 25th Kolkata International Film Festival | |
| Opening film | Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne |
|---|---|
| Location | Kolkata |
| Founded | 1995 |
| No. of films | 214 full-length films 152 short films and documentaries |
| Festival date | 8 Nov - 15 Nov 2019 |
| Language | International |
| Website | kiff.in |
The 25th Kolkata International Film Festival took place from 8 to 15 November 2019.
Hosted by CM of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, The 25th Kolkata International Film Festival was Inaugurated by Amitabh Bachchan followed by a grand inaugural ceremony on Netaji Indoor Stadium. other guests included names like Shah Rukh khan, Jaya Bachchan, Mahesh Bhatt, Rakhee Gulzar etc. The ceremony was also graced by international film personalities like German filmmaker Volker Schlöndorff, Sex Lies and Videotape actress Andie MacDowell and Slovak film director Dušan Hanák
The Focus Country this year was Germany with 42 films. [1]
| Title | Director | Notes | ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sraboner Dhara | Abhijit Guha, Sudeshna Roy | [2] | |
| Devi Aur Hero | Aditya Kripalani | NETPAC Award for Best Film | |
| Running To The Sky | Mirlan Abdykalykov | ||
| Mystic Memoir | Aparajita Ghosh | ||
| The End Will Be Spectacula | Ersin Celik | ||
| Chandrabati Katha | N. Rashed Chowdhury | ||
| Hava, Maryam, Ayesha | Sahraa Karimi | ||
| Gitarista | Jason Orfalas |
| Title | Director | Notes | ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| ELEPHANTS DO REMEMBER | Swati Pandey | [2] | |
| VISIONLESS | Sanjiban Nath | ||
| THE DAY I BECAME A WOMAN | Moupia Mukherjee | ||
| HOUSEFULL | AYAN CHAKRABORTI | ||
| THE MOTHERLAND | Shibu Prusty | ||
| JANANI'S JULIET | Pankaj Rishi Kumar | ||
| IDIOM OF RUG | Dip Bhuyan | ||
| PANI PAATA PORATAM | Aditi Maddali | ||
| ITI | Nirabari Bandyopadhyay | ||
| SONGS FROM THE VALLEY | ISHANI K DUTTA | ||
| SWIMMING THROUGH THE DARKNESS | Supriyo Sen | ||
| WASTE BAND | Supriyo Sen | ||
| ABRIDGED | GAURAV PURI | Golden Royal Bengal Tiger Award for Best Indian Documentary Film |
| Title | Director | Notes | ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| VEYILMARANGAL | Dr.Biju | [2] | |
| RUN KALYANI | Geetha J | Special Jury Award | |
| MAI GHAT CRIME NO 103- 2005 | ANANTH MAHADEVAN | 'Hiralal Sen Memorial Award' for Best Film | |
| LIHAAF | Rahat Kazmi | ||
| GANGODAKA | Shridhar Hegde | ||
| KARUP | Deepesh T | ||
| MOOSO | Deepankar Prakash | ||
| ATLAS | VIKAS KALPANA DWIVEDI | ||
| NIRBAN | Gautam Halder | ||
| DUBURI | Krishnendu Dutta | ||
| PARCEL | Indrasis Acharya | 'Hiralal Sen Memorial Award' Award for Best Director | |
| NAMEPLATE | Preet | ||
| DARK LIGHT | Mayur Hardas | ||
| RAMAI | Bal Bargale |
| Title | Director | Notes | ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| MADHUBANI | Emraanakbar Enamdar | [2] | |
| JONAKI | Abhisek Ronnie Chakraborty | ||
| SEKOOL | Stenzin Tankong | ||
| MRUGAJAL | Onkar Diwadkar | ||
| SWAPNOGACHH - DREAM TREE | Subhas Ghosh, Subhasish Christche | ||
| BOD JAAT | Saurav Bhadra | ||
| PARESHAN GULLY KA BHAGWAN SIKANDAR | Ishan Sharma | ||
| SISYPHUS | Syed Aniruddha Kabir, Aneek Pilsima | ||
| FORWARD | Kshitija Khandagale | ||
| TIMELESS FLUX | Srisha Chakraborti | ||
| PANDIT USMAN | Akram Hassan | ||
| PATHAROSA | Hariharasudhan K | ||
| FURNITURE | Nazmus Sakib Himel | ||
| KRANTODORSHI | RITUPARNA DASDATTA | ||
| KAYANTAR | Rajdeep Paul, Sarmistha Maiti | ||
| UTHARAKADALASSU | Indu VR | ||
| ONIBARJO | Sudipto Shankar Roy | ||
| NADI | Nitin Prakash Pednekar | ||
| CHAKRABYUHA | Suryoday De | ||
| NISHCHIT- ANISHCHIT | siddharth panwar | ||
| SUMMER RHAPSODY | Shravan Katikaneni | Golden Royal Bengal Tiger Award for Best Indian Short Film |
