OFTDA to Celebrate 2nd Annual Festival in Cuttack on May 1
Bhubaneswar/Cuttack: The Odia Film and Television Directors Association (OFTDA) is set to celebrate its 2nd Annual Festival on May 1 (Friday) at the Nirad Mohapatra Auditorium of Biju Pattnaik Film and Television Institute in Cuttack.
The event will be held from 10 AM to 2 PM and is expected to bring together prominent personalities from the Odia film and television industry.
Though only a young organisation of around three years, OFTDA has emerged as a strong platform working collectively for the welfare of cinema and strengthening bonds within the entertainment fraternity.
During its first annual celebration last year, several veteran artistes were honoured, including Mahasweta Ray and Debdas Chhotray. The association had also extended financial support of ₹50,000 each along with a monthly pension of ₹5,000 to noted directors Jyoti Prakash Nayak and Ramesh Mohanty.
This year too, OFTDA will honour distinguished contributors from cinema and television. The awardees include director Ghanshyam Mohapatra, actor Ananta Mohapatra, producer Shashank Mishra, writer Ramesh Panigrahi, actresses Tripura Mishra and Tandra Ray, cameraman Dilip Ray, sound recordist Sanjay Pathak, editor Chandrasekhar Mishra, choreographer Bimbadhar Das, TV director Harish Mohanty, music director Nirmal Mohapatra, singer Shekhar Ghosh, lyricist Rajanikant Nayak and cine journalist Adikanda Rout among others.
With support from KISS Foundation, veteran directors Rajanikant Samantaray and Pranab Das will each receive ₹50,000 assistance along with a lifetime monthly honorarium of ₹5,000.
OFTDA said cinema is not just about stories on screen, but is deeply connected with people’s emotions and experiences. Along with promoting the industry, members of the association are also engaged in social service activities.
The organisation further stated that it will continue its efforts keeping in view the upcoming centenary celebrations of Odia cinema. The May 1 festival is expected to serve as a grand reunion of artistes, technicians and well-wishers of the industry.