Curtains rise on Kolkata Int'l Film Fest

The Kolkata International Film Festival opened on November 10 with a star-studded ceremony, featuring Bollywood bigwigs Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Mahesh Bhatt, Kamal Hasan and Kajol, along with Indian Bangla film celebs Prosenjit, Paoli Dam, Ranjit Mallik, Mim, Sabitri Chatterjee and Madhabi Mukherjee. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee chaired the inaugural ceremony. 

The 23rd edition of the festival was inaugurated at the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Indoor Stadium, in presence of some 25,000 attendees. Amitabh Bachchan lit a clay lamp to mark the inauguration. 

Popular Indian actors Parambrata Chatterjee and Jishu Sengupta hosted the programme, which featured folk music, dance and instrumental music. 

The festival opened with Iranian director Mostafa Taghizadeh's film “Yellow”, about the exile of six scientists from the country. 

Bangladesh's representation in the festival includes Abu Sayeed's “Ekjon Kobi'r Mrityu” in the International Competition: Innovation in Moving Images, and Mostofa Sarwar Farooki as the jury of the Competition on Indian Language Films. A total of 143 films from 53 countries are being screened at the festival, which has Britain as the focus country this year. The films are being screened at the Nandan Cinema, as well as 12 other theatres across the city.