The Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF) is going to be inaugurated today. Like every year, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is scheduled to do the honours. The festival will continue till November 17.
This year will be the 24th year of the festival, which has grown hugely over the last few years of the Trinamool Congress Government. The chief minister takes a personal interest in this annual international programme.
The special attraction this year is 100 years of Bengali cinema. The theme country is Australia.
That the festival is gaining a name for itself in the world of international film festival is attested by the fact that increasingly prominent film personalities from around the world are attending the festival.
The highlight of 100 years of Bengali cinema would be films by legends like Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak and Mrinal Sen. A special pavilion of film-related pictures and posters, highlighting the rich history of cinema in Bengal, would also be created.
This year, the famous Iranian director, Majid Majidi would be coming and would also be attending the inauguration programme. Australian film editor Jill Elizabeth Bilcock, of Romeo+Juliet and Moulin Rouge fame, would be present. Also attending the festival would be director Phillip Noyce, also from Australia.
Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan will grace the inauguration programme this year too, along with the State’s brand ambassador, Shah Rukh Khan, as well as Sanjay Dutt, Sharmila Tagore and Mahesh Bhatt.
According to a senior government official, this year more number of films would be screened.
Source: Bartaman