| Title | Director | Notes | ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| CAT STICKS | Ronny Sen | [2] | |
| SUD YOD | Ashima Aiyer | ||
| OMAR VE BIZ | MARYNA ER GORBACH | ||
| LA IMAGEN DEL TIEMPO | Jeissy Trompiz | ||
| Women Run With The Wolves | Amir Athar Soheili | ||
| Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom | Pawo Choyning Dorji | ||
| SHPIA E AGES | Lendita Zeqiraj | Special Jury Award | |
| ISTORIA LIZY | Alexander Zhovna | ||
| MYSLENNIY VOLK | Valeriya Gai Germanika | ||
| KIRSCHBLUETEN & DAEMONEN | Doris Doerrie | ||
| One Man Dies a Million Times | Jessica Oreck | ||
| THE PAINTED BIRD | Vaclav Marhoul | Golden Royal Bengal Tiger Award for Best Director | |
| LA LLORONA | Jayro Bustamante | Golden Royal Bengal Tiger Award for Best Film | |
| MAADATHY | Leena Manimekalai | ||
| MINDANAO | Brillante Ma. Mendoza |
| Title | Director | Notes | ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yesterday Girl | Alexander Kluge | [3] | |
| The Power of Emotion | Alexander Kluge | ||
| The Assault of the Present on the Rest of Time | Alexander Kluge | ||
| Germany in Autumn | Volker Schlöndorff, Alexander Kluge, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Alf Brustellin, Hans Peter Cloos, Maximiliane Mainka, Edgar Reitz, Katja Rupe, | ||
| Circus Comes to the City | Alexander Kluge | ||
| Artist in the Room | Alexander Kluge | ||
| On the Knife's Edge | Alexander Kluge | ||
| Happy Lamento | Alexander Kluge |
| Title | Director | Notes | ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| BORUNBABUR BONDHU | ANIK DATTA | [3] | |
| BAKI ITIHAS | Tushar Ballov | ||
| TOBUO NANDINI | Subrata Sen | ||
| MONALISA | Satyajit Dutta | ||
| PRAAN | Sankar Debnath | ||
| DIN RATRIR GOLPO | Prosenjit choudhury |
| Title | Director | Notes | ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| A Son | Mehdi Barsaoui | [3] | |
| Synonyms | Nadav Lapid | ||
| BACURAU | JULIANO DORNELLES, Kleber Mendonca Filho | ||
| Beanpole | KANTEMIR BALAGOV | ||
| WHITE LIE | Yonah Lewis, Calvin Thomas | ||
| CAT IN THE WALL | Vesela Kazakova, Mina Mileva | ||
| SIBYL | Justine Triet | ||
| Battered Husband | Ralston Gonzales Jover | ||
| PARWARESHGAH | Shahrbanoo Sadat | ||
| LES MISERABLES | Ladj Ly | ||
| AN EASY GIRL | Rebecca Zlotowski | ||
| ENDE DER SAISON | Elmar Imanov | ||
| SYSTEMSPRENGER | Nora Fingscheidt | ||
| LIU YU TIAN | Feng Zu | ||
| DERE E HAPUR | Florenc Papas | ||
| LIBERTE | Albert Serra | ||
| ADAM | Maryam Touzani | ||
| PELIKANBLUT | Katrin Gebbe | ||
| VERDICT | Raymund Ribay Gutierrez | ||
| INSTINCT | Halina Reijn | ||
| RESIN | Daniel Joseph Borgman | ||
| GUERILLA | Gyorgy Mor Karpati | ||
| POLSESTRA | Damjan Kozole | ||
| LINA DE LIMA | Maria Paz Gonzalez | ||
| UN DIVAN A TUNIS | Manele Labidi | ||
| ROAM ROME MEIN | Tannishtha Chatterjee | ||
| ALPHA | Nasir Uddin Yousuff | ||
| PERDRIX | Erwan Le Duc | ||
| CANCION SIN NOMBRE | Melina León |
Golden Royal Bengal Tiger Award for Best Film : LA LLORONA - Jayro Bustamante
Golden Royal Bengal Tiger Award for Best Director : THE PAINTED BIRD - Vaclav Marhoul
'Hiralal Sen Memorial Award' for Best Film :MAI GHAT CRIME NO 103- 2005 - ANANTH MAHADEVAN
'Hiralal Sen Memorial Award' Award for Best Director :Parcel- Indrasis Acharya
NETPAC Award for Best Film :Devi Aur Hero - Aditya Kripalani Golden Royal Bengal Tiger Award for Best Indian Documentary Film :ABRIDGED - Gaurav Puri
Golden Royal Bengal Tiger Award for Best Indian Short Film :SUMMER RHAPSODY - Shravan Katikaneni
Mrinal Sen was an Indian film director and screenwriter known for his work primarily in Bengali, and a few Hindi and Telugu language films. Regarded as one of the finest Indian filmmakers, along with his contemporaries Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak, and Tapan Sinha, Sen played a major role in the New Wave cinema of eastern India.
