Indian Panorama Film Festival, being organized by Directorate of Film Festivals, Ministry of I&B, was inaugurated today by Secretary, Ministry of I&B, Amit Khare in the presence of Shaji N Karun,the director of the opening feature film ‘Olu’,at Siri Fort Auditorium II, New Delhi.At the outset, Secretary, Ministry of I&B, Shri Amit Khare recalled the contribution of the recently deceased prolific filmmaker Shri Mrinal Sen and the impact his movies had on our society. He also talked about the contribution of the trioka of Shri Mrinal Sen, Shri Satyajit Ray and Shri RitwikGhatak on the parallel cinema landscape in India. One minute silence was observed in memory of Shri Mrinal Sen. The function then started with the formal lighting of the lamp ceremony.Speaking on the occasion, Amit Khare, Secretary, Ministry of I&B said that the craft of making cinema is no more limited to the big cities but is spreading to all corners of India. He gave the example of states like Jharkhand where film promotion policy is being made and implemented. He also said that watching movies at such Film Festivals helps the viewers rise above the barrier of language and understand each other’s culture better. Stressing further on its importance, he added that Festivals like Indian Panorama Film Festival should be organized in several cities all across the country.Shri Shaji N Karun, Director of the opening Feature Film ‘Olu’ emphasized on the importance of organizing Indian Panorama Film Festival and said that he honed the craft of filmmaking by watching movies at such Festivals.Shri Chaitanya Prasad, Addl. Director General, Directorate of Film Festivals, said that the bouquet of films being presented in the Festival speaks of the vibrancy and strength of Indian cinema. The movies presented here cover the length and breadth of India, and include movies made by first time filmmakers as well as cinema czars who have excelled in the art of filmmaking.The ten day Festival will last till 13th January, 2019, during which 26 Feature Films and 21 Non-Feature Films will be screened. The entry for the Festival has been kept free of charge. Seating will take place on first-come-first-served basis.