Odia feature film ‘Whispers Of A Storm’ to world premiere at 25th UK Asian Film Festival 2023
Odia feature film ‘Whispers of a Storm’ is all set for its world premiere at the 25th UK Asian Film Festival in London this May.
The film is set in the devastated coastal villages of Odisha after cyclone Fani. A photographer, in greed of success, captures the devastation. He is indifferent to the suffering of people, and is focused only on the benefits he can extract out of the calamity. A villager, who happened to return from the rescue camp after the cyclone, finds his home shattered. He picks up his memories from the ruins and tries to carry them along, in a hope of reaching a safer land. Another young character Daya, a devotee of God, tries to explain to people that it’s all God’s will and they must not cry. He encourages people to laugh and goes on to an extreme when an elderly man refuses to laugh. On the other hand, a lady who lost her son to the cyclone leaves her village and finds solace in nature. These characters, apparently independent of each other, find relevance and relation in the context of their losses.
The film is directed by Amartya Bhattacharyya and produced by Swastik Choudhury under the banner of Swastik Arthouse, in association with Dr U T Rao and Filmstop Entertainment. As in all his films, Amartya is the writer, cinematographer, and editor as well. The lead roles are played by Dipanwit Dashmohapatra, Swastik Choudhury, Priyanka Ghosh Roy and Radha Krushna. The music is scored by Kisaloy Roy and sound design by Sujoy Das.
Director Amartya Bhattacharyya said It’s wonderful being a part of the 25th year of such a prestigious festival like UKAFF. This film is extremely different from any of my other films. We shot the film in all real locations – No design, no alterations, no planted elements – yet it’s a fiction! It’s as close as fiction can get to a documentary. For me, it’s a very special film as I’ve never attempted a film with such a skewed time and space and with an intentionally fragmented narrative, which will seem aimless and plotless, yet there are some subtle strings attached. I would only urge film lovers to give this unique film a try.
Producer Swastik Choudhury said “The devastating cyclone, Fani, in 2019 left behind mortifying scenes and months of agony. What we saw on the streets and in the interiors of Odisha was painful. Among all the chaos, though, the people of Odisha like in the past always presented a glimmer of hope on their faces. The film is a sensitive portrayal of four human beings interconnected through the cyclone and hope, while at the same time capturing the harsh realities. Shooting in real locations was never easy, and I hope the film will remind us of the might of nature and the resilience of human beings.”