Kolkata International Film Festival announces France as focus country

Committee members of the 30th edition of the Kolkata International Film Festival unveil schedule and film lineup on November 29, 2024 in Kolkata.
| Photo Credit: DEBASISH BHADURI

The 30th edition of the Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF), slated to kick off on December 4, announced its lineup of 175 films from 29 countries, and revealed France as the focus country of this year’s film festival. 

The lineup includes 42 feature-length films, and 30 shorts and documentaries in competitive categories, and 103 films in non-competitive categories. Screenings will take place in 20 venues in different parts of the city between December 5 and 11. 

“The French film selection offers a rich and diverse cinematic experience with 21 different French films. These include contemporary French films by women directors, French classics, short films, and documentaries,” Nicolas Facino, director of Alliance Francaise du Bengale said. “Some contemporary French filmmakers are also set to arrive in Kolkata to present their films at KIFF.”

He added that KIFF will also screen La Souriante Madame Beudet (The Smiling Madame Beudet), a silent film made in 1923 by pioneering feminist French filmmaker Germaine Dulac. 

Notably, the festival will also screen classic Indian and international films as part of centenary tributes to prominent film personalities like Tapan Sinha, Marlon Brando, Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Talat Mahmood, Mohammed Rafi, Sergei Parajanov, et al. Meanwhile, special tributes will be given to Kumar Shahani, Alain Delon, Gautam Halder, Manoj Mitra and others.

“The 1966 film, Galpo Holeo Satti, directed by Tapan Sinha will be the inaugural film of the 30th KIFF. It will screened on December 4 at Kolkata’s Dhono Dhanyo Auditorium at 5.30 pm at the inaugural ceremony of KIFF,” Aroop Biswas, West Bengal Minister and Chief Advisor to KIFF said on Friday.

Chairperson of the 30th KIFF Goutam Ghose highlighted that the festival this year will also screen certain films with projections from their original celluloid, like Chokh and Debsishu by reputed director from the 1980s, Utpalendu Chakraborty. 

Like other years, the 30th edition of the KIFF has unveiled ‘Unheard India’, a non-competitive category that boasts of screenings of multiple films made in Indian languages like Garhwali, Konkani and Tulu.