BHUBANESWAR: The third edition of the Bhubaneswar Film Festival (BFF) got underway in the state capital on Thursday in the presence of some of the finest names in Indian cinema.
Odia Language, Literature and Culture minister Suryabanshi Suraj inaugurated the four-day festival and assured government support for its future editions. “The government will extend all support to the festival and work towards making it popular across the country,” he said.
Speaking on the occasion, noted filmmaker Tigmanshu Dhulia stressed the importance of film festivals in nurturing young audiences. “It is important to expose the younger generation to cinematic classics,” he said.
Eminent actor Neeraj Kabi echoed the sentiment, describing cinema as a repository of cultural history. Celebrated cinematographer Anil Mehta recalled how his teachers, including late filmmaker Nirad Mohapatra, introduced him to regional cinema during his days at the FTII. The inaugural day’s screenings at Jayadev Bhawan featured acclaimed Odia films ‘Laxmi’, ‘Lahari’ and ‘Maguni Ra Sagada’, along with the Urdu film ‘White Snow’ and Hindi classic ‘Do Bigha Zameen’.
Acclaimed filmmaker Sabyasachi Mohapatra was among the dignitaries present at the inaugural ceremony. Eminent filmmakers Sabyasachi Mohapatra, Amit Rai, author Sanjoy Patnaik and film journalist Ashok Palit were present.
On Friday, the festival will host Tigmanshu Dhulia for the screening of ‘A Story That Refused to Die’, a documentary by Ranjeeta Kaur chronicling the making of Dhulia’s critically-acclaimed film ‘Paan Singh Tomar’.
The remaining two days of the festival will feature a series of masterclasses. Anil Mehta will conduct a session on cinematography, while Neeraj Kabi will lead one on acting.