BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said on Wednesday that the state government will sign an agreement with the Film Heritage Foundation (FHF) for restoration and preservation of Odia films.
The chief minister along with veteran actor Waheeda Rehman inaugurated the 10th edition of Film Preservation & Restoration Workshop India by the Film Heritage Foundation (FHF) at Kalabhoomi here on Wednesday.
The week-long workshop is being organised by FHF in association with the International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF). Majhi thanked the foundation for restoring Odia films ‘Kankalata’ and ‘Maya Miriga’.
Speaking at the event virtually, FHF ambassador and actor Amitabh Bachchan said Odisha is not just known for its rich heritage and culture, but also for its vibrant film industry that has almost century-old film legacy. A legacy that includes many treasures of Indian cinema.
“Unfortunately, Odisha has not had a film preservation policy as a result of which, the films of luminaries of the Odia film industry like Nirad Mohapatra, Manmohan Mohapatra, Ghanshyam Mohapatra, Nitai Palit, Jharna Das, Prasanna Nanda and many more are just languishing and are in danger of being lost for ever if urgent steps are not taken,” Bachchan said.
He called for saving the rich film heritage of the state and thanked the state government for facilitating the workshop that aims at creating a strong army of film archivists.
Founder of FHF Shivendra Singh Dungarpur said throughout the workshop, participants will be taught a complete range of the issues and topics required to work in the field of audio-visual preservation by an international faculty of experts in the field. On the occasion, the FHF felicitated Ghanashyam Mohapatra, the first technically qualified film producer, director and documentary filmmaker from Odisha, who has been working in the industry since 1960.
Robin Baker, an ardent cinephile, passionate film programmer and evangelist, was awarded the Outstanding Achievement Award for his contribution towards developing and delivering major archive film projects in cinemas over the last three decades.
The FHF Champion Of Film Heritage Award were conferred upon Sanjoy Patnaik and Surya Deo. Pattachitra artist Rashmiranjan Mahapatra, who has creating Pata paintings based on Odia cinema for the workshop, was given a certificate of appreciation.