The 29th Kolkata International Film Festival began on 5 December 2023 at Netaji Indoor Stadium, in Kolkata, India. A 1963 romantic comedy Bengali film Deya Neya by Sunil Bannerjee opened the festival, which screened 219 films from 39 countries.[1] Spain and Australia were country of focus in this edition of the festival.[2] The opening ceremony was attended by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Salman Khan, Anil Kapoor, Sonakshi Sinha, Shatrughan Sinha, Mahesh Bhatt and cricketer Sourav Ganguly among others.[3]
 Official Logo | |
| Opening film | Deya Neya by Sunil Bannerjee |
|---|---|
| Location | Netaji Indoor Stadium, Kolkata |
| Founded | 1995 |
| Awards |
|
| Hosted by | Information and Cultural Affairs Department, Government of West Bengal |
| No. of films | 219 films from 39 countries |
| Festival date | Opening: 5 December 2023 Closing: 12 December 2023 |
| Website | kiff |
The festival closed on 12 December with the announcement of the awards in the closing ceremony, attended by filmmaker Sudhir Mishra, actor-dancer Mamata Shankar and actress Aditi Rao Hydari among others. Children of Nobody by Erez Tadmor, an Israeli film on the challenges faced by inmates of a shelter for at-risk youths was awarded 'Golden Royal Bengal Tiger Award' for the best film whereas Carlos Malave of Venezuela, received the 'Golden Royal Bengal Tiger Award for Best Director' for his film One Way.[4]
Highlights of the year edit
KIFF's title song
The title song of the festival, written by Srijato, composed by Indraadip Dasgupta and sung Arijit Singh is highlight of this year.
Paying tribute to legends
Indian filmmaker Mrinal Sen, Indian actor Dev Anand, British feature-film, theatre and documentary director Lindsay Anderson, English actor, film director and producer Richard Attenborough, American actor Charlton Heston, Senegalese film director, producer and writer Ousmane Sembène, Indian playback singer Mukesh and Indian Hindi-Urdu Poet, lyricist and film producer Shailendra all having birth centenary this year will be given special tribute in the festival.[5]
Exhibitions of Mrinal Sen and Dev Anand were unveiled at Nandan and Nazrul Tirtha on 7 December.[6]
Bengali Panorama section
The section is a competitive section from this year and the winner's purse is ₹7.5 lakh.[7][8]
Paying homage through special tribute
Italian actress, model, photojournalist Gina Lollobrigida; Spanish film director, photographer Carlos Saura; English film critic and historian Derek Malcolm; Indian cinematographer Soumendu Roy and Iranian filmmaker Dariush Mehrjui, who all passed away in 2023 will be paid homage.[8]
PR and social media
A new category called 'PR and social media' is introduced to reach out to people interested in films across the globe.
Jury edit
International jury edit
International Competition: Innovation in Moving Images
- Pavel Lungin, (Chairperson), Russian film director.
- Laurence Kardish, author of Reel Plastic Magic (1972), a textbook on American filmmaking, and has also been a playwright and filmmaker
- Tigmanshu Dhulia, Indian film dialogue writer, director, actor, screenwriter, producer and casting director.
- Ángela Molina, Spanish actress
- Manijeh Hekmat, Iranian film director
Competition on Indian language's films
- Rüdiger Suchsland, German film journalist, film critic and director
- Amal Ayouch, Moroccan actress
- Mariam Al Ferjani, Tunisian actress, scriptwriter, director, and artist
Asian Select (NETPAC Award)
- Patrick F. Campos, associate professor at the University of the Philippines Diliman and Film Institute and a member of NETPAC.
