Amitabh Bachchan to inaugurate Kolkata film fest

As many as 149 films by 137 directors from 61 countries will be screened across 12 venues at the 21st Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF), which will be inaugurated here on November 14 by megastar Amitabh Bachchan, organisers said on Tuesday.

His wife Jaya, actresses Vidya Balan, Sharmila Tagore and Moushumi Chatterjee will also grace the occasion. However, superstar Shah Rukh Khan, a regular at the openings, will not be present due to film commitments.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will preside over the ceremony. An innovative musical performance titled “Maestros of Bengal” will headline the event.

The fest concludes on November 21.

Among the 15 segments, new sections like ‘Films on Sports’ and ‘India Unheard’ have been introduced to showcase Ladakhi, Nepali and Konkani languages. The festival is budgeted at Rs.8 crore.

“This year for the second time, the KIFF is a competitive event. The competition focuses on women filmmakers. The Royal Bengal trophy will be awarded to the best film (Rs.51 lakh) and the best director (Rs.21 lakh),” said KIFF director Yadab Mandal.

Tagore is the jury chairperson this year.

“The cash award for the best film is the single largest cash award at Aany international film festival now,” claimed Mandal, adding a whopping 121 entries were received but only 14 selected for the competitive segment.

As many as 176 films have been selected for the short and documentary segment which also has been made a competitive element of the fest.

Mandal said majority of the films are new but classics such as Anthony Quinn’s “Zorba The Greek”, Orson Welles’ “Citizen Kane” and William Wyler’s “Ben Hur” are also part of the oeuvre.

Actor Rahul Bose will deliver the Satyajit Ray Memorial Lecture but organisers declined to divulge names of other speakers and international participants.

Inputs by IANS