Bhubaneswar: Filmmaker Girish Kasaravalli discussed the evolution of cinema and monopoly in film distribution.

"The distribution system is colonised by the big production houses," he said. "This, in turn, affects parallel cinema."

Kasaravalli, who was here to attend the inaugural ceremony of the Indian Film Festival, Bhubaneswar, also talked about how the judgement of National Award has changed over the years and the liberation of the industry through digitalisation.

His daughter Ananya touched on how digitalisation has influenced storytelling over the years, both in a positive and negative way. She also hailed her father for being an influence.

The weeklong festival that began at Idcol Auditorium on Wednesday is attracting film lovers in large numbers. It aims to highlight neglected regional art films with special thrust on northeastern states. Apart from screenings, there will be workshops and panel discussions on various topics related. Around 40 award-winning and critically acclaimed films will be screened.

A workshop on "Seeing Sounds, Hearing Images" by Babu Eshwar Prasad, a Kannada filmmaker, was held on Thursday. Prasad explained and taught the participants to interpret sounds in an image or film - how it can invoke imagination, or even chaos.

Organising member and filmmaker Amartya Bhattacharya said the festival focused exclusively on new-age regional cinema. "The core motive is to celebrate and acknowledge Indian cinema. This is why we decided to have a national film festival."