Assamese Film Hiraeth Selected for NETPAC Section at Barcelona Film Festival 2026

Filmmaker Chow Partha Borgohain’s critically acclaimed Assamese feature film, Hiraeth, has been officially selected for the prestigious NETPAC Section of the Asian Film Festival Barcelona (AFFBCN) 2026.

       The NETPAC Section highlights exceptional Asian cinema, promoting structural and artistic cinematic excellence from the region to international critics, distributors, and festival audiences worldwide. In a major boost to its international reach, Hiraeth received a special television broadcast on Betevé, a prominent local TV channel in Barcelona, on October 21, 2026. This television screening allowed the film to break out of traditional festival cinema halls and connect with a much wider, diverse local Spanish audience.

       The Asian Film Festival Barcelona (AFFBCN) organised by Casa Asia holds its 14th edition from October 22 to November 1, 2026, in Barcelona, Spain.

      Directed by Chow Partha Borgohain, Hiraeth follows Pori and her husband Kom, a village couple from Dibrugarh whose lives are upended by a devastating flood. Forced to migrate from rural Assam, they move to the city with the hope of building a better life. However, the urban environment greets them with the hostility that commonly stems from deep socio-economic inequalities, labour exploitation, and corruption. Their journey reveals the cruelest side of modern society, where a lack of empathy can turn even friends into their worst nightmares. Through its central characters and their struggle for survival, this deeply human story lays bare the bittersweet weight of aspiration, displacement and injustice. The film’s title itself evokes a painful nostalgia for a lost home — a place to which they can never return. Yet, amid the heartbreak, it pays a tender tribute to the quiet dignity and fierce resilience of marginalised people whose tragedies so often remain invisible.

         The selection of Hiraeth for the NETPAC Section of the Asian Film Festival Barcelona 2026 offers an exceptional opportunity to showcase the film alongside premier Asian cinema. As a vital international platform, the festival connects filmmakers from across Asia with new global audiences well beyond their home countries.

        “Hiraeth follows ordinary people who leave behind their familiar world in search of a better future, only to find themselves confronting harsh urban realities. Through Pori and Kom, I wanted to capture the quiet struggles, quiet resilience, and deep aspirations of voices that are too often left unheard. I am absolutely delighted that it has been selected for the NETPAC section at the Asian Film Festival Barcelona, and having a broadcast screening on Betevé makes this milestone even more special as it will allow our story to reach a wider audience beyond the festival,” shared director Chow Partha Borgohain.

      The selection is a significant moment for Assamese cinema, bringing a story from the region to an international platform and showcasing the work of an Assamese filmmaker to audiences in Barcelona.

      The festival organisers expressed their delight in including Hiraeth in the Asian Film Festival Barcelona 2026, highlighting how its television broadcast on Betevé will help reach a broader local audience. The film’s selection marks another milestone in its international journey, offering an opportunity for Chow Partha Borgohain’s cinema and an Assamese story to connect with audiences in Barcelona through both the festival and its television platform.

      Hiraeth features a talented ensemble cast starring Meghali Kalita, Ashim Kumar Sharma and Atanu Mahanta in key roles. The supporting cast includes Dipankar Sharma, Archana Bezbaruah, Vishwa Kinkar Baruah, Hemanta Rajkonwar, Smritirekha Chetia Handique, Pradipta Pran Bhattacharya, Rimjhim Deka, Rumi Sharma Pathak and Bhoirab Phukan.

      The film is written and directed by Chow Partha Borgohain, who also served as the director of photography.

        It is produced by Sengpem Borgohain, with Subhitya Borgohain and Krishnangee Baruah serving as executive producers.

       The film’s creative team includes Jayanta Gogoi as the production designer, Kavin Adithya as the editor, and AT Ram as the music composer. The visual effects were executed by Pixel Light Studio, Rza Boitlung, and Dhrubajit Kalita, while Delepan Rajan and Dhiru handled the color grading. The sound department features Nabapan Deka as the sound designer, Rhitwik Raj Pathak as the re-recording mixer, and Bishal Nath as the location sound recordist. The film’s costumes and makeup were managed by Paran Sharma and Mandita Goswami, with Victor Das serving as the first assistant director.