Film festivals has become the current rage - where we have extended presentation of films in one or more screening venues, usually with some films shown outdoors. Films may be of recent date or classics, depending upon the festival's focus. It can include international and domestic releases.
One such film festival, is the Kolkata International Film Festival or KIFF on its 27th edition. Started by the West Bengal state government in 1995 and is the third oldest film festival in the country.
What is 27th KIFF?
The 27th edition of Kolkata International Film Festival has been designed in a smarter frame. Alike to the 26th edition, it is proposed for the cine lovers, critics, actors and film lovers so that they continue to feel the pulse of the gala international film festival in the Cultural Capital of India.
The festival is scheduled to run from 25th of April to the 1st of May this year. It is a day less than the duration of the original film festival.
Venue of KIFF?
The diverse venues are Nandan, Rabindra Sadan, Sisir Mancha, Kolkata Information Centre, Rabindra Okakura Bhavan in Salt Lake, Nazrul Tirtha in New Town and Cinema Centenary Building in Tollygunge will all be working at one hundred percent capacity this year.
The festival will be screening 104 feature films and 59 short films and documentaries in the festival from 40 countries.
What are the details of KIFF?
Iconic filmmaker Satyajit Ray’s “Aranyer Dinratri” will be screened after the inauguration on April 25, at both Rabindra Sadan and Nazrul Mancha. Director Shoojit Sircar will deliver the Satyajit Ray Memorial Lecture on April 26 at Sisir Mancha.
All living cast and crew members of Ray have been invited for a special adda on his 101st birth anniversary on May 1 at Rabindra Sadan at 3pm.
As per reports- Centenary tribute will be paid to Chidananda Dasgupta and Miklos Jancso as well as special tributes to Dilip Kumar, Jean-Claude Carrière, Jean-Paul Belmondo and Abhishek Chatterjee.
Exhibitions will be held on Ray at the Nandan foyer and Nazrul Tirtha, and on Lata Mangeshkar, Bappi Lahiri, Dilip Kumar and Sandhya Mukhopadhyay at Gaganendra Pradarshashala. There will be displays on Dasgupta and Jancso, as also on Dasgupta, Swatilekha Sengupta and Abhishek Chatterjee on other floors of the venue.
History of KIFF?
Started in the year 1995, it was meant as the culmination of a film society movement that drew its inspiration from the masters of Bengali Cinema - Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak, Mrinal Sen. Even though prestigious, it was a comparatively small affair.
However, Since 2011, under the guidance of the Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee , the Festival has reached a whole new level in terms of profile, publicity and reach. This film Festival has become a flagship event of the Government of West Bengal now. The Kolkata International Film Festival grew into a larger and more inclusive celebration of cinema, a festival which is not just grand in scale, but also accessible to the common mass.
You can find the film schedule and more details here.
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