BHUBANESWAR: The 13th edition of International Film festival on Art and Artists concluded amid much fanfare here Sunday.
The three-day festival saw diverse films which enthralled the city audience. The concluding day began with screening of ‘Human’s Music’ directed by Yann Arthus-Bertrand and composed by Armand Amar, France.
It is a combination of stunning portraits and aerial photography of people, culture and nature by acclaimed French environmentalist, journalist and photographer Bertrand, emphasised by Armand Amar’s award-winning compositions.
The movie showcased some of the unexplored beauties of more than 60 countries. It was produced over a period of three years, with director Yann Arthus-Bertrand and a team of 20 interviewing more than 2000 people in 60 countries.
The film, which touched family, religion, ambition, failure, homosexuality, war and poverty, was deeply appreciated by visitors. The fact that it is a silent film impressed the audience in particular. The film was also praised for the truth and brutal honesty behind the people’s stories as well as Arthus-Bertrand’s artistry in contrasting the subjects with aerial shots infused with motion, color and people.
After the visual tour of world, the audience got the a visual tour of Odisha’s artistic heritage, through the metal casting craft of Dhokra in the movie ‘Lost Into Art – Dhokra’ presented by Mudra Foundation.
On the concluding day, Siddhartha Das showcased a series of four short films, documents, crafts and living heritage related to the sacred temples of Puri and Bhubaneswar.
The highlight of the day was an illustrated talk on ‘Joy and Challenges of Recreating the Times in Manto’ by Nandita Das. She said, “The reason behind writing a book on the movie is that I have personally enjoyed being privy to an artist’s journey and their process. From childhood, I used to watch my father paint and it was fascinating how lines would become forms. So I thought others might find it interesting to read my journey of making my film, Manto.”
The last and concluding movie of the day was ‘Raghu Rai’, an unframed portrait by Avni Rai. The movie is an intimate portrait of one of the world’s most celebrated photographers.
Antonia, a visitor from Germany, said, “The art and crafts showcased in the festival are marvelous. It is inspiring to see these artists work for several days to make sarees.”
Kalkee Krushna said, “I am thrilled to watch films on art and artists. It’s amazing to witness so many art forms and movies under one roof.” A documentary on Gotipua dance by Abhishek Swain was also screened on the occasion. Apart from this, the audience loved an animated film on thread art.
The festival served as an amazing platform for Odia filmmakers to screened their works. Abhishek Swain screened ‘Through the Eyes of an Artist’, which is based on the story of legendary Gotipua guru, Birabara Sahoo, who dedicated his life to the ancient Odissi dance form.
Swain said, “It’s a great film festival with some incredible films across the world. The fest was a success courtesy of some incredible people.”
