31st KIFF ends with a surprise CM visit and creative-economy message
Times of India | 14 November 2025
Kolkata: Chief minister
paid a surprise visit to the closing ceremony of the 31st Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF) on Thursday to give away the Royal Bengal Tiger award.
The international jury, setting a new benchmark at KIFF, bestowed the top Golden Royal Bengal Tiger Award for Best Film for International Competition on ‘Innovation in Moving Images' of Rs 51 lakh on a Cuban documentary. David Lim's ‘To The West in Zapata' also got the FIPRESCI award for international competition.
KIFF chairperson Goutam Ghose was honoured with the lifetime achievement award in celebration of the 100th anniversary of FIPRESCI.
Ghose dedicated it to the "noble soul" of his wife, Neelanjana, who passed away three weeks ago. "Whatever I have achieved was due to her great support and artistic vision. I don't know how to navigate in the sea of life without her," he said.
Ghose was joined on the stage at Rabindra Sadan by actor-politician Dev, music director Shantanu Moitra, director Srijit Mukherji, KIFF chief adviser and minister Aroop Biswas, minister and KIFF co-chief adviser Indranil Sen, and director-general KIFF Shantanu Basu.
The CM described Bengal as "the cultural capital of India" that promoted unity, diversity and peace. She said the next KIFF would "grow in strength".
"We'll go for a big jump," she said, highlighting the need to strengthen the creative economy. "Nobody can survive without creativity."
The bestowing of the 31 KIFF's top award on a non-fiction work highlighted the need to understand the convergence of fiction and non-fiction to celebrate excellence in cinema.
"Here, the realms of fiction and non-fiction merged into a holistic unit," said jury member Sunny Joseph. The Special Jury award for international competition went to a Croatian film, Ivona Juka's ‘Beautiful Evening, Beautiful Day', which explored homosexuality.
The Best Director award went to Lalith Rathnayake for ‘Riverstone'.
Lim's docu, which he shot, edited and directed, took eight years to make and was filmed in a Cuba swamp, infested with crocodiles, mosquitoes and parasites.
It explores the challenges a couple faced in raising their son with autism. Lim couldn't attend the festival as his visa applications were rejected. "How I miss not being able to be in Kolkata," he told TOI from Zapata in Cuba.
Three non-fiction works won in the documentary category. While Debalina Majumder's ‘Jilipibalar Bondhura' and Sujit Debbarma and Pranab Jyoti Deka's ‘My Last Face: Kungbara' won the special mention award, Joydeep Banerjee's ‘Saga of a Glorious Life: Bijoylaxmi Barman' won the Best Documentary award.
In Indian languages, Best Film, Best Director and Special Jury awards went to films made in Sikkimese, Khasi and Krabi. SRFTI alumna Tribeny Rai, whose ‘Shape of Momo' won the Best Film, said, "Winning this award in Kolkata means the world to me," she told TOI. Pradip Kurbah, who picked up the Best Director award, said, "‘Ha Lyngkha Bneng' was born from a place of honesty, struggle and love." Chandrasish Ray's ‘Porshi' won in the Bengali Panorama section and Sivaranjini's ‘Victoria' got the NETPAC award for Best Film.
Short films, Ravi Kumar's ‘Songs of the Mist' and Sudipta Barai's ‘Aparthiba' won the special jury award. Liton Paul's ‘Nyingma... Through Her Eyes' got Golden Royal Bengal Tiger award for Best Indian Short Film.