- Madhurima Sinha, Indian writer and filmmaker
- Ilgar Guliyev, Azerbaijan film director
Bengali Panorama
- P. Sheshadri, Indian film director
- Dnyanesh Zoting, Indian director and writer
- Padmapriya Janakiraman, Indian actress
Competition on Indian short films
- Amaresh Chakraborti, retired professor of Satyajit Ray Film & Television Institute, Kolkata
- Abhro Banerjee, film editor
- Paresh Kamdar, Indian director and editor
Competition on Indian documentary films
- R.V. Ramani, Indian filmmaker, cinematographer and teacher,
- Putul Mahmood, filmmaker, producer and teacher
- Malati Rao, Indian filmmaker
Official selection edit
Sections
Inaugural film edit
| Year | English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inaugural Film | ||||
| 1963 | Give and Take | Deya Neya | Sunil Bannerjee | India |
Competition categories edit
International Competition: Innovation in Moving Images edit
- Highlighted title indicates award winner
| Year | English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 60 Days | Ismail Doruk | Turkey | |
| 2022 | A Letter from Helga | Svar við bréfi Helgu | Ása Helga Hjörleifsdóttir | Iceland, Netherlands, Estonia |
| 2023 | Broken Borders | Soy lo que nunca fui | Rodrigo Alvarez Flores | Mexico |
| 2022 | Children of Nobody | Erez Tadmor | Israel | |
| 2023 | Clara | Sabin Dorohoi | Romania, Germany | |
| 2022 | Filip | Michał Kwieciński | Poland | |
| 2023 | Four Seasons | Maxim Shabalin | Russia | |
| 2023 | Gondola | Veit Helmer | Germany, Georgia | |
| 2023 | Kaleidoscope Now | Chalchitra Ekhon | Anjan Dutt | India |
| 2023 | Land of Our Mothers | Tierra de nuestras madres | Liz Lobato | Spain |
| 2022 | One Way | Carlos Daniel Malave | Venezuela | |
| 2023 | Scarlet Blue | Aurelia Mengin | France | |
| 2023 | We Will Not Fade Away | Alisa Kovalenko | Ukraine, Poland, France | |
Competition on Indian Language's Films edit
| Year | English title | Original title | Director(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Avni Ki Kismat | Shonet Anthony Barretto | |
| 2023 | Quiet Flows the Dead | Ozhuki Ozhuki Ozhuki | Sanjeev Sivan |
| 2023 | Blue Sunshine | Samyuktha Vijayan | |
| 2023 | Kherwal | Uttam Kamati | |
| 2023 | Joseph’s Son | Haobam Pabankumar | |
| 2023 | The Ascension | Onkara | Unni KR |
| 2023 | Valli | Manoj Shinde | |
| 2023 | Wild Swans | Gorai Phakhri | Rajni Basumatary |
| 2023 | Kandeelu The Ray Of Hope | K Yashoda Prakash | |
| 2023 | Surrender | Samarpan | Arup Manna |
| 2023 | Autumn Afternoon | Hemantar Aparanha | Ashoke Viswanathan |
| 2023 | A Boy Who Dreamt of Electricity | Jigar Madanlal Nagda | |
| 2023 | SUZIE Q | Chandan Roy Sanyal | |
| 2023 | Whispers of Fire and Water | Lubdhak Chatterjee | |
| 2023 | The Nellie Story | Parthajit Baruah | |
| 2023 | Saayavanam | Anil Kumar | |
Asian Select (NETPAC Award) edit
Source:[14]
| Year | English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Gods Gift | Tenirberdi | Asel Zhuraeva | Kyrgyzstan |
| 2023 | Barren Waters | Nona Pani | Syeda Neegar Banu | Bangladesh |
| 2023 | Broken Dreams: Stories from the Myanmar Coup | ကျိုးပဲ့အိပ်မက်များ | The Ninefold Mosaic | Myanmar |
| 2023 | Walker | Joel Lamangan | Philippines | |
| 2023 | Nanda School of Tradition | Pranab Aich | India | |
| 2023 | No Winter Holidays | Rajan Kathet, Sunir Pandey | Nepal | |
| 2023 | And, Towards Happy Alleys | Sreemoyee Singh | India | |
Competition on Indian Short Films edit
| English title | Original title | Director(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Alvida - The Last Goodbye | Dilu Maliackal | |
| Beep | Mrinal Deka | |
| Funeral Bier | Gahvara | Tariq Mohammad |
| Last Rehearsal | Kamil Saif | |
| Letterbox | Suman Bhaduri, Suvadeep Sarkar | |
| My Father Is Afraid Of Water | Papa Ko Pani Se Dar Lagta Hai | Prateek Rajendra Srivastava |
| Pardon | Sahdev Gholap | |
Competition on Indian Documentary Films edit
| English title | Original title | Director(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Tiger Army | Sourabhkanti Dutta | |
