A still from Sourav Sarangi’s documentary Char — No Man’s Island

Bhubaneswar, March 10: Good news for the movie buffs in the city who have a special inclination for documentaries. They would get a chance to watch some fine documentaries and docudramas by two filmmakers of international repute.

The Film Society of Bhubaneswar (FSB) is going to screen four movies, one by Sourav Sarangi and three by Ken Loach, on March 18 and 19 as part of their monthly film screenings at Jayadev Bhavan near AG Square.

On the first evening, Char – No Man’s Island, an award-winning documentary of Film and Television Institute of India alumnus Sarangi, will be screened. It will be followed by British filmmaker Ken Loach’s 1966 docudrama Cathy Come Home.

The name of the first film, Char – No Man’s Island, is a generic term in Bengali for a temporary island formed within a river. This movie portrays the life of the inhabitants of one such char formed on the Ganges on the border of India and Bangladesh. It shows the life story of a boy, Rubel, and his family who, like many others, took shelter on that island after their village was destroyed following formation of a dam on the upper part of the river. The film also shows how the island has become a safe passage for smuggling of many things. It depicts the heroic battle for survival that provides Rubel enough to dream for a better future.

The second screening of the opening evening is a powerful docudrama showing a young family’s descent into homelessness. This film is revered as one of the most important British works ever and was pivotal in the launch of the housing charity shelter and instrumental in changing the law regarding homelessness in England.

On the second evening, two more films of Ken Loach will be screened. The first one of the evening, The Navigators, a 2001 film by Loach, depicts how a small group of railway maintenance men based at a depot in Yorkshire discovered that privatisation of British rail would make their lives miserable. Second film of the evening is The Spirit of 45, a 2013 documentary. It is widely believed that 1945 was a pivotal year in British history. The Spirit Of 45 illuminates and celebrates a period of unprecedented community spirit in the United Kingdom.

“The screenings are usually conducted for members of Film Society of Bhubaneswar, but there will be no restriction on others who want to take part in the screening and the subsequent discussion,” said Jagat Basa, a member of the society.