From Tuesday, (Nov 15) the Bihar State Film Development and Finance Corporation (BSFDFC) hosts a six-day film Regional Film Festival at Rabindra Bhavan, Patna.

More than 16 films in Bengali, Marathi, Odia, Malayali, Punjabi and Rajasthani  will be shown, said Ganga Kumar, the managing director of BSFDFC.

Actors, directors, singers and other artistes will attend the festival and  panel discussions on their movies. Singers like Rekha Jha who rose to fame with her Bollywood debut song ‘ O Womaniya’ for Gangs of Wasseypur and Padma Shree Sharda Sinha will perform at  the opening and closing ceremonies (November 20).

Manisha Koirala (actor), Lenin Rajendran (director), Anurag Singh (director), Pavan Malhotra (actor), Seema Kapoor (director), Gajendra S. Shrotriya (director), Ram Kumar Singh (writer), Atal Bihari Panda (actor), Nandu Madhav (actor), Kaushik Ganguly (director) and Raima Sen (actor) would attend the festival.

Vanaprashtham (1999), Edavappathy (2016), Naalu Pennagal (2003), Nanak Naam Jahaj Hai (1969), Punjab 1984 (2014), Anhe Ghode da Daan (2012), Bhobhar (2012), Haat: The Weekly Bazar (2011), Aadim Vichar (2014), Krantidhara (2016), Shwas (2014), Harishchandrachi Factory (2010), Kaalpurush (2008) and Shabdo (2013) are some of the films that will be screened.

“A lot of thought went into selecting the movies. Every movie has a message for the society and they have received appreciation worldwide. The festival is unique and for the first time, we have adorned the venue differently. From the set up to the food served to the guests, everything will have a theme. For instance, on the first day of the festival, a Malayali film will be screened. The venue will be decorated with the regional (Kerala) artefacts. Guests will be wearing regional dresses and food served will be from the particular region,” said Ganga Kumar.

The budget of the festival is Rs 40 lakh.

Addressing the conference, minister of art, culture and youth affairs Shiv Chandra Ram said: “Cinema being a collaborative art, highlights hundreds of social issues through their imagery, sound, characters and storytelling techniques. I am sure this festival would get appreciation not only from Biharis but also from other states.”

  Film, Media