| Forged in Fire | Bindu Nair,Sayyam Khanna | |
| Someday | Vishal P. Chaliha | |
| Music of Rejuvenation | Nobo Jagoroner Gaan | Subha Das Mollick |
| LANGUR The Man Monkey | Haider khan | |
| Challenge | Ramen Borah | |
| Shrinking Of The Sturdy : Sabar Tales | Abhijit Chakraborty |
Bengali Panorama edit
Source:[15]
| Year | English title | Original title | Director(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Mind Flies | Rajdeep Paul, Sarmistha Maiti | |
| 2023 | Autumn Flies | Bijoyar Pore | Abhijit Sri Das |
| 2023 | Widows of the wild | Bonbibi | Rajdeep Ghosh |
| 2023 | Asampurno | Amartya Sinha | |
| 2023 | Invisible Chord | Matripaksha | Rajesh Roy |
| 2023 | We shall come back | Abar Ashibo Firey | Debapratim Dasgupta |
| 2023 | Awnath | Anisul |
Non-Competition Categories edit
Best of Contemporary Australian Cinema edit
| Year | English title | Director(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Shayda | Noora Niasari |
| 2021 | The Dry | Robert Connolly |
| 2021 | My Name Is Gulpilil | Molly Reynolds |
| 2023 | Limbo | Ivan Sen |
| 2023 | Sweet As | Jub Clerc |
| 2023 | The Survival of Kindness | Rolf de Heer |
Centenary tribute edit
- International
| Year | English title | Director | Production countrie(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlton Heston | |||
| 1958 | Touch of Evil | Orson Welles | United States |
| 1959 | Ben-Hur | William Wyler | United States |
| Charlton Heston | |||
| Year | English title | Original title | Production countrie(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richard Attenborough | |||
| 1982 | Gandhi | United Kingdom, India | |
| Lindsay Anderson | |||
| 1968 | If.... | United Kingdom | |
| Ousmane Sembene | |||
| 1963 | Borom Sarret | Charretier | Senegal |
- Indian
| Year | English title | Original title | Language |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mrinal Sen | |||
| 1972 | Calcutta 71 | Bengali | |
| 1980 | Akaler Shandhaney | আকালের সন্ধানে | Bengali |
| 1983 | The Case is Closed | Kharij | Bengali |
| 1977 | The Marginal Ones | Oka Oori Katha | Telugu |
| 1969 | Bhuvan Shome | Hindi | |
| 1971 | Interview | Bengali | |
| Year | English title | Original title | Director |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dev Anand | |||
| 1951 | Sazaa | Fali Mistry | |
| 1970 | Johny Mera Naam | Vijay Anand | |
| 1967 | Jewel Thief | Vijay Anand | |
| 1949 | Jeet | Mohan Sinha | |
| 1965 | Guide | Vijay Anand | |
| 1956 | C.I.D. | Raj Khosla | |
| 1951 | Baazi | Guru Dutt | |
| Mukesh (singer) and Shailendra (lyricist) | |||
| 1966 | Teesri Kasam | Basu Bhattacharya | |
Cinema International edit
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweet Dreams | Ena Sendijarević | Netherlands, Sweden | |
| Anatomy of a Fall | Anatomie d'une chute | Justine Triet | France |
| How to Have Sex | Molly Manning Walker | United Kingdom | |
| Concrete Utopia | 콘크리트 유토피아 | Um Tae-hwa | South Korea |
| The Zone of Interest | Jonathan Glazer | United States, United Kingdom, Poland | |
| Monster | 怪物 | Hirokazu Koreeda | Japan |
| About Dry Grasses | Kuru Otlar Üstüne | Nuri Bilge Ceylan | Turkey, France, Germany |
| Cobweb | 거미집 | Kim Jee-woon | South Korea |
| Sleep | 잠 | Jason Yu | South Korea |
| Perfect Days | Wim Wenders | Japan, Germany | |
| Fallen Leaves (film) | Kuolleet lehdet | Aki Kaurismäki | Finland, Germany |
| Ingeborg Bachmann – Journey into the Desert | Margarethe von Trotta | Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Luxembourg | |
| Lost in the Night | Perdidos en la noche | Amat Escalante | Mexico, Germany |
| Kidnapped | Rapito | Marco Bellocchio | Italy, France, Germany |
| Club Zero | Jessica Hausner | Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, United Kingdom | |
| A Brighter Tomorrow | Il sol dell'avvenire | Nanni Moretti | Italy, France |
| Last Summer | L'Été dernier | Catherine Breillat | France |
| The Old Oak | Ken Loach | United Kingdom, France, Belgium | |
