JDCA film fest on art and artists

BHUBANESWAR: JD Centre of Art (JDCA) will host the ninth national film festival on art and artists from January 16.
Thirty documentaries on the theme ‘Making of art: the process’ will be screened during the three-day festival, which aims to create awareness about the various forms of art and the artists.
“I started this festival to create an awareness and love for the various art forms in a state that historically has been rich in art and aesthetic.While it has not been an easy journey, gradually the audiences have expanded and the interest in art is growing,” said eminent painter and founder of JDCA, Jatin Das.
This year, eminent personalities like filmmaker Gautam Ghose, Aruna Vasudev, Gitanjali Rao, Sunit Tandon, Nandan Saxena and Kavita Behl will attend the festival.
“We received 80 entries on the topic from which 30 were selected for screening. This is the only national documentary film festival of its kind in the country. Several artists, filmmakers, critics and those enthusiastic about art and films will attend the festival,” said festival director Biren Das.
Some of the films to be screened at the festival include ‘Devlok-stories retold by Devdutt Pattanaik’, ‘Painter’s Sketchbook’ by M F Hussain, ‘The making of Firaq’ by Nandita Das, ‘Printed rainbow’ and ‘Blue’ by Gitanjali Rao, ‘Fakir Mohan’ by Subas Das.
“The film festival is a way to bring more and more people close to art. The success of the festival will be when people make it their own. I am happy that I will get the opportunity to share my views on the role of art in social change and show the making of Firaq, my directorial debut,” actor and director Nandita Das said.
Apart from screening of films, the festival will also have workshops, seminars and exhibitions that showcase handlooms, handicrafts and cuisines of Odisha.