The film festival, which will run until December 11, has France as the focal theme country — showcasing movies that portray diverse cultural and cinematic heritage. “This time we are showcasing 175 films from 41nations. France is our focus country and 21 French movies will be screened. Many Bengali movies will be screened as well,” the CM said.
Out of these, 42 feature films, 30 short films and 25 documentaries have made it to the competition section. The non-competition section this year features 103 films, offering a chance for the audience to explore a wide range of genres and cinematic styles.
Veteran Bollywood actor and MP Shatrughan Sinha, Bengali film superstar Dev, former cricketer Sourav Ganguly and KIFF chairman Goutam Ghose were among the prominent guests in attendance.
Argentine director Pablo Ceasar, who attended the event, spoke about the historical bond between India and Argentina, referencing the first film screenings in both countries in 1896.
Describing KIFF as a bridge connecting international movies, Hindi and Bengali films, Mamata Banerjee asserted that cinema means there are no boundaries, it only unites people. “The language of cinema remains the same everywhere, is understood by everyone,” she said adding, “We have a rich talent pool of skilled artists and technicians. I want you all to bring your cinema, your artists here and let people from here work in your productions. We will work together.”
The festival kicked off with a screening of Tapan Sinha’s 1966 classic film “Galpo Holeo Satti”, commemorating the legendary director’s birth centenary. A book as tribute to Tapan Sinha was also unveiled on Wednesday.
Referring to tributes paid to several stalwarts, including Sinha, in their centenary years, the chief minister said, “Bengal is proud to have filmmakers like Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak, Tapan Sinha and Rituparno Ghosh, among others, who made us proud.”
“We’re celebrating the 100th year of Sinha, Arundhuti Devi, Manoj Mitra Kumar Sahani among others. I didn’t see Uttam Kumar, but his entire family is here. There were people like Soumitra da (Soumitra Chatterjee), Rituparno Ghosh who are no more with us, but we miss them a lot. The great filmmaker Ritwik Ghatak’s wife, I knew closely, used to organise Durga Puja near Firhad Hakim’s house…,” Banerjee said. “I had started a fast for 26 days on this date years back (in 2007). Tapan Sinha had sent me a letter wishing me success,” she recalled.
Regretting the absence of superstar Amitabh Bachchan, a regular invitee to earlier editions of the KIFF till 2022, Banerjee said, “Amit ji, told me due to his age it would be difficult for him to come regularly, and we respect his decision.”
“However, Shatrughan Sinha is here, one of the Bollywood icons for years. I am so happy that he has agreed to be present,” she said, pointing towards Sinha, also a Trinamool Congress MP.
Banerjee also expressed happiness over former cricketer Sourav Ganguly attending the event for the third year. “Sourav is Bengal’s brand ambassador. He is the pride of the world and I’m honoured by his presence,” she said.
The festival will screen classic Indian and international films as part of centenary tributes to prominent personalities like Marlon Brando, Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Talat Mahmood, Mohammed Rafi, Sergei Parajanov, et al. Additionally, special tributes will be paid to Kumar Shahani, Alain Delon, Gautam Halder, Manoj Mitra and others. The festival will take place across several iconic venues in Kolkata, including Nandan, Rabindra Sadan and the Science City auditorium.
— WITH PTI