Odia Cinema needs wide media coverage and criticism

Film Symposium

Contextual Issues Plaguing

Odia Cinema

A film symposium was held in a city hotel here on Wednesday where young Independent filmmaker Amartya Bhattacharyya, renowned

Odia

cinematographer and director

Raju Mishra

and senior journalist and art director

Sampad Mohapatra

discussed about various issues plaguing Odia Cinema. The event was attended by film and journalism students of various institutes from Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and from IIMC Dhenkanal.

Odia Cinema that was born in 1936 at the same time when the talkies started in Pan Indian basis, has passed 80 years. Since the first film in Odia language “Sita Bibaha” the industry has gone stronger by every passing day. But for last two decades or more the standards of Odia Cinema has gone down drastically. There was a time when Odia films were hailed by film lovers across the country and these movies used to get laurels from International film circuits. But in recent years, even Odia people hesitate to watch films made in this regional language.

The symposium was a platform for students to express their views on Odia Cinema and the filmmakers to identify the issues and suggest ways to bring changes and perception among audience.

Various issues identified were as follows.

Too much of interference of producers in the filmmaking process

Existing Odia filmmakers lack exposure to wide spectrum of films

Financial help from government is needed

Odia cinema industry lacks qualitative media coverage and criticism

Filmmakers and technicians are not cinema-literate enough to produce quality films