# Biswajeet Bora

Biswajeet Bora (born 8 August 1979) is an Indian film director, producer, writer and editor based in Mumbai. His directorial debut was in 2015 with Aisa Yeh Jahaan, India's first movie to be carbon neutral during production. His film God on the Balcony (2020) won nine awards, including the Royal Bengal Tiger Trophy for Best Director at the 26th Kolkata International Film Festival and the German Star at the Indian Film Festival Stuttgart. Boomba Ride (2021) was one of six Indian films shown at Marché du Film during the Cannes Film Festival 2022. His film Boomba Ride (2021) won the 69th National Film Awards for Best Mishing language film. He also works as a script consultant for a government institution.

## Early life and education

Bora was born in the village of No. 1 Senchowa, Golaghat, Assam, India, to Purna Chandra Bora and Monju Bora. He began acting in amateur plays when he was 16 and later enrolled in Evergreen Drama and Film Institute in Golaghat. He also began practicing martial arts and received a black belt in 1999. Bora later shifted his creative focus to writing about films in Assamese newspapers, as well as directing plays. He received his degree in Assamese literature from Golaghat Commerce College in 2001, then moved to Mumbai to pursue film editing.

## Career

In Mumbai, Bora worked as a film editor before assisting Jahnu Barua as Associate Director on several projects, including Ejak Jonakir Jhilmil (2007), for seven years. Bora's 2009 documentary Angel of the Aboriginals: Dr Verrier Elwin, was shown at the Bollywood Beyond Film Festival in Germany and the International Union of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences conference in Turkey. In 2015, he wrote and directed Aisa Yeh Jahaan, the first Indian film to be carbon-neutral during its filming process. He subsequently directed Bahniman (2016), Phehujali: The Dawn (2017), and Raktabeez (2018). God on the Balcony, which Bora filmed during the COVID-19 pandemic, premiered at the 26th Kolkata International Film Festival in 2021.
Bora's films have appeared at a number of film festivals, including those in Kolkata, Pune, Dhaka, Shanghai, Stuttgart, New York, Kerala, Barcelona, Melbourne, San Francisco, Bengaluru, Washington DC, Rajasthan, Guwahati, and Delhi. Others include the Indian Panorama at the International Film Festival of India, Imagine India International Film Festival, Third Eye Asian Film Festival, Rainbow Film Festival, LASA International Film Festival, and Jagran Film Festival.

## Personal life

Bora lives in Mumbai with his wife, writer and fashion designer Lopamudra Gogoi Bora, and their son, Troy.

## Filmography

| Year | Original title | Title in English | Language | Director | Producer | Writer | Actor |
| 2008 | Ejak Jonakir Jhilmil | A Thousand Fireflies Sparkle | Assamese | Yes | Co-producer | Yes | |
| 2010 | Angel of the Aboriginals: Dr Verrier Elwin | | English | Yes | | | |
| 2015 | Aisa Yeh Jahaan | The World It Is | Hindi | Yes | | Yes | |
| 2016 | Bahniman | Bahniman | Assamese | Yes | | Yes | Yes |
| 2017 | Phehujali: The Dawn | | Assamese | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2018 | Raktabeez | Raktabeez | Assamese | Yes | | Yes | |
| 2019 | Dhuyein se Dhuyein Tak | Smoke | Hindi | Yes | | Yes | |
| 2020 | Balconit Bhogawan | God on the Balcony | Assamese | Yes | | Yes | |
| 2021 | Lakhimi | Lakhimi | Assamese | Yes | Co-producer | Yes | |
| 2021 | Boomba Ride | Boomba Ride | Mising/Assamese | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2023 | Birangana Sadhani | Birangana Sadhani | Hindi/Assamese | Yes | | Yes | |

## Awards

| Work | Year | Award | Event | Result |
| Aisa Yeh Jahaan | 2015 | International Award of Excellence | International Film Festival Environment, Health, and Culture | Won |
| Aisa Yeh Jahaan | 2015 | Best Feature Film | Los Angeles Independent Film Festival | Nominated |
| Aisa Yeh Jahaan | 2015 | Silver Award | International Independent Film Awards | Won |
| Aisa Yeh Jahaan | 2015 | Official Finalist & Recognition Award | Mexico International Film Festival | Won |
| Aisa Yeh Jahaan | 2017 | Best Feature Film | 4th Arunachal Film Festival | Won |
| Bahniman | 2016 | Assam Talks Best Director | | Won |
| God on the Balcony | 2021 | Golden Royal Bengal Tiger Trophy for Best Director | 26th Kolkata International Film Festival | Won |
| God on the Balcony | 2021 | Equality in Cinema Award | Indian Film Festival of Melbourne | Won |
| God on the Balcony | 2021 | Best Director | Indian Film Festival of Melbourne | Nominated |
| God on the Balcony | 2021 | Best Indie Film | Indian Film Festival of Melbourne | Nominated |
| God on the Balcony | 2021 | School Film of the Year | 8th Indian Film Festival Stuttgart | Won |
| God on the Balcony | 2021 | German Star of India | 8th Indian Film Festival Stuttgart | Won |
| God on the Balcony | 2021 | Best Director (Indian Language Films) | Kolkata International Film Festival | Won |
| God on the Balcony | 2021 | Honorable Mention | LASA International Film Festival | Won |
| God on the Balcony | 2021 | Special Mention | Rainbow Film Festival | Won |
| God on the Balcony | 2021 | Best Feature Film | 8th Rajasthan International Film Festival | Won |
| God on the Balcony | 2022 | Best Film in Asian Cinema Competition | 13th Bengaluru International Film Festival | Won |
| Raktabeez | 2018 | Best Popular Film Award | 8th Assam State Film Awards 2023 | |
| Boomba Ride | 2021 | Best Mishing Language Film | 69th National Film Awards | Won |