Tag: Nandan

Bangla CM inaugurates Kolkata International Film Festival at a star-studded ceremony

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Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today inaugurated the 24th Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF) at a star-studded ceremony. The inaugural ceremony which took place at the Netaji Indoor Stadium, Kolkata was attended by the famous Iranian director Majid Majidi, Dadasaheb Phalke awardee Soumitra Chatterjee, Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan, the State’s brand ambassador, Shah Rukh Khan, as well as Waheeda Rehman, Nandita Das, Mahesh Bhatt.

Dignitaries from other countries – Phillip Noyce, Jil Bilcock, Simon Baker – were present as well, along with artistes and members of the Bengali film fraternity. The highlight of this year’s festival is 100 years of Bengali cinema, and there would be films by legends like Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak, Mrinal Sen and others.

The theme country this year is Australia, to be represented by film editor Jill Elizabeth Bilcock, and film-makers Phillip Noyce and Simon Becker. The Special Focus country this year would be Tunisia.

Highlights of the Chief Minister’s speech:

Your presence encourages us. Bengal welcomes all of you. Enjoy the magic of cinema in Bengal.

More than 70 countries are participating in the festival. More than 170 films will be screened. Australia is our partner country this year.

From Amitabh Bachchan to Soumitra Chatterjee, Shah Rukh to Prosenjit, to the younger generation of actors – everyone is present here.

On the occasion of 100 years of Bengali cinema we pay our homage to all the stalwarts, the artistes who took cinema to great heights.

We are blessed to have legendary figures like Madhabi Di, Sabitri Di in our midst.

If our industry gets the support, we can beat Hollywood, in terms of talent.

Bengal is the cultural capital of not only India but the world. We are the best in every sphere.

Next year we will celebrate the 25th year of Kolkata International Film Festival. We seek the vision of AB, SRK on how to celebrate it in a big way.

KIFF had lost its charm in the past, we restored it after coming to power.

We have to honour our technicians too. Our industry is incomplete without them.

I agree with Mahesh (Bhatt) Ji. Our country needs a vision.

Only in Netaji Indoor Stadium, Kolkata more than 20,000 people watch a film together in one venue. Nowhere in the world so many people watch a film together.

To commemorate the completion of 100 years of Bengali cinema, we will screen Antony Firingee as the inaugural film this year.

Why will we not organise festivals? Festivals are for all. Compete with us on the plank of development.

Unity is strength. Let us all stay united.

Kolkata International Film Festival 2016 to screen films from 65 countries

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The Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF) will kickstart the carnival of cinema on November 11 this year with the screening of 155 films from 65 countries across 105 screens at 13 venues in the city.

After being upgraded into a festival of masses, not a selected few, by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in 2011, the festival now boasts a competitive section too.

In this edition, in a new initiative, 18 shows of nine films will be screened as part of the ‘Parae Parae Cinema’. An exhibition on Uttam Kumar is also on the cards. Mamata Banerjee wanted KIFF to be a festival for all. That has been the endeavour for all the organisers.

China is the focal country this year. Seven films from China, including ‘American Dreams in China’, ‘Black Coal, Thin Ice’ and ‘Wolf Totem’, have been included in the festival.

Another new section in KIFF would be biopics where seven films on the lives of filmmakers will be shown. Besides large screens, a selection of old classical films will also be shown in theatres across the city.

The government has upgraded the screens at Rabindra Sadan and Nandan-II to 2k projection system, he added. The Bengal government has taken an initiative with actress Jaya Bachchan to restore old films.

 

বাংলার গন্ধ মেখে উঠবে চলচ্চিত্র উ९সবের পর্দা

শুরু হচ্ছে ২২ তম আন্তর্জাতিক কলকাতা চলচ্চিত্র উ९সব। ৬৫ দেশের ১৫৫টি ছবি নিয়ে শুরু হচ্ছে এই চলচ্চিত্র উ९সব। দেখানো হবে ১৩ টি পর্দায়।

মুখ্যমন্ত্রী মমতা বন্দ্যোপাধ্যায়ের চিন্তার পথ ধরেই এগিয়েছে এই উ९সবের সুর।

এবার চলচ্চিত্র উ९সবের থিম হল ‘সিনেমার সবাই, সবার সিনেমা’। আক্ষরিক অর্থে ২২ তম চলচ্চিত্র উ९সবে যেন বৈচিত্র্যের সমাহার। ১১ নভেম্বর নেতাজি ইনডোর স্টেডিয়ামে উদ্বোধন হবে। উদ্বোধনী অনুষ্ঠানেও দেখানো হবে বাংলা ছবি।

‘পাড়ায় পাড়ায় সিনেমা’ এর অংশ হিসাবে ৯ টি ছবির ১৮টি শো প্রদর্শিত হবে। উত্তম কুমারের ছবির উপর একটি প্রদর্শনী হবে। মমতা বন্দ্যোপাধ্যায় চান সাধারণ মানুষ থেকে বুদ্ধিজীবী সকলে এই উ९সবে সামিল হোক।

এবছরের উ९সবে চিনকে বিশেষ মর্যাদা দেওয়া হয়েছে। রয়েছে সেই দেশের ৭ টি সিনেমা। অ্যামেরিকান ড্রিমস ইন সিনেমা, ব্ল্যাক কোল, থিন আইসএবং উল্ফ টোটেম দেখানো হবে এই উ९সবে।

চলচ্চিত্র উ९সবের ছবি দেখানো হবে নন্দন–১, নন্দন–২, নন্দন–৩ ছাড়াও শিশির মঞ্চ, রবীন্দ্রসদন, রক্সি, নজরুল তীর্থ, নবীনা, স্টার থিয়েটার, কার্নিভাল সিনেমা, মিত্রা ও সিটি সেন্টার–১ এর আইনক্সে। ইতিমধ্যেই রবীন্দ্র সদন ও নন্দন চত্বর সবুজায়ন কড়া হচ্ছে ও আরও জায়গা বাড়ানো হচ্ছে। উ९সব চলবে ১৮ নভেম্বর পর্যন্ত।‌‌‌‌

 

Kolkata International Children’s Film Festival begins

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The Kolkata International Children’s Film Festival (KICFF), to be held from 22 December to 29 December, in which 21 countries will participate and around 180 films will be screened. The inaugural ceremony will be held today at Nandan I.

This is the fifth year that the festival is being organised. To imbue the young film lovers with the spirit of movie making, as a special attraction an exhibition is being organised in the prime venue at Nandan. The exhibition will trace the evolution of the movie camera. In the inaugural ceremony, ministers Amit Mitra, Aroop Biswas and Shashi Panja are expected to be present.

The child artistes of Marathi film Killa are also expected to come for the inaugural ceremony along with the director, Avinash Arun. Killa, which revolves around an 11-year-old child undergoing a difficult time coping with the death of his father, has been chosen as the inaugural film for this year’s festival.

This year, the festival will pay homage to two of the most versatile geniuses in the film world, Robin Williams and Buster Keaton. To make the festival more engaging the organisers have thrown in workshops and a competitive quiz.

Another exhibition titled Dakche Dekho Daktickit (a collection of classic stamps) will be organised and a special anthology to commemorate 125 years of Stan Laurel will be launched. Pappu ki Pugdandi has been chosen as the closing film of the festival.