Bidyut Kotoky's award winning film is inspired by a real-life man named Koduwa, a village thief from Assam during the 1960s and 1970s. (Express Photo)Written by Ananya ShettyFor Bidyut Kotoky, filmmaking was never a second option.“From my school years, filmmaking was the only thing I wanted to do in life,” says Kotoky, whose latest Assamese feature film Moi Eti Nixhasor (Koduwa the Nightbird) recently won an award at the 59th WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival.Moi Eti Nixhasor won the Platinum Remi Award for Best Dark Comedy at the 59th WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival 2026. The film’s editor and his wife, Pallavi Kotoky, also received the Gold Remi Award for Best Editing.The awards were announced during the festival held from April 24 to May 3 in Houston, one of the world’s oldest independent film festivals.The film is inspired by a real-life man named Koduwa, a village thief from Assam during the 1960s and 1970s.“Koduwa is a man trying to survive in a village by being a thief. Whenever he tries to stop stealing, people around him force him back into it. By the end of the film, I want audiences to question who the real thief is, Koduwa or the society around him,” Kotoky says.Questions and a jokeWhile growing up in Assam, he says learning about Maharashtra and Shivaji was part of the school curriculum. But when he came to Pune for higher studies, he realised many people knew almost nothing about the Northeast.Story continues below this ad“People asked me if there were schools and colleges in Assam, and what kind of houses we lived in. There was basically zero knowledge about Assam,” he says.A friend’s comments stayed with him for years. “He joked that we get off the train in Kolkata, climb trees swinging and yelling ‘Yahoo’ before reaching Assam. That subconsciously stayed with me.”Decades later, those comments eventually shaped the stories he chose to tell. “Choosing Assam and Northeast stories was a very conscious decision. There are too many stories from my land that deserve to be told authentically.”Kotoky, who began his media career with Doordarshan’s Surbhi in the late 1990s before moving into filmmaking, focused on Northeastern narratives and believes regional stories connect globally because emotions remain universal.Story continues below this ad“The more local you go, the more global it becomes,” he says.While Assamese and independent cinema are increasingly receiving global recognition, Kotoky says regional filmmakers still struggle with distribution and OTT platforms. “If we can watch Brazilian or Russian films with subtitles, why not Assamese or Manipuri films?” he asks.Two-decade-long collaborationThe film’s recognition in Houston also carries a quieter personal layer. The editing award went to his wife and long-time collaborator, Pallavi Kotoky.In a field where editing is often invisible to audiences, Kotoky credits it as central to storytelling. “The editor’s job is to tell the story the way it should be told. As a director, I may want to keep a scene because of the effort behind it, but the editor sees what is important for the film.”Story continues below this adFor the couple, married for 21 years, their partnership, however, is not without creative friction. “We are both very individualistic in our work and fight over creative differences. That’s part and parcel of filmmaking,” he says.Recalling their earlier film Guns and Guitars, Kotoky says filmmaking and family life often overlapped. “We were editing till 1.30 in the night, and at 7.30 the next morning she woke me up because she was in labour,” he says. “Four days after our daughter was born, we were back in the studio.”Kotoky is currently working on multiple projects, including a football-themed film and a documentary on Shillong musician Lou Majaw and his tribute concerts dedicated to Bob Dylan.For young independent filmmakers, his advice is simple. “If you choose this path, don’t give up easily. Independent filmmaking may take months or even decades.”(Ananya Shetty is an intern with The Indian Express.)