Bhubaneswar: The role of literature in cinema became a point of discussion at the ongoing 9th Indian Film Festival, in which a number of film personalities took part.

Bijaya Biswal moderated the talks, while the panellists were award-winning film director Manju Bohra, actress Anu Chaudhury and Satyajit Puhan.

The discussion concluded that literature is important for films, but it is complex to put those expressions in action. The discussion also touched down on the topic of historical authenticity.

Two short films were screened in the event. One is Abhishek Parija's Al-Kabirah, which is about Imtiaz, a young man burdened with the guilt of a story from his childhood trying to get rid of the repercussions of his actions.

The struggle between his conscience and delusive imagination leads to his confrontation with fate. The other one was Achinha Saba by Sankalp Mohanty.

The films screened in the fest on Saturday were Merku Thodarchi Malai or Western Ghats (2016) by Lenin Bharati, Kaadu Pookkunna Neram or When the Woods Bloom (2016) by Bijukumar Damodaran, Song of the Horned Owl (2015) by Manju Borah, and the final one was Court (2014) by Chaitanya Tamhane.

In the retrospective series, Kummatty by G. Aravindan was screened. Besides, another film on Aravindan by Shaji Karun was also shown.

A documentary, The Seer Who Walks Alone, by Shaji N. Karun was screened. Ramu Aravindan conducted a workshop on the working and making of images. Followed by repeated screenings of Kanchana Seeta by G. Aravindan, the day concluded with John Abraham's 1977 release Cheriyachente Kroora Krithyangal or The Wicked Deeds of Cheriyachan.

The festival proceeded with the screening of Thithi, a Kannada film directed by Raam Reddy. The story is about how three generations of sons react to the death of the oldest in their clan - a man named Century Gowda. Set in a remote village in south India, the three storylines intertwine before converging at Century Gowda's thithi (the final funeral).

The day ended with the screening of a Malayalam film, Munroe Island, directed by Manu.