The Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF) is all set to start in the city on 05 December 2023. The 29th edition of the KIFF is organized by the Information and Cultural Affairs Department, Government of West Bengal. It is scheduled to be held between 5 – 12 December 2023. Kolkata, the cultural capital of the nation, will hold a wide range of films across several categories that promise to delight any film buff.
The film festival is accredited by the International Federation of Film Producers’ Association or FIAPF.
As in previous years, 29th KIFF promises to be an exciting, appealing, and satisfying event for the cine lovers of the city and beyond as they get another opportunity to enjoy the magic of world cinema right in Kolkata.
The focus country of this year’s KIFF is Spain and there will be a Retrospective on Bruce Beresford, talented Australian film director and screenwriter with a career spanning over 50 years.
A selection of Pavel Lungin’s (Russian film director) films will be screened at the 29th KIFF.
The jury that will select from the entries across multiple competition categories comprises of Tigmanshu Dhulia, Angela Molina, Laurence Kardish, Manijeh Hekmat, and Pavel Lungin.
The Kolkata International Film Festival started in the year 1995, with inspiration drawn inspiration from great film stalwarts like Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak, Mrinal Sen, and many more from the world of cinema in Bengal. In their own individual ways, they went on to contribute to world cinema and leave an indelible mark with their films.
Right from its inception, KIFF earned international accolades but was somewhat restricted to a certain class and category of cine-goers.
In the year 2011, Chief Minister, West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee took the onus of changing the fabric of the event to make it appealing to the masses who loved cinema and films at their core.
Now, KIFF is formatted to reach to the common man, to touching of cine lovers with great world cinema and ensure a week of fabulous film festivity in the city. As one of the flagship events of the state government, KIFF is not for Kolkata cinephiles alone. Each passing year has seen KIFF growing bigger and more enriching in terms of variety, drawing cinema lovers from suburban towns and districts of the state apart from delegates from over the world.
Bengali