West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee during the 44th death anniversary function of actor Uttam Kumar (Mahanayak), in Kolkata on Wednesday
| Photo Credit: ANI
The 30th edition of the Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF) is all set to have a competitive section on Bengali Language Films called the Bengali Panorama. It will also have a competitive section for Indian language films. The festival is organised by the Information and Cultural Affairs Department, Government of West Bengal, and will be held between December four and 11 announced CM Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday.
The announcement of the festival dates was made at the 44th death anniversary of celebrated veteran Bengali actor, Uttam Kumar. The event was organised at the Dhanadhanya Auditorium in Kolkata.
The competitive section on Bengali Language Films will have a cash prize of ₹7,50,000 and the winner of the Indian Language Films section will get a cash prize of ₹10,00,000 to be shared equally between the Director and Producer of the film. The director of the movie will also be given the Golden Royal Bengal Trophy in both cases.
The CM also appointed senior filmmaker Goutam Ghose as KIFF chairman and iconic actor Prosenjit Chatterjee as the vice-chairman. Ms. Banerjee said at the event that like every other celebrated edition of KIFF, this year will also be about showcasing the best of international movies at the festival in December.
On the appointment of Ghose and Chatterjee as chairman and vice-chairman, she said, “They will form a committee consisting of other experts to organise this year’s festival in a grand manner, showcasing the best films.” Ms. Banerjee reflected on a nostalgic moment from her past and said how as a child, her mother used to take her to watch films of the legendary Uttam Kumar. She also said how Mr. Kumar helped epitomised the culture and heritage of Bengal in cinemas.
Ms. Banerjee also said, “Playback songs [on Uttam Kumar’s lips] in movies remain immortal. He is inseparable from West Bengal’s heritage. He has taught us not to lose our identity and roots.”
All entries for the Kolkata International Film Festival are now open and can be accessed from their website. The official selections for the festival will be announced by November 15.
There will be competitions at the film festival under these categories, International Competition: Innovation in Moving Images, Competition on Indian Languages, Asian Select (NETPAC Award), Bengali Panorama, National Competition on Documentary, National Competition on Short Fiction. There is a non-competition category also called Cinema International.
According to their official statement, this film festival “aims at creating a platform for better understanding of the films of past and present of the world in an atmosphere of appreciation of the film culture and to move towards excellence of the motion picture art and industry.”
KIFF also stated, “A film which is not accepted for the Competition Section can be shown in the CONTEMPORARY WORLD CINEMA or in any of the other non-competition sections with the consent of the entrant.”
