Bhubaneswar: The second day at 15th Indian Film Festival of Bhubaneswar (IFFB) showcased a vibrant mix of compelling film screenings, insightful discussions, and enthusiastic audience participation.
The day started with three short films— Two Sinners by Samir Zaidi – a dark revenge drama set in a forest, where a man is coerced into executing the perpetrator of his sister’s assault, The Unknown Filmmaker by Hemant Gaba—a story based on a woman’s journey from India to Busan in search of a filmmaker friend leading to unsettling revelations and Samvega-Pasada by Elroy Pinto— story of a former sex worker in a Mumbai chawl whose spiritual awakening collides with social and political resistance.
As part of the retrospective on Adoor Gopalakrishnan, two of his acclaimed films, Elippathayam and Kathapurushan, were screened. A major highlight of the second day was Pradipta Bhattacharya’s Nadharer Bhela— official selection to Rotterdam Film Festival.
Nadhar, a man deemed dysfunctional for his extremely sluggish movements, becomes part of a travelling circus, where his condition turns into spectacle. The film is an expansive meditation on human nature, slowness, and being profoundly out of step with the world. The 4k restored print of Ritwik Ghatak’s Meghe Dhaka Tara was also screened as part of Ghatak’s birth centenary celebration by the society.
Needless to say, the movie was the centre of attraction during the day. Speaking about the festival, Debashish Jena, who is volunteering at the festival, said, “FSB aims to cater for the growing interest for thoughtful and independent cinema among the young cinephiles in City. The festival has curated and handpicked films that narrate stories about less looked-upon themes.”