Aparna Sen is an Indian film director, screenwriter and actress who is known for her work in Bengali cinema. She has received several accolades as an actress and filmmaker, including nine National Film Awards, five Filmfare Awards East and thirteen Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards. For her contribution in the field of arts, the Government of India honoured her with Padma Shri, the country's fourth highest civilian award.
Anjan Dutt is an Indian film director, actor, and singer-songwriter known for his work in the Bengali alternative music genre anyodharar gaan. As an actor, Dutta began his career in Bengali cinema in the Mrinal Sen film Chaalchitra, for which he won the best newcomer actor award at the Venice Film Festival. He acted in Aparna Sen's hit film, Mr. and Mrs. Iyer. In 2018 he featured in Swapnasandhani's new play Taraye Taraye, as Vincent van Gogh, under the direction of Kaushik Sen.
The Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF) is an annual film festival held in Kolkata, India. Founded in 1995, it is the third oldest international film festival in India. The festival is organized by the West Bengal Film Centre under the West Bengal Government. In 2019, it was held from 8 November to 15 November.
Calcutta Club is an elite gentlemen's club located on Lower Circular Road in Kolkata, India. It was established in 1907 and the first president of the club was the Maharajah of Cooch Behar, Sir Nripendra Narayan. The Prince of Wales, later King Edward VIII of Great Britain, was among the first royal guests to visit the club when he was invited to a lunch on 28 December 1921. First prime minister of India Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru visited the club in 1961. The club has always maintained distinguished members from every community - from Maharaja of Coochbehar to Maharaja of Burdwan, Maharaja of Darbhanga, Nawab Sir KGM Faroqui of Ratanpur to Bhupendra Nath Bose, President of the Indian National Congress to Indian economist and philosopher Amartya Sen. Internationally acclaimed artists like Gaganendranath Tagore and Abanindranath Tagore were regular visitors to the club, as was Oscar award-winning legendary film-maker Satyajit Ray, longest-serving chief minister of West Bengal Jyoti Basu. In 2007, 11th president of India Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam visited the club to launch the centenary scholarship fund. Other notable visitors to the club include prominent Indian artists and celebrities such as Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bhaduri. Today Calcutta Club stands as an iconic landmark in Kolkata and represents the elite Bengal with rich history and culture, and also referred as "The Grand Duke of all Clubs".
Cinema of West Bengal, also known as Tollywood or Bengali cinema, is the segment of Indian cinema, dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Bengali language widely spoken in the state of West Bengal. It is based in the Tollygunge region of Kolkata, West Bengal, India. The origins of the nickname Tollywood, a portmanteau of the words Tollygunge and Hollywood, dates back to 1932. It was a historically important film industry, at one time the centre of Indian film production. The Bengali film industry is known for producing many of Indian cinema's most critically acclaimed global Parallel Cinema and art films, with several of its filmmakers gaining prominence at the Indian National Film Awards as well as international acclaim.
Bijukumar Damodaran, known mononymously as Dr. Biju, is an Indian homoeopathic doctor turned film director and screenwriter. He is best known for films such as Saira (2005), Veettilekkulla Vazhi (2010), Akasathinte Niram (2012), Perariyathavar (2013), Valiya Chirakulla Pakshikal (2016), Sound of Silence (2017), Painting Life (2018) and Veyilmarangal (2019).
Chandan Sen is an Indian Bengali-language stage, television and film actor, playwright and director.
The 19th Annual Kolkata Film Festival was held on 10 to 17 November 2013. The Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF) is an annual film festival held in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. The 19th KIFF was inaugurated by Mr. Amitabh Bachchan on 10 November and was attended by a host of luminaries including Shah Rukh Khan - also the state's brand ambassador as well as actor Kamal Haasan in the presence of Mamata Banerjee who is the current Chief Minister of West Bengal.
