The 24th edition of The Kolkata International Film Festival brought together cinephiles from all over the city, queing up from around ten in the morning at Nandan. The fact that it was a Monday, didn’t stop these Bergman and Godard lovers as some of them even took a day off to watch their chosen films.
But is this festival making everyone happy? We met Rekha Rai, who has been coming to the festival for years now. She says, “The festival is now so focussed on the stars! Where is the place for the musicians and the lyricists whose work could make or break a film,” she asks, adding that it would be great if there were more slice-of-life films that one could enjoy. But that’s not a feeling that everyone shares.
The festival has been successful when it comes to striking a chord with the youngsters and making them engage with world cinema. Debarati Ghosh, a student of Shri Shikshayatan College says, “Two years ago, I watched this film called Mother and I was overwhelmed. In Calcutta, you don’t always get to watch world cinema, and there’s so much that you get to know about international languages as well as films! That’s what keeps getting me here.” She was there to catch Judgement Day by Abu Bakr Shawky and Beyond The Clouds by Majid Majidi.
There might be complaints and attendees feeling that there’s more to be desired, but that does not stop the Bengali movie lovers from coming in hordes and taking part in a celebration of world cinema, a thread that has united the people of Kolkata for a long time.
