The 26th Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF) has been rescheduled to January 2021, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced on Thursday.
Scheduled to be held this year between November 5 and 12, the festival has now been postponed and will be held between January 8 and 15, 2021.
After receiving global film fraternity's consent, I hereby inform all stakeholders of Kolkata International Film Festival & cine lovers that our festival has been rescheduled, given the current circumstances. It will now be held from Jan 8-15, 2021. Let the preparations begin!
— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) October 29, 2020
Organised by the Information and Cultural Affairs department of the state government, the film fest is the third oldest international film festival in India.
In its usual format, the festival showcases feature films (not less than 60 minutes), short films (not more than 30 minutes) and documentaries (not more than 60 minutes).
Among the official selections at this year’s KIFF is Subhrajit Mitra’s Abhijatrik (The Wanderlust of Apu), under the section of Indian Languages in the National Competition. The film stars Arjun Chakraborty who will portray the iconic character of ‘Apu’ from Satyajit Ray’s classic Apu Trilogy. Shot in Benaras, Gorubathan, Bolpur, Taki and Kolkata, the film essays a story in which Apu relives his own childhood through the eyes of his son when he visits his village Nischindipur and Benaras with him.
Other films lined-up for this category include Kosa, Orangu Marangalude Veedu (House of Orange Trees), Kalla Nottam (The False Eye), Mohandas, Laila Aur Satt Geet (The Shepherdess And The Seven Songs), Pinki Elli (Where Is Pinki?), and Belcony T Bhagowan (God On The Balcony).
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Award-winning Bangladeshi drama Nonajoler Kabbo (The Salt in our Waters), is also lined-up under the category of Asian Select NETPAC Award (Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema). The story of the film is based in a remote coastal village of Bangladesh where a young artist relocates and in the process shows a story of resilience and clash-of-cultures.
Other films in the category include Gisoum; Not Today; Mahanagar (One Night In Kathmandu); Oru Karakkum Mattanekangalkkumidayil (Between One Shore And Several Others); Thanh Pho Ngu Gat (Drowsy City); Priyo Chinar Pata, Iti Segun (Fire of Teak Flame of Chinar).
The third category is that of International Competition: Innovation In Moving Images.
Last year, the 25th chapter of KIFF screened 213 films from 76 countries, including India. Amid the several wins last year, Indrasis Acharya-directed Parcel, featuring Rituparna Sengupta and Saswata Chatterjee, won the Best Director award. The film was re-released earlier this month when theatres reopened after seven months of lockdown.