BHUBANESWAR: Odia film “Khyanikaa – The Lost Idea” crossed another milestone with its selection for screening at the Festival Internacional de Cine con Medios Alternativos (FICMA) in Mexico from November 21 to 24, 2018.
FICMA is a unique film festival featuring films, which are created with unconventional and alternate media. The shooting of the movie Khyanikaa was done with the help of a Canon 6D (DSLR camera). It is the only Asian movie to be screened at the festival. Out of the other four films, two are from Mexico, one from Romania and one from USA.
Director Amartya Bhattacharya said, “This is a special festival as it celebrates films which are made with alternate media/gadgets. While the world expects such films to come from America and Europe as these regions are considered to be technologically superior, movies from smaller industries can make their mark too. It is to be noted that in terms of content or form, technology or experimentation, we do not lag behind majour movie industries. I only hope that more and more independent films from India, especially from states like Odisha, find their place in the international space where there’s a clear domination of certain countries and ideologies.
The film has made its mark at 16 prestigious international film festivals across 8 countries. It was the only Odia film at the prestigious Indian Panorama section at 48th International Film Festival of India held at Goa last year. The film was highly praised at festivals in Canada, UK and Russia among other countries. The film won laurels at the 5th Noida International Film Festival earlier this year. The film also earned a lot of appreciations on its release in Bhubaneswar, though its release was limited to INOX.
Khyanikaa is a fantasy driven tale of two men, a poet and a painter, claiming possession over one idea, in a rural village, which is portrayed as a wonderland. Idea is personified as a beautiful young lady who is free of all bondage. The two men try to justify their claims over the idea through their forms of art.
Contextually, the film is extremely relevant in the present day where people are obsessed about copyrights. Each person wishes to be the sole owner of his/her idea. The movie espouses the thought that ideas should flow as a free stream of consciousness.
In another significant development, Amartya Bhattacharya’s latest feature film Runanubandha is set for its premiere at 24th Kolkata International Film Festival 2018 which starts from November 10. Runanubandha is one of the three Indian films which feature at the festival.
