31st Kolkata International Film Festival to showcase 215 films from 39 countries

Kolkata: The 31st Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF) is set to feature 215 films from 39 countries, celebrating global cinema from November 6 to 13 across 21 theatres in the city, state minister Aroop Biswas announced on Tuesday.

The festival will open on November 6 with the screening of the Bengali classic ‘Saptapadi’ (1961), starring Uttam Kumar and Suchitra Sen. The inaugural ceremony, to be attended by West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, will mark the beginning of the week-long cinematic celebration. The list of other special guests will be revealed soon, officials said.

Out of the 215 films, 185 are full-length features and 30 are short films, representing 18 Indian languages and 30 international languages.

This year, Poland has been chosen as the focus country, with 19 Polish films slated for screening. The ‘Unheard India’ section will present eight films in lesser-known Indian languages, highlighting the nation’s cultural and linguistic diversity.

The festival will also honour iconic filmmakers in a ‘Centenary Tribute’ section dedicated to Ritwik Ghatak, Richard Burton, Salil Chowdhury and Raj Khosla. Four of Ghatak’s masterpieces – Ajantrik, Komol Gandhar, Titas Ekti Nadir Naam and Meghe Dhaka Tara – will be screened as part of the tribute.

In the ‘Special Tribute’ segment, works by renowned directors Robert Bedford, Shyam Benegal and Arun Roy will be screened.

The prestigious Satyajit Ray Memorial Lecture will be held on November 7, featuring veteran filmmaker Ramesh Sippy as the guest speaker. The event will also commemorate 50 years of his iconic film ‘Sholay’, a landmark in Indian cinema.

(with agency inputs)