Sujit Debbarma, a filmmaker from Tripura, India, has won the National Film Award for Best Anthropological Film for his documentary, “Fire on Edge.”
The award was presented to Debbarma and Pranab Jyoti Deka, the story’s writer by President Droupadi Murmu during a recent ceremony in New Delhi.
Expressing his joy upon learning of his national recognition, Debbarma remarked, “Obviously, I felt very happy. When I got the news, I was on another shoot for a different production. The director promptly wrapped up the shooting upon hearing the news, and that day, we celebrated. This was my inaugural national award. Previously, I made many short films and documentaries that earned accolades in various categories, but this marked my first triumph at the National Award ceremony.”
Debbarma’s film is about the Tiwa people, a small indigenous community living in the Karbi Anglong district of Assam. The film explores their unique culture and traditions, as well as the challenges they face in the modern world.
Debbarma spent five years making the film, from pre-production to post-production. He worked closely with the Tiwa community to ensure that the film was authentic and respectful.
The film has been screened at several film festivals around the world, and has been praised for its sensitive and nuanced portrayal of the Tiwa people.
Debbarma is a versatile filmmaker who has worked on a variety of projects, including documentaries, short films, and feature films. He has also worked as a cinematographer on several award-winning films.
Some of his other notable works include:
“Water Burial” (Best Film on Environment Conservation/Preservation at the 67th National Film Award)
“The Consequence” (Best Cinematography at the Virgin Spring Cinefest and the Kashi Indian International Film Festival)
“Man and the Wild” (selected for the 17th Mumbai International Film Festival)
“NO” (the home) (Best Film Award at the Chalachitram National Film Festival)
“We Can Say” (Excellence Certificate Award from the National Film Development Corporation)
“The Land of Mayong” (Special Jury Award at “Awesome Assam” (Assam Tourism))
“Life Without Gravity” (finalist status at “Lisbonfilm Rendezvous” in Portugal)
“The Window” (selected for the “SmartPhilm Festival” in Washington, D.C., United States)
Reflecting on his cinematic influences, Debbarma cited enduring impressions from films like “Pather Panchali” by Satyajit Roy, “Shadows of Time” by Florian Gallenberger, and “Mr. and Mrs. Iyer” and “My Japanese Wife” by Aparna Sen.