| Critical Zone | Mantagheye bohrani | Ali Ahmadzadeh | Iran, Germany |
| Behind the Mountains | Oura el jbel | Mohamed Ben Attia | Tunisia, Belgium, France, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Qatar |
| Explanation for Everything | Magyarázat mindenre | Gábor Reisz | Hungary, Slovakia |
| Essential Truths of the Lake | Lav Diaz | Philippines, France, Singapore, Portugal, Italy, Switzerland, United Kingdom | |
| Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World | Nu aștepta prea mult de la sfârșitul lumii | Radu Jude | Romania, Luxembourg, France,Croatia |
| The Promised Land | Bastarden | Nikolaj Arcel | Denmark, Germany, Sweden |
| The Beast | La Bête | Bertrand Bonello | France |
| The Monk and the Gun | Pawo Choyning Dorji | Bhutan, France, United States, Taiwan | |
| Green Border | Zielona granica | Agnieszka Holland | Poland, France, Czech Republic, Belgium |
| Io capitano | Matteo Garrone | Italy, Belgium | |
| Daaaaaalí! | Quentin Dupieux | France | |
| The Palace | Roman Polanski | Italy, Switzerland, Poland, France | |
| For Night Will Come | En attendant la nuit | Celine Rouzet | France, Belgium |
| Red Island | L'Île rouge | Robin Campillo | France, Belgium |
| Homecoming | Catherine Corsini | France | |
| Through the Night | Quitter la nuit | Delphine Girard | Belgium |
| MMXX | Cristi Puiu | Romania | |
| Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell | Bên trong vỏ kén vàng | Phạm Thiên Ân | Vietnam, Singapore, France, Spain |
| Moro | Brillante Mendoza | Philipines | |
| Mira | Мира | Dmitry Kiselyov | Russian |
Films on Environment edit
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antarctica Calling | Voyage au pôle Sud | Luc Jacquet | France |
| All That Breathes | Shaunak Sen | India, United Kingdom, United States |
Focus Country: Spain edit
| English title | Original title | Director(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Matria | Álvaro Gago | |
| Strange Way of Life | Extraña forma de vida | Pedro Almodóvar |
| 20,000 Species of Bees | 20.000 especies de abejas | Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren |
Focus on Australian Horror edit
As spotlight is on Australia, being Special Feature Country, a selection of Australian outback horror films were presented. The festival also launched the 'Kolkata Tram of Horror', to embark on a spine-chilling tram ride through the world of Australian horror films.[16]
| English title | Original title | Director(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 100 Bloody Acres | Cameron Cairnes, Colin Cairnes | |
| Picnic at Hanging Rock | Peter Weir | |
| Wolf Creek | Greg McLean | |
Game On edit
| Year | English title | Original title | Director(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Shabaash Mithu | Srijit Mukherji | |
| 2023 | Ghoomer | R. Balki | |
| 2022 | Jersey | Gowtam Naidu Tinnanuri | |
Homage edit
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gina Lollobrigida | |||
| A Dog's Life | Vita da cani | Mario Monicelli, Steno | Italy |
| Stornellata Romana | Pietro Francisci | Italy | |
| O Sole Mio | Pietro Francisci | Italy | |
| Na sera e maggio | Pietro Francisci | Italy | |
| Soumendu Roy (cinematographer) | |||
| Distant Thunder | অশনি সংকেত | Satyajit Ray | India |
| Year | English title | Original title | Production countrie(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carlos Saura | |||
| 1990 | ¡Ay Carmela! | Spain | |
| J Beyond Flamenco | Spain | ||
| Dariush Mehrjui | |||
| 2020 | A Minor | La minor | Iran |
Kurdish Cinema: In Search of Identity edit
Seven films by the directors of the Kurdish origin will be presented at the festival in a package.[17]
| Year | English title | Original title | Director | Production countrie(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | The Swallow | Die Schwalbe | Mano Khalil | Switzerland |
| 2017 | Zagros | Sahim Omar Kalifa | Belgium |
Pavel Lungin edit
Pavel Lungin is a Russian film director.
