Tag: Alexander Sokurov

The 21st edition of Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF), India’s second oldest film festival, that begins today, will raise a toast to Hollywood classics and shine the spotlight on cinema in relatively unheard Indian dialects.

As many as 149 films by 137 directors from 61 countries will be screened across 12 venues in the week-long extravaganza organised by the West Bengal government. The fest concludes on November 21.

Adhering to tradition, the fest had a star-studded opening with megastar Amitabh Bachchan inaugurating the event. His wife Jaya, actresses Vidya Balan, Sharmila Tagore and Moushumi Chatterjee also graced the occasion.

State Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee presided over the ceremony. An innovative musical performance titled “Maestros of Bengal” was the highlight of the inaugural ceremony.

World of cinema

The films have been divided into 15 segments. The ‘Focus Hollywood’ section consists of a line-up of seven Hollywood gems spanning 1920 to 1970s.

These include Clyde Bruckman’s silent comedy film “The General”, Michael Curtiz’s romantic “Casablanca”, William Wyler’s historical drama “Ben-Hur” and Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins’s musical “West Side Story”.

The rich filmmaking tradition of Europe will not be forgotten at the KIFF amid Hollywood glamour.

Six films each by French maestro Jean Renoir and Portuguese filmmaking legend Manoel De Oliveira are set to draw world cinema enthusiasts.

With new sections like ‘Films on Sports’ and ‘India Unheard’, it’s foraying into variety catered to youth and human interest issues. ‘India Unheard’ will showcase films in Ladakhi, Nepali and Konkani languages among others. Three films will be shown in the ‘Bengali Panorama’ section.

Royal Bengal Trophy

This year for the second time, the KIFF is a competitive event. The competition focuses on films helmed by women filmmakers.

Headed by Tagore, the jury comprising well-known Chinese-American actress Bai Ling, Polish director Filip Marczewski, Israeli filmmaker Samuel Maoz and Sri Lankan actress Swarna Mallawarachchi, will select the Best Film and Best Director from 14 short-listed movies.

The prize, the Royal Bengal trophy will be awarded to the Best Film and the Best Director.

The 21st edition of the Kolkata International Film Festival, organised by the State I& CA Dept,  has grown in its stature by leap and bounds in the past three years and this year promises to be more exciting. It will be starry affair right from Day I, with the likes of Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Sharmila Tagore, Moushumi Chatterjee and Vidya Balan, among others, gracing the inaugural ceremony on November 14.

The biggest incentive for cine buffs, for example, is the screening of Carlos Saura’s `Zonda, folclore argentino’. In a coup of sorts, this is the first film festival in India that will get to screen the Spanish master’s latest movie.

Some months back, West Bengal Chief minister Mamata Banerjee had sent a delegation to the Cannes Film Festival to facilitate the selection of good movies for KIFF. The efforts seem to have paid off. The organizers have successfully managed to get quite a few award-winning films from this year’s Cannes, Berlin and Venice film festivals, including Jafar Panahi’s Iranian drama titled `Taxi’, which won the Golden Bear and the FIPRESCI Prize at this year’s Berlin International Film Festival. Then there is Tsai Ming-liang’s `Afternoon’ that was screened at this year’s Venice International Film Festival as well as Alexander Sokurov’s 2015 French drama titled `Francofonia’ (screened at the main competition section of the 72nd Venice International Film Festival).

Nanni Moretti’s `Mia Madre’, Takeshi Miike’s `Yakuza Apocalypse: The Great War of the Underworld’ and Hou Hsiao-hsien’s `The Assassin’ are a part of the KIFF screening list. Andreas Dresen’s `As We Were Dreaming’, which was in the main competition of Berlin International Film Festival, has also been selected.Festival-favourite Kim Ki Duk’s Stop’ and Mani Ratnam’s `OK Kanmani’ that was premiered at the Busan Film Festival’s Window to Asian Cinema category have made it to KIFF as well.

Mr Bachchan’s inaugural speech at last year’s KIFF was one of the most-talked-about subjects related to the film festival. This year too, the expectations are no less from the actor. The presence of stalwarts apart, KIFF’s inaugural ceremony will have a unique audio-visual presentation. The show is being conceived by Bickram Ghosh. Participating in this programme will be stalwart musicians like vocalist Ustad Rashid Khan, sarod player Pt Tejendra Narayan Mazumdar, saxophone player George Brooks and percussionist Taufiq Quereshi. Percussionist Ratul Shankar is composing the theme music for the KIFF.