Stills of Le Grand Voyage and Bioscope showcased by Film Society of Bhubaneswar at Jayadev Bhavan in Bhubaneswar. Telegraph picture

Bhubaneswar, July 2: A road trip in 2004 — in the film Le Grand Voyage — was all that it took for Reda and his father to bridge the generation gap between them.

Eight years on, the masterpiece of Ismael Ferroukhi, in which Reda and his dad were characters, continues to strike a chord with the audience across the globe.

Movie buffs in the capital got a taste of his directorial brilliance at Jayadev Bhavan recently, where a group of film enthusiasts, under the banner Film Society of Bhubaneswar, screened two unique and delightful movies from their collection of worldwide cinema.

Besides Ferroukhi’s debut venture, national award-winning Malayalam film Bioscope by K.M. Madhusudhanan left a lasting impression on the audience, which consisted mostly of youngsters.

Le Grand Voyage, the French-Arabic film, is about a French-Moroccan family and focuses on a complicated father-son relationship.

The stern patriarch decides to go on Haj (pilgrimage) to Mecca from France by road and orders his son to drive the car. During the journey, or “the great voyage”, the father insists on speaking only in Arabic, while the son, Reda converses, in French.

They drive through the virgin landscapes of Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Syria and Jordan through to Saudi Arabia and in the course, come across several interesting people and have their share of adventures that helps thaw the cold relationship they once had.

In the end, the son discovers that his father can speak French fluently and realises the importance of communicating in Arabic and the purpose of the road trip.

The sensitive plot and commendable work of the cast of this internationally acclaimed film was highly appreciated by the audience of Bhubaneswar.

“The film reminded me of my childhood relationship with my father. I became quite nostalgic,” said Samarendra, a software employee and film lover.

The second film, Bioscope, is a period film set in the 1920s in the quaint backdrop of Kerala. The story revolves around Dwinakaran, who, for the first time, introduces his village to a bioscope. While many of the villagers are amused by the illusionary magic created by the film projector, a few, however, prefer to stay far away from it for they believe that the bioscope box has ghosts of the British concealed in it. The film had young viewers chuckling.

“In Bhubaneswar, there is not a single theatre that screens English movies. Thankfully, we have such a club that makes an attempt to introduce us to critically acclaimed movies from around the world. I am looking forward to more such events,” said Geetika, a college-going student.

Last month, the Film Society of Bhubaneswar had treated movie enthusiasts to an eclectic mix of movies, including a five-day film festival on the works of noted Japanese director Yasujiro Ozu.