29th Kolkata International Film Festival opened to celebrate “International Friendship through Films”

Partha Roy, Kolkata: 29th Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF) opened by Chief Minister of West Bengal Smt. Mamata Banerjee in presence of galaxy of National and International film personalities including film directors, film producers, Diplomats, Bureaucrats, industrialists, large no.of civil society members, as well as film aficionados to celebrate “International Friendship through Films” on December 5, 2023. The Film Festival is being organised from December 5-12, 2023. Keeping in view popularity of KIFF and to encourage wider people’s participation in Inaguration Ceremony was organised at Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata.

29th KIFF opened with 1963 romantic comedy Bengali film Deya Neya by Sunil Bannerjee, This year, a total of 219 movies from 39 countries is being screened from December 5 to 12 across 23 venues in the city. These include 72 feature films and 50 shorts and documentaries.

Spain is the focus country at the film festival and six works from the country is being screened. Australia is the special focus country and its films is being screened too. A retrospective of Australian Cinema of New South Wales born Oscar winning Film Director Bruce Beresford is being celebrated.

The title song of the festival, written by Srijato, composed by Indraadip Dasgupta and sung Arijit Singh is highlight of this year. The festival is offering special tributes Indian filmmaker Mrinal Sen, Indian actor Dev Anand, British feature-film, theatre and documentary director Lindsay Anderson, English actor, film director and producer Richard Attenborough, American actor Charlton Heston, Senegalese film director, producer and writer Ousmane Sembene, Indian playback singer Mukesh and Indian Hindi-Urdu Poet, lyricist and film producer Shailendra all having birth centenary this year.

Homage is being paid to Italian actress, model, photojournalist Gina Lollobrigida; Spanish film director, photographer Carlos Saura; English film critic and historian Derek Malcolm; Indian cinematographer Soumendu Roy and Iranian filmmaker Dariush Mehrjui, who all passed away in 2023.

The KIFF 2023 has an International Competition section (Innovation in Moving Images), under which 13 films from across the world will vie for the Best Film and Best Director Golden Royal Bengal Trophies, including Russian figure skater and world champion Maxim Shabalin’s drama “The Four Seasons” (2023). The KIFF 2023 will also include a screening of the Russian science fiction film “Mira” (2022, directed by Dmitry Kiselev), as well as a retrospective of movies by director Pavel Lungin: “Taxi Blues” (1990), “Poor Relatives” (2005), “The Island” (2006), “Tsar” (2009), “The Conductor” (2012), “The Queen of Spades” (2016), “Leaving Afghanistan” (2019).

People of India specially West Bengal have historical Friendship with people of Russia. Selection and screening of Russian films will be strengthening cultural relationship between people of both nations-Russia and India.

In view of current effort of strengthening of Australia-India multi-dimensional relationship, Celebration of Australian Cinema as special focus country will be catalyzing enhancement of Cultural Relationship between both nations.

KIFF was started in 1995. 29th KIFF is playing important role in strengthening multi-dimensional goodwill and trade relation between Cultural Capital of India – Kolkata and the World.