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Oriya film industry gets a boost

BHUBANESWAR: The Oriya film industry made a quantum leap forward with the Orissa Film Producers Association (OFPA) joining the high profile Film Federation of India (FFI) on Friday, 16 years after its formation.

FFI chairperson Bijay Khemka and OFPA president Amiya Patnaik announced this together following a special convention of the association here. “As the largest body of film fraternity of the nation, FFI would ensure that Oriya film industry gets necessary guidance and support from the associations to get best of exposure for Oriya cinema at the national and international level,’ said Kolkata-based film producer Khemka, who had produced the Oriya film ‘Bapa’.

OFPA would attempt to target the Non-Resident-Oriyas (NROs) this time for marketing of Oriya films, said Mr. Patnaik, a prominent film producer of the State. “For the large chunk of Oriyas based abroad we would make the films available for them in DVD format,” he elaborated.

Mr. Patnaik lamented that rampant piracy had caused extensive damage to the film industry. “Orissa is the only State where Anti-Piracy Act is yet to be tabled in the Assembly and in the absence of it the annual revenue generated from film industry has gone down from Rs.5 crore to Rs.2 crore,” he claimed.

The special convention resolved to initiate an interfacing between the distributors and producers to tide over the plight of the producers, informed OFPA secretary B.K.Mishra. The growing uncertainty in marketing had further forced financial institutions to finance film making, he added.

OFPA also urged the government to release the surcharge amount of about Rs.5-crore to the OFDC and revival of the State-owned sick Kalinga Studios.

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