Guwahati: The organisers of the Guwahati Asian Film Festival (GAFF) on Monday announced the official list of films for the second edition of the festival at a press conference in Guwahati. After the success of its first edition, GAFF will return from January 22 to January 25, 2026, at Jyoti Chitraban, Guwahati.
The festival is being organised by Trending Now Media with support from the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India.
The opening film of GAFF 2026 will be the Uzbekistan film Sunday, directed by Shokir Kholikov. The closing film will be the Iranian movie In the Land of Brothers, directed by Alireza Ghasemi and Raha Amirfazli.
Renowned Indian filmmaker Girish Kasaravalli will attend the festival as the Chief Guest. Popular Bollywood and Marathi actress Sonali Kulkarni will be the Special Invited Guest at the closing ceremony.
GAFF aims to celebrate and promote Asian cinema. The festival brings together filmmakers, critics, scholars, and film lovers, creating a platform for cultural exchange through cinema.
The first edition of GAFF was held in February 2025 and received an encouraging response from audiences and filmmakers from different Asian countries. The festival featured selected films along with panel discussions and interactive sessions.
Speaking at the event, Monita Borgohain, Honorary Festival Director of GAFF, said that the love and support received during the first edition inspired the team to plan a bigger festival this year. She said that GAFF 2026 has received over 200 film entries, including 90 submissions from outside India.
This year, the festival will screen films from 10 Asian countries, including Vietnam, Mongolia, Uzbekistan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Japan, Myanmar, Iran, Kazakhstan, and China. Along with international films, several Indian films will also be screened in languages such as Marathi, Bajjika, Malayalam, Hindi, Tulu, Nepali, Assamese, Karbi, Bodo, Mishing, Manipuri, and Bengali.
A total of 26 films will be screened during the four-day festival, including eight films in the competition section. GAFF 2026 will also host masterclasses, panel discussions, and interactive sessions with filmmakers and film experts from India and other Asian countries.