Sudeshna Roy is an Indian film director, actor and writer based in Tollywood. She started her career as an entertainment journalist before collaborating with the director Abhijit Guha and foraying into the film industry. She is a popular artist in the Bangla Entertainment Industry. Besides directing films, she acted in several films, daily soaps and web series. The duo debuted with their first film Shudhu Tumi, and then they made several films in varied genres. However, they are known to make urban middle-class romantic comedy films. They worked with Abir Chatterjee, who debuted in their film Cross Connection in 2009. They came into prominence after their critically acclaimed film Teen Yaari Kotha. Teen Yaari Katha was showcased in the competition section of Osian's Cinefan Festival of Asian and Arab Cinema in 2012. It travelled to the Bangkok International Film as well as Kolkata International Film Festival. Their film Bapi bari jaa is considered a cult classic among the Bangla film lovers. It also marked the debut of Arjun Chakraborty and MP Mimi Chakraborty in the Bangla film industry.
Soukarya Ghosal is an Indian filmmaker, director, screenwriter, illustrator and music composer. He is widely considered for his work in Rainbow Jelly, a food fantasy film for the children in Bengali Cinema. His film Bhootpori starring Jaya Ahsan, received the Best Screenplay award at 14 Dadasaheb Phalke Film Festival in 2024.
Rahul Riji Nair is an Indian film director, scriptwriter, producer and actor active in the Malayalam film industry. His debut feature film Ottamuri Velicham won 4 awards at the 2017 Kerala State Film Awards, including Best Feature Film. Rahul won the 67th National Film Awards for Best Malayalam Film in 2019 for his third feature film Kalla Nottam.
Indrasis Acharya is an Indian film director working in Bengali cinema. He came to the prominence after directing his first feature film, Bilu Rakkhosh which won acclaim in both national and international sphere. Indrasis next worked in Pupa which got rave reviews and won many awards and accolades including All India Critic Choice Award for Best Bengali film of 2018. It was in Hanoi international, Kolkata international film festivals and many more. Pupa won multiple awards and accolades around the globe including, Best Director and Best film awards. His third film was The Parcel for which he won the Best Director award at the 25th Kolkata International Film Festival.
Borunbabur Bondhu is a 2019 Bengali-language Indian drama film directed by Anik Dutta for Surinder Films. The film is based on a Bengali story Chhad written by Ramapada Chowdhury. It is the story of an old man, whose life faces upheaval after people come to know that a VVIP who was once his friend, is coming for a visit. The film stars Soumitra Chatterjee in the role of elderly man with supporting cast of Madhabi Mukhopadhyay, Paran Bandopadhyay, Ritwick Chakraborty, Arpita Chatterjee, Sreelekha Mitra, Kaushik Sen and Bidipta Chakraborty.
The Parcel is a 2020 Indian Bengali-language mystery cum psychological thriller film directed by Indrasis Acharya, produced by Rituparna Sengupta and Krishna Kyal. The film features Rituparna Sengupta, Saswata Chatterjee, Anindya Chatterjee and Ambarish Bhattacharya in lead roles and Sreela Majumdar and Pradip Mukherjee as supporting characters. The story of the film revolves around a doctor-couple and Nandini, the protagonist, and mysterious parcels.
The 26th Kolkata International Film Festival took place from 8 to 15 January 2021. It was scheduled to take place from 5 to 12 November 2020 but was postponed to January 2021 due to COVID-19 pandemic in India.
The 24th Kolkata International Film Festival took place from 10 Nov 2018 – 17 Nov 2018. Celebrating 100 Years of Bengali cinema, Around 171 films and 150 short and documentary films from 70 countries was screened at the festival.
The 28th Kolkata International Film Festival was held from 15th to 22nd December 2022 at Netaji Indoor Stadium, in Kolkata, India. The festival opened with 1973 film Abhimaan, by Hrishikesh Mukherjee. 183 films including 130 feature films and 52 short and documentary films from 42 countries were screened during 7 days of the festival. The opening ceremony was attended by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Rani Mukerji, Mahesh Bhatt and cricketer Sourav Ganguly.
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. Spain and Australia were country of focus in this edition of the festival. 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.
Abhinandan Banerjee is an Indian film director, scriptwriter, author, essayist, magazine editor, publisher, illustrator, painter and graphic designer. His debut feature The Cloud and the Man, which premiered at the 25th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, 2021 won the NETPAC award for Best Asian Film, at the 27th Kolkata International Film Festival.