Bhubaneswar: The first International Indigenous Film festival of Bhubaneswar will kick off at Utkal University and Lohia Academy here from February 19.
In a press meet held at Nehru Yuva Kendra here to announce about the two-day film fest, the organisers asserted that the film festival is a celebration of indigenous culture, wisdom and activism.
The conference was addressed by indigenous filmmakers Emmanuela Shinta, Dita Yustina and David Metcalf from Indonesia, Chentei Khiamniungan from Nagaland and acclaimed photographer Ashish Birulee from Jharkhand. The films will be screened simultaneously at two venues, Lohia Academy and Utkal University.
More than 40 films from seven countries will be screened during the festival.
Addressing the conference, Birulee said, “The 1st International Indigenous Film Festival of Bhubaneswar aims to promote indigenous films, indigenous filmmakers and be a platform for indigenous communities especially those who are engaged in securing land rights, conservation of bio-diversity, resistance against corporations, those who are resisting eviction by real estate mafia and the forest department.”
The festival is being organised by Video Republic with active support from Birsa Ambedkar Phule Students Association (BAPSA) of Utkal University.
The festival will feature several national and international feature films, short films, documentaries, music videos made by indigenous filmmakers and communities. A retrospective of veteran filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin will also be held at the festival. The festival will also host panel discussions by eminent indigenous activists and leaders as well as performances and poetry recitals.
In the two-day festival several indigenous filmmakers namely Anastasia Dita from Kalimantan in Indonesia, Biju Toppo, Niranjan Kujur and Ranjith Oraon from Jharkhand, Pratik Parmar from Gujarat, Chentei Khiamniungan from Nagaland, Anoko Mega from Arunachal Pradesh and Bryan R Marak from Meghalaya, Divya Hansda and Ram Krishna Soren from West Bengal, Lingaram Kodopi from Chhattisgarh, and Lipika Singh Darai from Odisha will take part.
This apart there will be Adivasi leaders and activists like Soni Sori, Pavitri Manjhi and Janki Sidar from Chhattisgarh and Sini Soy and Manorama Khatua from the state who will participate in panel discussions and share their concerns on contemporary issues and challenges faced by indigenous communities the world over.
In the ‘The Alanis Obomsawin Retrospective’, which will be held in collaboration with the National Film Board of Canada, some of the director’s renowned films will be showcased. As a native American Canadian Abenaki filmmaker, singer, artist and activist, Alanis Obomsawin is primarily known for her documentaries.
A poetry reading session by poet, writer and journalist Jacinta Kerketta from Jharkhand would also be held. Kerketta’s works have been translated into several Indian and foreign languages.
A photo exhibition titled ‘Drowning in Nuclear Greed’ by Ashish Birulee from Jadugoda in Jharkhand will also be held during the festival. The exhibition will expose the damages caused by uranium mine in Jadugoda, the mining source of uranium ore in eastern India.
After two days in Bhubaneswar, the festival will travel to Puri to participate in the 16th edition of the Bring Your Own Film Festival (BYOFF), scheduled from February 21 to 23.
