Jitendra Mishra’s “Human OAK” Selected For 23rd Olympia International Film Festival

Jitendra Mishra’s “Human OAK” Selected For 23rd Olympia International Film Festival

Ace film producer from Odisha Jitendra Mishra’s film “Human OAK” has been officially selected for the 23rd Olympia International Film Festival for Children and Young People, Greece. Mishra has collaborated with award winning Italian director and producer Ulisse Lendaro to make this film during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Featuring leading Italian actress & former Miss Italy Anna Valle, this film has been made to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Percy Bysshe Shelley’s poem “Ode to the West Wind”. The 15-minute short film was entirely shot in Italy during the Covid-19 lockdown in March – April 2020 in Vicenza’s downtown and the countryside.

Hailing from Odisha’s Titlagarh, Jitendra has been attracted towards the film industry from his college days because of it’s glamour. It was his father, who advised and boosted him to follow his passion. He began his career from the grass-root level by being a spot boy in a Delhi-based production house and with passing time and experience he moved ahead step by step.

Mishra told MCL, “Italian film makers always treat films as a painting. It’s a philosophical film, which is artistic and poetic too. It was a great opportunity to create a positive environment in the global film industry during this dreadful situation and inspired me to co-produce the movie with Lendaro. The story of the film has a lot of positivity and it has a lot of connection to India. It will be showcased at a few leading International festivals before releasing on renowned OTT platforms in India soon”

Starting from November 28, the festival will continue till December 5. With children and family as the theme, 90 films from 47 countries have been selected. This is probably the only international co-production from India that has happened completely during the Covid-19 lockdown and was written and directed by Lendaro who is known for his critically acclaimed feature film “Imperfect Age”.

The film features the story of a child who becomes a girl during a sunset. She is forced to quickly leave behind the life she had before everything changed. The memory of her mother with whom she used to play and their poems now sound like an omen. In an abstract, melancholic present, drenched in nature, this little girl continues her journey until she reaches a large oak tree. There, among books hung to mature, she meets another child, a little boy. Maybe they already knew each other. Among visions of a recent past, memories and nature, life is renewed for all humanity.

Mishra, who is presently running his own production company “Cinema 4 Good” was earlier associated with many films including ‘I am Kalam’, ‘Desires of the Heart’, ‘Ishu’, ‘Bhor’, ‘Halkaa’ and the recent one ‘The Last Color’.  

“Lendaro and I met at Czech Republic during a film festival for the first time. Then we became very good friends and were planning to do something together for a long time. Like an oak tree leaves fall during winter and again new leaves emerge and the tree shines green again, we humans have always emerged after any pandemic of yesteryears. Similarly we all will definitely come out of this pandemic and will emerge again.” concluded Mishra.