Bhubaneswar: When the film industry in Odisha is struggling with a crisis of originality, in a stunning development, Odia filmmaker Lipika Singh Darai has been chosen as one of the ten participants from India for the prestigious BAFTA Breakthrough initiative.
Organised by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), in partnership with Netflix, the initiative identifies exceptional creatives in film, games, and television, and supports them at ‘critical breakthrough career moments’ by giving access to coaching and networking. For Lipika, a multiple national award winner known for her documentaries like Backstage and Night and Fear, it is indeed a critical moment in career. “To make an independent film, having an independent voice in Odia is impossible at this point. It’s not easy to get local funds or a local producer,” says Darai who initially wanted her first fiction feature to be produced in Odisha. “Looking at the state of independent films, I realised I need to expand my area of interest and get the support of film fraternities like IFFR, Hubert Bals, and BAFTA,” she says.
Looking forward, as she hopes to gain collaborative opportunities for herself, she aims to support other filmmakers of the state, especially women as the local industry hasn’t historically offered a friendly environment to women. “I feel I need to start thinking about how we can build a creative eco-system. I really want to extend some support from my side as now I have some sort of experience and knowledge,” she says.
Atri Prasad Rout, OP
