This year, Indian Film festival of Bhubaneswar is dedicated to the memory of noted Odia filmmaker Manmohan Mohapatra
BHUBANESWAR: The 11th edition of Indian Film festival of Bhubaneswar (IFFB) from January 23 to 26 will showcase the diversity of contemporary Indian cinema by screening films that are recipients of critical acclaim at both national and international festivals for their artistic merit and socio-cultural relevance.
City folks can watch meaningful and thought provoking flicks on significant contemporary concerns such as social reality, questions of caste and gender inequality, ecology and environment and political and economic change.
Subrat Beura, secretary, Film Society of Bhubaneswar, said, “This year, the festival is dedicated to the memory of noted Odia filmmaker Manmohan Mohapatra, his latest film ‘Bhija Matira Swarga’ will be screened on the opening day of the festival. Produced by Akshay Parija, the film bagged awards in six categories at the 30th State Film Awards including best film, best director for Manmohan Mohapatra, best actor for Mihir Das, best photographer for Dillip Ray, best screenplay for Ashutosh Mohapatra and best dialogue writer award for Nandalal Mohapatra.”
The ‘Father of New Wave Odia Cinema’ Manmohan Mohapatra passed away at the age of 69 January 13, this year. He won eight consecutive national film awards for his films Nishita Swapna, Majhi Pahacha, Tired Afternoon, Neeraba Jhada, Seeta Raati, and Bhinna Samaya among others.
The festival will also pays homage to the works of auteur late Mrinal Sen. Master filmmaker Goutam Ghosh’s latest film ‘Raahgir’ will be screened during the concluding day of the fest.
This festival will be organised by Film Society of Bhubaneswar in support of Kerala Chalachitra Academy, National Film Archives of India, Movie Saints and India Foundation for the Arts.
Award-winning filmmakers Ronny Sen (Catstix), Wanphrang Diengdoh (Lorni), Fahim Irshad (Aani Maani) and Aban Raza (Mcream) will attend the festival and participate in workshops and conversations with the audience.
Films in various languages, which were screened at various festivals like Sundance, Busan, Gotteborg, IFFK and MAMI, will also be screened at the festival.
Directed by Abhishek Shah, Gujarati film ‘Hellaro’ is based on the story of a young girl who is married off to a man from a small village in the middle of nowhere in the Rann of Kutch. There, she joins a group of women shackled by patriarchal mandates. Their only escape from the suppression is when they go out to fetch water every morning to a distant water body.
Directed by Ronny Sen, Bengali film ‘Cat Sticks’ is a story of one rainy night in Calcutta where a group of desperate addicts chase brown sugar, but the permanent intoxication they seek proves elusive. Cat Sticks weaves their stories into a chiaroscuro, traverses with them through states high and low, spaces real and unreal.
Assamese movie Aamis, directed by Bhaskar Hazarika, is based on the story of Nirmali, a married pediatrician in her late 30s, leads a peaceful but joyless domestic existence in Guwahati, Assam. Her husband, a senior doctor, spends most of his time doing relief work in surrounding areas, leaving her alone at home to take care of their son.
A national student film competition will evaluate over 50 films made by students from across the country. Best among them will feature at the film fest.