Govt Inks Landmark Agreement With FHF To Preserve Odisha's Cinematic Legacy

Govt Inks Landmark Agreement With FHF To Preserve Odisha’s Cinematic Legacy

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has signed an MoU with the Film Heritage Foundation (FHF) to establish a dedicated film archive, marking a significant step in preserving the 89-year-old Odia film industry’s legacy

“Film depicts the real image of our socio-cultural life. With its preservation, the cinematic gems, which are being lost from our memory, can be revived and preserved,” Deputy Chief Minister K V Singh Deo said at the concluding ceremony of the 10th Film Preservation and Restoration Workshop held at Kalabhoomi here on Wednesday.

Echoing the same, Minister for Co-operation, Handlooms, Textiles and Handicrafts Pradeep Bal Samanta said, old Odia films are a source of inspiration for future generations and it is our responsibility to preserve them.

The MoU was signed by Commissioner-cum-Secretary of Handlooms, Textiles and Handicrafts Department Guha Poonam Tapas Kumar and FHF Director Shivendra Singh Dungarpur. Although the state government had announced plans in 2020 to create a film archive under the Odisha Film Development Corporation (OFDC) at Chalachitra Bhawan in Cuttack, this marks the first concrete step toward building a specialised facility.

Beyond film prints and reels, the archive will collect photographs, lobby cards, posters, costumes, props, and other memorabilia associated with Odia cinema. The project will be funded by Tata Trusts, while the state government will provide the land. Day-to-day management of the archive will rest with FHF.

The FHF has already restored Nirad Mohapatra’s acclaimed film Maya Miriga and is currently in discussions with the Odia film community—including veteran actor-director Prashanta Nanda and the family of late actress Parbati Ghose—for the restoration of two additional classics. It also commissioned 17 new Pattachitra paintings depicting iconic early Odia films such as Sita Bibaha, Shree Lokanath, Arundhati, and Phula Chandana because no prints, reels, or even photographs of these pioneering works could be found, according to Dungarpur.

The 10th Film Conservation and Restoration Workshop was organised from November 12 at the Odisha Handicrafts Museum in collaboration with the FHF, International Federation of Film Archives and the Handlooms, Textiles and Handicrafts Department of the state government. All 59 participants, who attended the workshop, were felicitated with certificates and mementos.