The Sea and Seven Villages, directed by Himanshu Khatua, selected for IFFI 2023
Bhubaneswar: The Sea and the Seven Villages, directed by Odisha filmmaker Himanshu Shekhar Khatua, selected for IFFI, 2023 In a remarkable achievement, The Sea and the Seven Villages has been selected among 239 contemporary Indian films at the 54th International Film Festival of India (IFFI). The 20 non-feature films from a wide spectrum have been selected to be screened in the Indian Panorama section. , Films that are not feature films. The non-cinematic film package exemplifies the ability of emerging and established filmmakers to document, investigate, entertain and reflect contemporary Indian values. The six-member feature film jury was led by acclaimed documentary director Arvind Sinha. The non-feature jury is composed of members who personally represent various acclaimed films and film-related businesses. Renowned filmmaker Himanshu Shekhar Khatua, current director of Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) and former CMD of KalingaTV, has numerous awards in his list of innumerable achievements. The director’s feature-length documentary ‘The Sea and Seven Villages’ has also been officially selected for two consecutive film festivals, Kerala International Documentary and Short Film Festival and Jagran Film Fest. The documentary directed by him, ‘The Sea and the Seven Villages’, depicts the impact of climate change and its impact on the Satbhaya group of villages. Satbhaya, which was once a cluster of seven villages, is said to be the first area to be affected due to climate change. Five cities have been destroyed over time. The documentary describes the lives and struggles of the residents. This feature-length documentary is produced by Iti Samantha and presented by Achyuta Samantha under the banner of Kadambini Media. ‘The Sea and the Seven Towns’ will be screened at the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK), one of India’s most prominent film festivals, organized by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy on behalf of the Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of India. is done. Of Kerala. Apart from this, the documentary has also been selected for the Jagran Traveling Film Festival organized by Jagran Publishing Group. The film festival will showcase documentaries across hundreds of days in various metropolitan cities across eleven states of India. Himanshu Shekhar Khatua’s roots run deep in Odisha. He is originally from Khatuapatna, Bhadrak, but is an alumnus of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune. He started his career as a professional audiographer but later moved into film direction. Khatua moved into independent film direction with his debut film Shunya Swaroop (Contour of the Void), which was screened at international film festivals including Rotterdam International Film Festival (Netherlands), Kinotavr (International Film Festival Sochi, Russia), Gothenburg Film Festival (Netherlands), Was displayed. Sweden). , and Cinema Jove International Film Festival, Valencia (Spain). Himanshu received National Awards for his two directorial films, Sunya Swaroop and Kathantara, in 1996 and 2005 respectively. Apart from these, Khatua has directed other short films and documentaries which have been well received and appreciated at various national platforms.