| Year | English title | Original title | Production countrie(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Tsar! | Царь | Russia |
| 1990 | Taxi Blues | Такси-блюз | Soviet Union |
| 2006 | The Island | Остров | Russia |
| 2012 | The Conductor | Дирижёр | Russia |
| 2016 | The Queen of Spades | Дама пик | Russia |
| 2019 | Leaving Afghanistan | Братство | Russia |
| 2005 | Poor Relatives | Бедные родственники | Russia |
Restored classics edit
| Year | English title | Original title | Director | Production countrie(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Enter The Dragon | Robert Clouse | Hong Kong, United States | |
| 1973 | The Exorcist | William Friedkin | United States | |
Retrospective: Bruce Beresford edit
The festival presented a retrospective of six films by the Australian director Bruce Beresford including the 1989 oscar-winning film Driving Miss Daisy.[18]
| Year | English title | Original title | Production countrie(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Breaker Morant | Australia | |
| 1989 | Driving Miss Daisy | United States | |
| 1991 | Black Robe | Canada, Australia | |
| 1990 | Mister Johnson | United States | |
| 1999 | Double Jeopardy | United States | |
| 2016 | Mr. Church | United States | |
Short & Documentary Panorama edit
| English title | Original title | Director | Production countrie(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Saga Of A Couplet | Jugoleshu | Palash Das | India |
Special screening edit
| Year | English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Junks & Dolls | ASHGHAL HA VA AROUSAK HA | Manijeh Hekmat | India |
Unheard India: Rare Language Films edit
| English title | Original title | Language | Director(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bird Thief | Peta Dochcho | Sounak Kar |
Winners edit
- Golden Royal Bengal Tiger Award for Best Film:
- Children Of Nobody by Erez Tadmor
- Golden Royal Bengal Tiger Award for Best Director: Carlos Daniel Malave for One Way
- Golden Royal Bengal Tiger Award for Best Short: Last Rehearsal by Kamil Saif
- Golden Royal Bengal Tiger Award for Best Documentary: Challenge by Ramen Borah, Sibanu Borah
- Special Jury mention (Innovation in Moving Pictures): Kaleidoscope Now by Anjan Dutt
- Hiralal Sen Memorial Award Best Film (Indian language's films) : Wild Swans by Rajni Basumatary
- Hiralal Sen Memorial Award Best Director (Indian language's films) : Shonet Anthony Barretto for Avni Ki Kismat
- Bengali Panorama Best Film : Mind Flies by Rajdeep Paul, Sarmistha Maiti
- Special Jury mention (Indian language's films):
- Josephs Son by Haobam Paban Kumar
- NETPAC Award for Best Film : Broken Dreams: Stories from the Myanmar Coup by the Ninefold Mosaic
References edit
- ^ "219 movies to be screened in Kolkata International Film Festival". The Week. 29 November 2023. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
- ^ Ruman Ganguly (16 November 2023). "KIFF 2023 to be a starry celebration of cinema". Times of India. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
- ^ "Kolkata International Film Festival 2023 opening ceremony LIVE UPDATES: Salman Khan, Sonakshi Sinha, Anil Kapoor and others make event a starry affair". Indian Express. 5 December 2023. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
- ^ a b Sudeshna Banerjee (13 December 2023). "29th Kolkata International Film Festival ends with screening of best films in Nandan". The Telegraph. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
- ^ "29th Kolkata International Film Festival to pay tribute to Mrinal Sen and Dev Anand". Times of India. 26 June 2023. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
- ^ Sudeshna Banerjee (8 December 2023). "Centenary tribute to evergreen hero". The Telegraph. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
- ^ "KIFF Young directors to vie for honour in Bengali Panorama section". The Week. 22 November 2023. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
- ^ a b Priyanka Dasgupta (30 November 2023). "Uttam-Starrer 'Deya Neya' To Kick Off Kol Film Festival". Times of India. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
- ^ "International Competition: Innovation in Moving Images". Kolkata International Film Festival. 17 November 2023. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
- ^ Agnivo Niyogi (23 November 2023). "Kolkata International Film Festival 2023: Anjan Dutt's Chalchitra Ekhon only Indian film selected for international competition section". The Telegraph. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
- ^ "Malayalam feature film 'Ozhuki Ozhuki Ozhuki' makes Kolkata film fest". New Indian Express. 18 October 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
- ^ "Manipur Film Joseph's Son To Compete In 29th KIFF". Times of India. 19 November 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
- ^ "Onkara' to compete at 29th Kolkata International Film Festival". Kaumudi. 21 October 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
- ^ "'Nona Pani' nominated for Kolkata Int'l Film Festival". Bangladesh Post. 18 November 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
- ^ Shamayita Chakraborty (17 November 2023). "KIFF: Bengali Panorama section welcomes fresh filmmakers". OTT Play. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
- ^ "Kolkata International Film Festival Launches 'Kolkata Tram Of Horror' As Australian Horror Films Grace The Event". ABP Live. 10 December 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
- ^ Priyanka Dasgupta (29 November 2023). "Kurdish Film Package To Be Part Of KIFF Screenings, A First In India". Times of India. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
- ^ "Australia Takes Centre Stage As Special Feature Country At 29th Kolkata International Film Festival". ABP Live. 7 December 2023. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
- ^ "Winners". Kolkata International Film Festival. 12 December 2023. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
