Shillong (Meghalaya), Jan 14: The 8th Sailadhar Baruah Film Awards (North East) 2025 concluded with a bang, celebrating excellence in regional cinema from across North Eastern states. The Best Film Award went to APOT (Khasi), produced and directed by Raphael Warjri, which also bagged Best Music Director for Augustine Kurbah. The film is based on the Khasi folktale of Tiewlarun, a forbidden flower believed to bring misfortune, and explores themes of love, loss, and fate.
Other notable winners included Prakash Deka for Best Director for Nora (Assamese) and Sanjib Sabhapandit for Best Screenwriter for Aakash Heno Nodir Naam (Assamese). Raju Roy won Best Actor (Male) for Noi Kotha (Assamese), while Rodali Bora received Best Actor (Female) for Burkha (Assamese).
The festival, held on Jan 15-16 , showcased 26 films from the region, with Meghalaya having a strong presence with three entries – APOT, Lanot, and Tyngkai. National Award-winning actress Suhasini Mulay highlighted the region’s creative potential and the challenges faced by filmmakers from North East India.
