Kolkata Film Festival set to begin on November 10

Total number of 127 films from 38 countries will be screened at the 16th Kolkata Film Festival, scheduled to be held from November 10 to 17. The 8 day film carnival will begin with the Costa Rican film Of Love and Other Demons directed by Hilda Hidalgo.

The film is about an adolescent girl born in a noble family who is never given the chance to determine her own future. Later, her family, thinking she is possessed by a demon, abandons her.

The film festival will have 12 segments including those titled Celebration, Centenary Tribute, Homage and Honour.

In the Celebration section, four films based on Rabindranath Tagore’s stories will be shown. In the Centenary Tribute category, films directed by the legendary Japanese film maker Akira Kurosawa will be shown. The documentary Sikkim directed by Satyajit Ray will also be screened.

While the organisers are a little demoralised with the fewer number of films in the Kolkata festival, chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee felt that quantity should not be the benchmark for quality. The Kolkata Film Festival has been his baby since its inception in 1995.

He has been the chief patron of the event.

But, the government has drastically slashed the film festival budget this year. The customary tea parties and dinners that were a part of the festival have been dropped. The list of foreign delegates has also been pruned radically this year. It makes no sense to invite international critics and producers, the CM said.