Bhubaneswar: The 13th Indian Film Festival of Bhubaneswar, currently underway at the Odissi Research Centre and organized by Film Society Bhubaneswar, has emerged as a cinematic extravaganza offering cinephiles a rare opportunity to witness some of the finest movies from diverse genres and regions across the country.
Commencing on January 22, the seven-day festival has become a hub for movie enthusiasts to explore a rich selection of regional cinema. The lineup includes films in Odia, Assamese, Tamil, Malayalam, Gujarati, Bangla, Kannada, Hinglish, Marathi Hindi, Manipuri, Nepali, Pahadi, and more. A total of 35 captivating films have been curated for screening during the festival.
Subrata Beura, the founder of the festival, expressed the festival’s focus on contemporary Indian cinema. He stated, “This is the 13th edition of the film festival, and our emphasis remains on showcasing contemporary Indian cinema.”
Highlighting the uniqueness of the films featured, Beura explained, “From regions that are often overlooked, such as the northeast, south, including Malayalam and Tamil cinema, and from the western part of India like Gujarati cinema, films are often unique. These films, despite their artistic merit, often struggle to secure commercial releases and are overlooked by major streaming platforms. The Film Society aims to bridge this gap by bringing such films to Bhubaneswar, enriching the cultural experience for our audience.”
Acknowledging the challenges faced by a small films, Beura emphasized their commitment to screening films from internationally acclaimed festivals. “Our effort has always been to select films making waves in well-known international film festivals, despite the challenges of a limited budget. We aspire to cultivate visual literacy around cinema and provide our audience with unique cinematic experiences,” he added.
“I came to watch Mani Kaul’s films, which are rare to be seen. I am glad that I got an opportunity to watch some of his marvelous works screened at the Indian Film Festival of Bhubaneswar,” shared one of the audience members, Sudhir.
The festival will conclude on Sunday, 28 January.