Cinema is the vehicle for India’s Odisha state to journey afar
Event featuring notable movies and stars to screen at national pavilion
Timeless Odia films are set to charm audiences with the Odisha Samaj UAE (OSUAE) planning to host a two-day film festival at the India Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai.
‘Cine Odisha — Timeless cinema of Odisha’ will be held on October 22 and 23, the organisers said. Odisha is a state in eastern India.
OSUAE, one of the largest associations of Non-Resident Odias across the Middle East and North Africa region, is organising the film festival in collaboration with film producer, promoter and curator from Odisha Jitendra Mishra and his organisation ‘CINEMA4GOOD’.
The objective of the festival is to promote Odisha’s art, culture, language and heritage values through hand-picked movies from the state, said Amiya Kumar Mishra, president of the Odisha Samaj UAE. He told Gulf News that Consul General of India in Dubai, Dr Aman Puri, will inaugurate the film festival.
The line-up
The line-up of movies includes national award winning films including Neeraba Jhada, Maya Miriga and TARA.
While Cine Odisha intends to celebrate 85 years of Odia cinema, the festival will also pay homage to the film personalities whom the eastern Indian state lost during the past two years due to Covid-19 and other reasons, said Amiya. Multiple forums and panel discussions to explore opportunities in Odisha are also planned during the two-day fest. Several dignitaries from the industry are expected to be a part of the event.
“We at OSUAE have been trying to promote Odia culture in Dubai for many years through various cultural events and social activities. We are proud to organise this first-of-its kindfilm event at the world’s biggest exhibition platform Expo 2020 Dubai,” added Amiya.