Quick Facts
Biography
Altaf Mazid Rija (c. 1957 – 13 April 2016), known professionally as Altaf Mazid, was an Indian documentary filmmaker and critic in the Assamese cinema. He also worked as a film producer and director in Jollywood. His last documentary was Sabin Alun (The Broken Song) that revolves around Karbi people. He was later appointed as a jury of film festivals, including 10th International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam and the 9th Dubai International Film Festival among others.
He was born around 1957 in Guwahati, India. He served as an executive engineer in Assam at the Department of Public Health Engineering. He had one daughter. His wife, Dr Zabeen Ahmed, is the former Librarian of Cotton University, Assam.
Career
Before his debut in filmmaking career, he initially worked as a film critic in Assamese cinema. He also served as a jury of various film festivals such as 1992 International Film Festival of India, 1997 Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival, 7th Bengaluru International Film Festival and 2015 International Film Festival of Kerala. Later, he was appointed as a jury-member by the International Federation of Film Critics in 2014 at Moscow International Film Festival. Prior to this, he served jury of Cannes Film Festival. In 1999, he was appointed by the International Film Festival of India as a member of the selection committee.
He screened digital version of Joymoti, the first Assamese film and presented it at film festivals, including Seventh Asiatica Film Mediale at Rome Film Festival.
Filmography
| # | Title | Year | Type/Credited as | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Byoktigata Aru Goponio | 1992 | — | |
| 2 | Jibon | 1998 | — | |
| 3 | Lakhtokiat Golam | 2001 | — | |
| 4 | Our Common Future | 2002 | — | |
| 5 | The Joy of Giving | 2004 | — | |
| 6 | Las Vegasat | 2004 | — | |
| 7 | Bhal Khabar | 2005 | — | |
| 8 | Crazy on the Rocks | 2007 | — | |
| 9 | Kunir Kutil Dosha | 2008 | — | |
| 10 | Boliya Pitair Sohoki Sotal | 2008 | — | |
| 11 | Chitra Sutram | 2010 | — | |
| 12 | Rahashyar Bitchaku | — | — | |
| 13 | Kunir Kutil Dosha | — | Director | |
| 14 | Boliya Pitaier Sohoki Sootal | 2009 | Director | |
| 15 | Sabin Alun (The Broken Song) | 2016 | Director |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Nominated work | Award | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Jibon (1998) | Pyongyang International Film Festival | Best Director | Won | |
| 2008 | Bollywood Melodies | National Film Awards | Best Film Critic | ||
| 2008 | Boliya Pitaier Sohoki Sootal | National Film Awards | Best Anthropological/Ethnographic Film |
Death
Altaf Mazid died of myocardial infarction on 13 April 2016 in Bengaluru, India.
