Bhubaneswar: The 12th edition of Film Festival of Bhubaneswar (IFFB) will be hosted at Odissi Research Centre Auditorium, Bhubaneswar from January 23 to 29, 2023. The much awaited film festival brings magnificent stories under one roof which will showcase art, lifestyle and culture of our country. The highly-anticipated Malayalam film Vazhakk (Quarrel), starring Tovino Thomas, is the Opening Film of the festival. Directed by renowned Malayalam filmmaker Sanal Kumar Sasidharan, the film follows a young lawyer on the brink of a divorce, whose encounter with another woman and child from a broken marriage alters his outlook on life. The screening will be followed by an interactive session with the director moderated by Ishwar Mohanty.
The Opening Ceremony was graced by Mr Gopee Krishna from Kerala Chalachitra Academy, which organizes the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) every year, and the Honorary President of Film Society, Shri Subrata Beura.
In his Opening Address, the Honorary President of Film Society, Shri Subrata Beura welcomed the guests and the audience to the film festival and thanked the assistance received from Kerala Chalachitra Academy over the years.
In his statement, he said, “Odisha has a population of 42 million (2011 census), yet we are the only functioning Film Society. We hope with the support of the State’s enabling film policy, film societies will be established across all districts in Odisha. Following the Union government’s decision to close the National Film Archives of India (NFAI) and the reorganisation of the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), there is no longer any support for film societies. For the preservation and appreciation of any form of national heritage and culture, including cinema, the archives are of primary importance. The Film Society of Bhubaneswar has managed to organise 12 editions of the fiction film festival and 3 editions of the documentary festival (IDFFB). With its experience of screening films and hosting festivals since 2004, it is well poised to help nurture the film society movement in the State.”
In this edition of IFFB 43 films will be screened including 12 films made by students of different institutions like SRFTI, FTII, Shristi College, NID, BPFTIO, etc. In the Student Films competition, more than 81 entries have been received from across the country, from which 12 films have been shortlisted. The winners will be announced at the closing ceremony.
Many films which are a part of this festival have won critical acclaim in major film festivals like MAMI, IFFK, Dharmasala, Busan, Talin, Rotterdam and San Sebastian. The focus of this festival is on young filmmakers from different parts of the country, from Kashmir to the North-East.
The major attractions of the festival will be the debut films from areas like Shimla, Darbhanga, Varanasi, and Kashmir. Films of these areas are Amar Colony, Pokhar ke Dunu Par, Jhini Bhini Chandariya and Ches ne Vet. All these films are critically acclaimed and have won accolades for their diverse range of treatment and presentation of stories which were rooted to their people.
Two films from Manipur by Haobam Paban Kumar and Romi Meitei will also be screened here. Film lovers of Bhubaneswar will get a chance to immerse themselves in the stories of migrant workers, the oppression in our kitchens, the mindlessness of strife and the problem of dissent today in the section on contemporary Malayalam cinema.
The festival is holding a retrospective on Satyajit Ray, arguably one of the greatest filmmakers in the history of world cinema, with a line-up that covers his work across the 1950s to 1991. Spread over seven days, the films screened will provide an overview of his work spanning four decades. Films like Pather Pancholi, Aparajito, Apur Sansar, Mahanagar, Charulata, Pratidwandi, Kapurush, Seemabadha and Agantuk of Satyajit Ray will be showcased at the festival.
There will be post-screening discussions in which filmmakers like Sanal Sasidharan, Kamal KM, Gurvinder Singh, Romi Meitei, Babu Eshwar Prasad, Sidharth Chauhan, Prabhash Chandra, Parth Saurabh and Ritesh Sharma have confirmed to participate. There are sessions planned to explore the artistic practice and working methods of the directors – an invaluable resource for students and members interested in the moving images.
This film festival is being organized in association with Kerala Chalachitra Academy and Collective Craft.
Nine Hills and One Valley of Haobam Paban Kumar, The Quarrel of Sanal Kumar Sasidharan, Debasish Makhija’s Cylce and Cheepatakadumpa and Debalina Majumdar’s If you Dare Desire, Amar Colony by Siddharth Chauhan, Declaration by Mahesh Narayanan, Pada by Kamal KM, Ches Ne Veth (I am not the river Jhelum) by Prakash Chandra, Manik Babur Megh by Abhinandan Banerjee, The Great Indian Kitchen of Jeo Baby, Gautam R’s Garhi, Gurvinder Singh’s Adh Chanani Raat, Nasir by Arun Kartick, Appan by Abdul Majeed KB, Romi Meiti’s Our Home and Ritesh Sharma’s Jhini Bhini Chadariya will be screened at the festival.
Other films to be showcased at the festival are Aditya Vikram Sengupta’s Once upon a time in Calcutta, Babu Eshwar Prasad’s Hariva Nadige Maiyella Kaalu and Ektara Collective’s Ek Jagah Apni.
For the first time, the IFFB has also added a competition for writing on Cinema, with the objective of inviting students to watch and engage with cinema and encourage them to express their thoughts on the same.
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