BHUBANESWAR: The celebration of cinema will return to the capital as the third edition of the Bhubaneswar Film Festival (BFF) kicks off from Thursday with a rich line-up of multilingual films, masterclasses and interactive sessions.
The 2026 edition, spanning four days, will see screening of films in 10 languages including Odia, along with a special retrospective on legendary filmmaker Bimal Roy. His acclaimed classics ‘Do Bigha Zamin’, ‘Bandini’ and ‘Sujata’ will be screened during the festival.
Odia masterpieces such as ‘Laxmi’, ‘Lahari’, ‘Magunira Sagada’, ‘Baida’, ‘Amada Bata’, ‘Aa Akare Aa’ and ‘Lal Odhani’ will also be screened during the festival.
On Friday, the festival will host ace writer-director Tigmanshu Dhulia for the screening of ‘A Story That Refused to Die,’ a documentary by Ranjeeta Kaur on the making of the critically-acclaimed ‘Paan Singh Tomar’ in which late actor Irrfan played the steeplechase champion who turned into a dacoit in the Chambal Valley.
A major attraction this year will be a series of masterclasses by renowned film personalities. Celebrated cinematographer and director Anil Mehta will conduct a session on cinematography, while acclaimed actor Neeraj Kabi will lead a masterclass on acting. Screenwriter Saiwyn Quadras will speak on screenplay writing, costume designers Divvya and Nidhhi Gambhir, and production designer Sukant Panigrahy will also hold masterclasses in their respective fields.
Beyond film screenings, BFF continues to adopt a film bazaar approach by creating opportunities for interaction, learning and collaboration among filmmakers, technicians, writers, actors and students.
As part of its academic engagement, BFF will unveil its annual scholarly publication during the inaugural ceremony. The volume features contributions from film scholars, practitioners and academicians from across the country.
A new initiative titled ‘Talking Cinema’ has been introduced this year, bringing together film scholars, experts, filmmakers and columnists for discussions with the public.
The festival will also organise an interactive session on ‘Fabrics, Identity and Cinema’, exploring the relationship between textiles, identity and cinematic representation in India.
