Assamese film 'Moi Eti Nixhasor' wins best dark comedy, editing awards at WorldFest-Houston

Guwahati: 'Moi Eti Nixhasor', an Assamese film on the life of a thief in the backdrop of the state's social and political landscape, has won the 'best dark comedy' and the 'best editor' awards at the WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival 2026, its filmmaker said on Sunday.

Directed by National Award-winning filmmaker Bidyut Kotoky, the movie revolves around Koduwa -- a cunning village thief who navigates social unrest and prejudice with wit and heart.

"Moi Eti Nixhasor (Koduwa the nightbird) is a dark Assamese comedy about a man, who is trying to make a living as the village thief. And going by the response we received, it appears that Koduwa has successfully stolen the heart of the audiences at Houston WorldFest too," Kotoky told PTI from the US.

The WorldFest-Houston had awarded and recognised amazing creatives such as Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Ang Lee, Ridley Scott and Oliver Stone, among others, in their earlier editions, he added.

The full-length Assamese feature film was written and directed by Kotoky, while the editing was done by his wife Pallavi.

Kotoky received the 'Platinum Remi Award' for best dark comedy, while Pallavi bagged 'Gold Remi Award' for her editing of the film.

"Getting selected in such a historic festival itself is a big honour, and getting awarded there is just overwhelming for us. This festival is considered as one of the oldest independent film festivals in the world, founded in 1961 as a film society and evolving into a competitive international festival in 1968," the director said.

'Moi Eti Nixhasor' was chosen at 59th Annual WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival 2026 as an 'official selection'. It was also nominated to receive one of the prestigious WorldFest Remi awards at the US-based festival, held from April 24 to May 3.

Kotoky said that the recognition at the WorldFest 2026 reinforces the belief that human emotions speak the same language, without showing any respect towards the man-made boundaries.

"Although based in a remote village of Assam and in the not-so-distant past, this story reminds us time and again of the social and political challenges we all face in nearly every country in the time we are living in today," he added.

'Moi Eti Nixhasor' is a poignant exploration of resilience and moral ambiguity. It follows the story of Koduwa, a cunning village thief, who navigates social unrest and prejudice with wit and heart.

"By the time our story ends, the audience is confronted with a poignant question -- who is actually the real thief?" Kotoky said.

'Moi Eti Nixhasor' recently won the 'Award of Excellence Special Mention' at the Accolade Global Film Competition in the USA. It was earlier selected at Covellite International Film Festival 2026 of the USA as well.

The lead cast is played by noted theatre actor Gunomoni Baruah, while several senior and junior artistes of Assamese film industry have enacted other important characters.

Based on a true story written by senior journalist Anuradha Sharma Pujari, the film has been produced by the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) and production house 'red river & blue hills'.