“Cinema for All, All for Cinema” : City of Joy Celebrates 22nd ‘Kolkata International Film Festival’

Kolkata, November 14, 2016: As the month of November brings the first chill in the air of the "city of joy"- Kolkata, the city kicks off its winter-long festivities with the grand celebration of cinema. 2016 November sees the 22^nd installment of the Kolkata International Film Festival- one of the grandest celebrations of Kolkata, with its very own glamour.

The unmistakable fervor in the crowds thronging in 'Nandan'- the West Bengal Film Centre, the zeal of the cinephiles, the cheerfulness in the cultural haven of Kolkata (Nandan), the chaos of the movie-buffs jostling through the queue, the paparazzi rushing to catch a glimpse of the celebrities; are the flavors of the festival!

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Schedules of the Screenings and the Events:-

As the celebration gets bigger every year, the 22^nd edition promises a lot more fun and amazement than the last time. This year the Film Festival has scheduled to screen 156 masterpieces by 156 maestros. The festival is covering 65 countries and has 20 categories. There are 6 awards and the films are scheduled to be screened throughout Kolkata in 13 venues.

Apart from the country in focus- China and the regional focus for Indian cinema- Marathi cinema, the festival includes other categories like-

• International Competition: Women directors' films
• International Competition: Innovations in moving images,
• Centenary Tribute,
• Asian select for NETPAC Award,
• Special Tribute,
• Literature and Cinema,
• National Competition for Short Films and Documentaries,
• Special Screening of Catherine Corsini,
• Great Master in focus- Kenji Mizoguchi,
• Cinema International,
• Children's Screening etcetera.

The Chairperson of the juries in the International Competition for Women Directors' Films and the competition for 'Innovation in Moving Images' are- Marion Hansel, and Dan Wolman respectively.

Among all the venues, viewing the fascinating selections of the Film Festival, Nandan holds the foremost prominence and importance.

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Programs-

12^th November was the official beginning of the screenings and some of the best ones that were viewed include- To Kill a Mockingbird by Robert Muligan in Centenary Tribute, Upstream by Marion Hansel in Special Tribute, Zoology by Ivan Tverdovsky in International Competition for Innovations in Moving Images and Yesterday Once More by Yao Tingting in the International Competition for Women Directors' Films.

China, being the country in focus was scheduled to hold a press-conference with the panel including the director and actor of the movie Yesterday Once More. The press meet held a heated panel discussion on topics regarding Indo-china projects, China's views on the Indian Cinema, and the experiences of the artists in the cultural meet of the Film Festival.

Apart from the panel discussion with China, the festival organized a "Cinema Adda" (chat session on cinema) and an exhibition on the film Nayak that starred the legendary Uttam Kumar.

On 13^th, the audience viewed documentaries by the regional artists, amazing films like- It's only the end of the world by Xavier Dolan and An Israeli Love Story by Dan Wolman. Both the films were from the category of International Cinema. A Special Tribute screening on 13^th was- The Unknown Girl by Luc Dardenne.

A major attraction of 13^th screenings included the director's message. Israeli director Dan Wolman, Chairperson of the International Competition for Innovations in Moving Images, was present in the Film Festival and talked about the Israeli Films and enthralled the audience with the history of his film An Israeli Love Story which is based on a true story.

The evening saw another chat session regarding the discussion- Multiplex and the Present Condition of the Regional Films. Celebrities that were present included famous Bengali director Goutam Ghosh, actor Parambrata Chatterjee, and Rahul Banerjee and so on.

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With all its pomp and glory the 22^nd Kolkata International Film Festival is all set to make the cinephiles laugh, cry, scream, gasp, wonder and sing together through the screenings of the exquisite creations by the excellent artists. It truly depicts the mood and purpose of the festival that is of the people, by the people and for the people!

The slogan rhythms perfectly-

"Cinema for all, all for cinema"

– by Antara Kumar of NewsGram. Twitter: @ElaanaC