PICTURE SPEAK

TALENT HUNT: Participants in Puri

However, with the Bring Your Own Film Festival (BYOFF), which was held between February 21 and 25 in Chakra Teerth, the "two Puris" literally came together, attracting people from different walks of life.

Held at the Pink House Hotel on its private beach, this was the third anniversary of BYOFF. To call it just a film festival is to limit its unique magical quality. It showcased everything from sculptures and paintings to photographs and music. There was no jury, no rules, no selection; it was a moment purely with the sea, the sun, the cinema and more. The fact that filmmakers did not have to deal with the red-tapism of selection juries, hostile censors, and that the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) had no say in the choice of movies, attracted filmmakers' attention from all over. The festival was attended by over 150 artists this year, with entries pouring in on the second-last day as well. The registration fee was Rs 250 per person, while students had to pay Rs 100 for five days. Those wanting to screen movies had to pay extra and charges varied between Rs 200 and Rs 1,000, depending on the duration of the film.

PICK OF WEEK

ME, MEERA: young girl takes the audience through the sights of Hyderabad with simple observations, witty remarks on the joys of walking. Directed by Subhakar. 29 MINUTES OF LONELINESS: The film is based on a novel where director Sharmy Pandey speaks about urban loneliness through a protagonist. UD JAYEGA: Kunal Sen uses the metaphor of an Indian train to depict the "transient and cyclical nature of life".

The idea of BYOFF took seed in 2003 when more conscientious filmmakers like Gurpal Singh of Chupa Rustam fame and Sushant Mishra who directed Vishwaprakash got together to give young filmmakers an opportunity to exhibit their work.

What they started in 2004 as an informal festival today attracts not only filmmakers, but also prospective buyers from all over the world. This year, the total budget of the festival was Rs 55 lakh, which included contributions made by companies like Nalco, Mahanadi Coalfields and Indian Metal & Ferro Alloys Ltd. Christine Levanas, a scout for films, this year came down from Berlin Asia-Pacific Film Festival to select a few films from the BYOFF.

The festival was attended by activists and theatre directors like Parnab Mukherjee, who put up multimedia shows, and talked about the situation in the Northeast. He showcased a three-hour footage on how his friend, Pebam Chittaranjan, committed suicide in an extremely gruesome manner.

With Bhadaas Dho as its slogan, which is an expression for all kinds of mood flings like happiness, anger and contempt, the festival sure seems to be gaining popularity in giving artists an opportunity to give vent to their feelings.