Indian Film Festival Bhubaneswar concludes with screening of Joram
The seven-day- long Indian Film Festival Bhubaneswar (IFFB), organised by the Film Society of Bhubaneswar (FSB) here at Odissi Research Center came to an end On Sunday.
The last day of Indian Film. Festival showcased the Mani Kaul Retrospective with the screening of “Siddeshwari”, which explores the life of Siddheshwari Devi, a classical singer from Varanasi.
Next in line was the Nepali film “Bahadur” by Diwa Shah, which captures the woes of the working class during the nationwide lockdown imposed in India following the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. While all Nepalese migrant labourers are boarding vans to leave for their country, Hansi sees an opportunity to earn more money for his ailing son in the emerging labour crisis when his brother-in-law, Dil Bahadur, offers him illegal work in a godown.
The day continued with the repeat screening of the Malayalam film by Jeo Baby, “Kaathal”, centering around the captivating narrative of Mathew and Omana, a seemingly harmonious couple residing in the serene village of Teekoy in the Kottayam district of Kerala.
The closing film of the festival was “Joram” by Devashish Makhija, a story of a desperate man and his infant daughter fleeing a system that want them crushed at any cost, a cop giving unwilling chase, and a bereaved mother seeking ruthless vengeance, collide in a tense, breathless survival thriller across a brutal landscape of devastated forests, blind greed, rebellion, and the bloody aftershocks of ‘development’.
Subrat Beura, the Honorary President of the Film Society Bhubaneshwar, addressed the audience and extended gratitude on behalf of the society for being a part of the 13th IFFB. He also thanked Collective Craft, the memento partner, and Print Tech and Pradhan Graphics, the printing partners, for their immense and prompt support to our endeavours. Mr. Subrat finally thanked the volunteers from Film Society of Ravenshaw for their efforts and dedication for turning this festival into a success.
The festival concluded with an audience choice film. Opium by Aman Sachdeva, which got the highest vote and was screened as the ending film.
“In the language of cinema, silence speaks volumes, and every frame is a page turned in the book of visual storytelling.”