Bhubaneswar: The second day of the Indian Documentary Film Festival of Bhubaneswar (IDFFB) saw an equal enthusiasm among the audience. They poured in large numbers to experience the beauty of documentaries. People from across the state participated in the festival as volunteers and viewers. Students from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Dhenkanal and Biju Patnaik Film and Television Institute, Cuttack attended in large numbers.
The day started with Raja Shabir Khan’s ‘Line of Control’. A crucial film in context of today’s times, the documentary narrates the saga of a village called Keran, situated on the Indian side of the LoC. It revolves around Ashraf Joo and his struggle, to procure the necessary travelled documents, to be able to visit his family on the other side. At the end, it made audience realise that human relationships cannot be contained within man-made boundaries.
The next documentary ‘Growing in Ladakh’ tells the story of Padma, who divides her work between school and work where she helps her family with daily chores. Padma lives in Gya, a remote village perched at 43,000 meters above the sea level; to go to school, she has to travel 72 kilometers by a bus. Post the screening, the audience engaged in a meaningful conversation with the director Stanzin G Dorjai, where he shed light upon the importance of protecting one’s indigenous roots amidst the strife of pacing along with the modern world.
Post lunch, the audience immersed themselves in Maheen Mirza’s ‘Agar Wo Desh Banati’ and Pankaj Rishi Kumar’s ‘Janani’s Juliet’. Having won the Best Long Documentary Award at the International Documentary and Short Film Festival, Kerala, Janani’s Juliet is India’s official entry to the Oscars. Using a contemporary adaptation of Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’ as an instrument, a Pondicherry based theatre group, Indianostrum, navigates through an individual’s freedom to love in the face of caste and its obstacles. Simultaneously, the works of Pramod Pati’s films were being celebrated in Screen 2. Pati was one of the most distinct voices to have emerged among The Film Division in the 1960s and 70s. Through the use of non-linearity, special effects, and electronic sound, the films both challenge and affirm the ambitions of a post-colonial nation, caught between its past and future.
The next documentary ‘We have not come here to die’ by Deepa Dhanraj, explores the hidden facets of caste supremacy in India. The film follows the stir and upheaval caused in the arena of student politics in the country after Rohit Vemula, a Dalit PhD scholar hung himself in one of the most prestigious universities of India. The film underscores the institutional lacunae in providing a conducive environment for students across the social spectrum of the country.
As the end drew closer for the day, director Stanzin Dorjai indulged the curious audience in his master class on the technicalities and aesthetics of filmmaking, with his film, ‘Growing in Ladakh’ in focus.
After an interesting line-up of films, the second day of the festival wrapped up with ‘Baba Farid: Poet of the Soul’ by Meera Dewan. The documentary is a cinematic journey on a 12th century poet who is revered by both Sikhs and Sufis.
The spirit of cinema was more than alive on the second day of the festival. The art exhibition which showcased photographs, figurines, and other artifacts, remained a hit among the audience.
