Bengal directors’ award-winning films to miss KIFF competition
Times of India | 16 October 2025
Kolkata: Movie buffs expected Purulia girl Anuparna Roy's Venice winner ‘Songs of Forgotten Trees' and Barrackpore-born Tanushree Das's Berlin-premiered ‘Shadowbox (Baksho Bondi)' to compete for the Golden Royal Bengal Tiger award at the 31st Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF).
However, the only Indian film selected in the international competition — revealed on the KIFF site on Wednesday — was neither of these two. Failure to meet the application deadline and a date clash with the Asian premiere at another international festival are some reasons these films are not in competition at KIFF.
The Golden Royal Bengal Tiger Award is presented to the best film and best director in the International Competition category for "Innovation in Moving Images".
It comes with a cash prize — Rs 51 lakh for the best film and Rs 21 lakh for the best director. A KIFF source told TOI that some guidelines must be followed for submissions in the competitive section. This year, aspirants had to submit the entry form along with the online link of the finished film by Aug 14.
The KIFF international competition has accepted films that will have an Indian premiere at the festival and must have been completed between Sept 1, 2024, and Aug 14, 2025.
The only Indian film among the 15 entries in this competition is Pradipta Bhattacharyya's ‘Nadharer Bhela'. "No application was made by the producer of ‘Songs of Forgotten Trees' for the international competition. Yet, the I&CA department sent a letter requesting the director's presence at the inaugural ceremony, where we wanted to felicitate her. We were also keen on arranging a special screening of the film. However, her co-producer Bibhanshu Rai sent an email stating that she will be travelling to Hong Kong on Nov 7 for another festival and won't be able to attend this year's KIFF," the source said.
Roy won the Best Director Award in the Orizzonti (Horizons) section at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival this year while BFI London Film Festival screened the film on Oct 8 and 12.
On her absence from KIFF, Roy said, "We wanted an Asian premiere and the dates were clashing between KIFF and Hong Kong Asian Film Festival."
Kolkata movie buffs have been equally hopeful about ‘Shadowbox', set against the backdrop of Barrackpore. It was selected in the Perspectives segment of the 75th Berlin International Film Festival and was screened on Feb 16 — being in competition. According to the KIFF source, "Tilotamma Shome, who plays the lead in ‘Shadowbox' was keen to have the film at KIFF. But it was sent after the application deadline." Das told TOI: "We have written to KIFF and are in touch with them.