2007. In 2009 he made the documentary – ''Angel of the Aboriginals: Dr Verrier Elwin''. This documentary has been selected to several international film festivals, including the Bollywood Beyond Film Festival in Germany and the IUAES (International Union of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences) in Turkey.
He made this first Hindi film titled ''
Aisa Yeh Jahaan'' in 2015 which was India's first carbon neutral film. Later he forayed into commercial cinema in Assam with BAHNIMAN, which is one of the biggest hits in Assam. After that he made RAKTABEEZ, which was also a commercial hit. With his film PHEHUJALI, based on real life stories, he got critical acclaim and recognition in various international film festivals.
He made his film ''God on the balcony'' during the covid19 time, it was first premiered at prestigious 26th Kolkata International Film Festival 2021 through this film he got world-wide recognition. Joseph Korkmaz, a professor of cinema history and film analysis at Saint Joseph University of Beirut - USJ, Lebanon wrote "The filmmaker portraits in his movie, a socio-economic context of a region, his own, that is a microcosm of an entire country that is struggling to develop. Will God who is on the balcony or in the sky and in the quivering nature accompany the father and his daughter who turn their backs on their poor reality and move away towards new horizons?" Shoma A. Chatterji, an Indian film scholar, author and freelance journalist, wrote o
upperstall.com"God on the Balcony is yet another welcome addition to the wonderful cinema that is coming out from North-East India, especially from Assam, with regularity over the last few years. And is deserving of all the accolades it is accumulating."
Personal life
He now lives in Mumbai with his wife Lopamudra Gogoi Bora, who is also a writer and fashion designer and his son, Troy.
Filmography
Awards
* He received the 'Golden Royal Bengal Tiger Trophy' for 'Best Director' at the National Competition Section: Competition on Indian Languages of ''
'26th Kolkata International Film Festival 2021'.''
* God On the Balcony received ''Best Film'' in the ''Asian Cinema Competition'' at the prestigious 13th Bengaluru International Film Festival 2022'
''
* 'Equality in Cinema' award for 'God on The Balcony' at
''
'
''
''12th Indian Film Festival of Melbourne, 2021'
''
* 'School Film of the Year' for 'God on the Balcony' at ''
'
''
''1
''
''8th Indian Film Festival, Stuttgart 2021'
''
*
''''Honorable Mention' award for 'God on the Balcony' at 'Lasa international film Festival, Brazil 2021''
* 'Special Mention' award for '
'God on the Balcony' at
''
'
''
''22nd Rainbow Film Festival, 2021'
''
* Received ''Best Actor Jury Award (Harsih Khanna)'' for th
''
''e film ''
'God on the Balcony'
'' at ''
'10th Annual DC South Asian Film Festival, USA, 2021'.''
* 'Best Feature Film' award 'God on the Balcony' at
''
'
''
''8th Rajasthan International Film Festival, 2021'
''
* He received the Best Director award from
Assam Talks
Assam Talks is an Indian Assamese-language news channel based in Guwahati. It is owned by Rockland Media and Communication Pvt Ltd.
Programs
* ''Prime Daily''
* ''Record Kebol Record''
* ''Suparbhat''
* ''Supoti Returns''
* ''Rapid Fire Break ...
(a news channel of Assam) for his Assamese Film ''Bahniman'' in 2016.
* His Hindi film 'Aisa Yeh Jahaan' won the 'Best Feature Film 2017' at
''
'
''
''4th Arunachal Film Festival' by the Government of Arunachal Pradesh, Film Federation.''
*'Aisa Yeh Jahaan' won the ‘International Award of Excellence 2015’ at the esteemed ‘''INTERNATIONAL FILM AWARDS FOR ENVIRONMENT, HEALTH & CULTURE 2015’ Indonesia.''
*'Best Actor' award for the film 'Pehujali' at
Sailadhar Baruah Film Festival, Guwahati,'
''
Nominations
* 'Best Director' (God On The Balcony) at ''12th Indian Film Festival of Melbourne, 2021''
* 'Best Indie Film' (God On The Balcony) at ''12th Indian Film Festival of Melbourne, 2021''
* 'Best Actor' (God On The Balcony) at ''12th Indian Film Festival of Melbourne, 2021''
* 'German Star of India' (God On The Balcony) at ''18th Indian Film Festival, Stuttgart, 2021''
* 'Best Actor' (God On The Balcony) at ''19th New York Indian Film Festival , 2021''
* 'Best Child Actor' (God On The Balcony) at ''19th New York Indian Film Festival , 2021''
Festivals
* Indian Panorama 2021 of the 52nd International film Festival of India, (BOOMBA RIDE)
*26th International film Festival of India, Kerala 2022, (BOOMBA RIDE)
*27th Kolkata International film Festival, 2022, (BOOMBA RIDE)
*20th Dhaka International film Festival, 2022, (BOOMBA RIDE)
*24th Shanghai International film festival, 2021, (GOD ON THE BALCONY)
* 25th International Film Festival of Kerala, 2021, (GOD ON THE BALCONY)
* 19th Dhaka International film festival, 2021, (GOD ON THE BALCONY)
* 26th Kolkata International Film Festival, 2021, (GOD ON THE BALCONY)
* 21st Imagine India International film festival, Madrid, 2021(GOD ON THE BALCONY)
* 19th Dhaka International Film Festival (DIFF), 2021, (GOD ON THE BALCONY)
*20th Dhaka International Film Festival (DIFF), 2022, (GOD ON THE BALCONY)
* 17th Dhaka International Film Festival (DIFF), 2018 (Phehujali)
* 12th Indian Film Festival of Melbourne, 2022, (GOD ON THE BALCONY)
* 18th Indian Film Festival, Stuttgart, 2021, (GOD ON THE BALCONY)
* 19th New York Indian Film Festival, 2021, (GOD ON THE BALCONY)
* 22nd Rainbow Film Festival, London, 2021, (GOD ON THE BALCONY)
* 19th Pune International Film Festival, 202, (GOD ON THE BALCONY)
* Lasa international film Festival, Brazil 2021, (GOD ON THE BALCONY)
* 8th Rajasthan International Film Festival, 202, (GOD ON THE BALCONY)
*Asian Film Festival Barcelona, 2021, (GOD ON THE BALCONY)
*10th Annual DC South Asian Film Festival, USA, 2021, (GOD ON THE BALCONY)
*3rd Guwahati International Film Festival, 2018 (Phehujali)
*Jagran Film Festival, 2018 (Phehujali)
*Third Eye Asian Film Festival, 2017 (Phehujali)
*Third Eye Asian Film Festival, 2008 (A thousand fireflies sparkle)
*Fragrances from the Northeast, Film festival by ''Directorate of Film Festivals'', Delhi 2015 (''Aisa Yeh Jahaan'')
References
* https://scroll.in/reel/993207/in-assamese-film-god-on-the-balcony-a-snapshot-of-death-caused-by-governmental-apathy
* https://thenewsmill.com/god-on-the-balcony-film-review-joseph-korkmaz/
* https://www.eastmojo.com/entertainment/2021/06/24/biswajeet-boras-god-on-the-balcony-to-be-screened-at-stuttgart-film-festival/
* https://upperstall.com/film/god-on-the-balcony/
* https://scroll.in/reel/1006586/assamese-film-boomba-ride-captures-the-seriocomic-state-of-rural-education
* https://www.dailyexcelsior.com/educating-boomba/
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bora, Biswajeet
Living people
Hindi-language film directors
Assamese-language film directors
Film directors from Assam
21st-century Indian film directors
1979 births