Pan Indian show at IFFB

BHUBANESWAR: Movie buffs in the city thronged Odissi Research Centre to witness the screening of Ladakhi, Odia and Bengali films at the ongoing Indian Film Festival of Bhubaneswar (IFFB) on Sunday.
A metaphorical film from Ladhak, ‘Walking With The Wind’ by Praveen Morchhale drew appreciation from the viewers.

It revolved around the story of a 10-year-old boy from the Himalayan terrain. Tsering, the protagonist, breaks his friend’s school chair by mistake. When he decides to bring the chair to his village, he faces several hurdles while making his way through the rough terrain on a donkey. He travels seven km everyday to reach his school. The chair is a metaphor in his awakening journey of life, quest for inner truth and reality in the adult world. At the end of the journey, he gains knowledge about life.

Ritwik Ghatak’s 1958 Bengali film ‘Ajantrik’ was also screened. It narrates the story of Bimal, a taxi driver in a small town. His taxi is his only companion. Another bengali film, ‘Ami O Manohar’ was also on the list. It has been directed by Amitabha Chatterjee. The film depicts how two solitary individuals meet each other everyday in Kolkata. They share stories of their imaginary life with each other. But the truth is revealed when they face death.

National-award winning Odia film ‘Helo Arsi’ added a local flavour to the festival. Styled as a conversational film, it chronicles a day in the life of a young man and woman. They are strangers, who share a taxi ride. Their conversation reveals how they are seeking life’s meaning.
Like last year, north-eastern films including Bobby Sarmah Baruah’s ‘Mishing’ were also a part of the festival. Malayalam film ‘Aedan’ was the lone representative of South India films on the fourth day of the festival. 

The festival was not just about Indian films. Fatih Akin’s French film ‘Soul Kitchen’, portraying the life of a Greek restaurateur Zinos (Adam Bousdoukos), was screened.