Dubai: Claimed to be the first ever film festival of Odia cinema outside India, a Film Festival was commenced today at the on-going EXPO 2020 in the Multipurpose hall of India Pavilion in Dubai.
The one-of-a-kind film festival and forum is hosted by Odisha Samaj UAE (OSUAE) – the largest association of Non-Resident Odias across the Middle East and North Africa region in collaboration with CINEMA4GOOD.
Several dignitaries and filmmakers from Odisha and UAE were present during the opening ceremony today. The event was flagged off by Dr. Aman Puri, Consul general of India to Dubai, Mr. Uttam Chand (Consul – Visa and Community affairs) and his Excellency Tomas Zaleski in the presence of National Award winning filmmakers Sabyasachi Mahapatra and Susant Mishra.
During the opening ceremony the organisers paid tribute to 21 different film personalities from Odisha film industry who passed away in the last two years. The name includes legendary filmmakers Manmohan Mahapatra, Sarada Prasanna Naik, Raju Mishra, and actors Bijay Mohanty, Ajit Das, Rabi Mishra and Atal Bihari Panda among others.
A panel discussion “Odisha-The storied land of opportunities” was also organized after the opening ceremony.
“We are proud to be hosting this momentous event in the Prestigious India Pavillion of Expo 2020. This is a very proud moment for the Odia community of the UAE and the people of Odisha. We are thankful to CINEMA4GOOD for collaborating with us to organize this historic event. ” Said Mr Amiya Kumar Mishra, President of the Odisha Samaj UAE, on this occasion.
Appreciating the stronger-together approach of Odisha Samaj UAE, Jitendra Mishra, curator of Cine-Odisha fest said “ I am thankful to the entire Odia community for bringing positivity during this difficult time. I am also thankful to all the filmmakers, the Odisha film fraternity, Govt. of India, Govt. of Odisha, FICCI for their support and cooperation.
These films will be screened: ‘Maya Miriga’ ,’Neeraba Jhada’, ‘Labanya Preeti’ , ‘Indradhanura Chhai’ , ‘Tara’, ‘Jatra Jeevan Jeevan Yatra’ , ‘Kathantara’, ‘The Lord Of The Universe’, ‘Kalira Atita’, ‘Sala Budhar Badla’ and ‘Seba Bou’ among others.
Ms Kalinga