It’s BYOFF time again in Puri

Odisha Channel Bureau Puri, Feb 7: It’s BYOFF time again in Puri.The 12th edition of the Bring Your Own Film Festival is scheduled to be held from February 21 to 25.Like all previous years, the Hotel Pink House on Chakratirtha Road along this coastal Odisha town remains the venue of the annual film festival.The festival, nothing less than a pilgrimage of sorts for film lovers, is a celebration of independent cinema.Anyone who has made any film, or been a part of it, can bring it and participate.The festival is by the sea.People are also encouraged to showcase their other artistic works (paintings, pictures, sculptures etc) and their talent (poetry, theatre, music, dance, songs etc).The registration is on the spot, and there are no deadlines.The films start at sundown and go on till the wee hoursBYOFF began as a brainchild of a community of filmmakers from across India and Odisha who came together in 2004 to create a democratic space for the rising wave of Indian independent cinema.They broke all rules and hierarchies and made a festival which was simple – if you have a film, bring your film, or if you don’t have a film, bring yourself.Ever since it has rolled down like a juggernaut of independent cinema every year, screening hundreds of films on multiple screens, launching hundreds of careers.And in all these years, BYOFF has emerged to be nothing less than a pilgrimage for independent filmmakers of India across the board and every year hundreds of filmmakers, artists, performers, musicians, and journalists land up in Puri, popular for its beach and ancient temples, to not only participate but also adopt the festival as their own.This year, acclaimed filmmaker Susant Mishra who has made a permanent mark with his films in contemporary world cinema will be conducting a Master Class in direction.The multi talented filmmaker, artist, photographer and craftsman Sudarshan Juyal will be at the helm of a photography workshop.BYOFF features amongst CNN’s ten most unique film festivals in the world, according to Debabrata Tripathy, Convenor of BYOFF 2015.The organisers have also invited everyone to come together for a ‘flea market’ where Byoffians can buy/sell used equipments such as cameras and lenses as well as any other ware they want to peddle. On popular demand, they have also invited manufacturers of film craft related equipment to exhibit their latest products to the participants.For more details visit: www.byoffpuri.com