Bhubaneswar, Aug. 18: Film-maker Raju Mishra believes interference of producers in the film-making process is one of the key reasons behind the degraded quality of Odia films.

"It is very important that film-makers are given a free hand in the film-making process. This was the scenario before, but these days most of the decisions are taken by the production team. In the process, the director loses his creativity," said Mishra.

He was speaking at a symposium on "Contextual Issues plaguing Odia Cinema" where film-makers addressed the issues and suggested steps to bring about a change in the current trend of Odia cinema. "The availability of cheap digital medium is both a curse and blessing for Odia film industry as it results in making bad films in abundance and a number of good films by aspiring film-makers as well who can now make a film without spending a fortune," he added. Odia cinema has a glorious past. The first Odia film, Sita Bibaha, was released in 1936 and was an important part of the struggle for a manifestation of Odia cultural identity in celluloid form.

"Odia directors and actors gained recognition at the national level by bringing freshness to Odia movies. Such efforts heralded the golden era of the Odia film industry. But now, it is an accepted fact that Odia cinema has lost its grandeur. Despite technological advancements, Odia cinema is not what it used to be. The quality of cinema in Odisha has gone down considerably," said film-maker Gadadhar Puty.

Independent film-maker Amartya Bhattacharyya, known for his films such as Capital I and Benaras, said the Odia cinema industry lacks qualitative media coverage and criticism.

"Its quality is degrading because of illiterate film-makers and technicians who are ruling the industry. The Odia film can be as strong as any other language film and it has got immense market in the country and abroad, but only if we are able to create qualitative cinema," said the young film-maker.

He said youngsters should start focusing on content. "I find a lot of people complaining about lack of funds, resources and equipment. But it is high time our generation started experimenting without any inhibitions in mind. In this world of digital technology, the excuse of constraints doesn't stand strong anymore," he said.

The symposium was attended by students of various media and film schools in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and Dhenkanal. "It was a great chance to share knowledge and learn about the areas where young film-makers should work to improve their work," said Nigam Patra, a film-making student. The event was organised by Lighthouse, an audio-visual production house based in Bhubaneswar.