Kolkata International Children's Film Festival to be held from January 20-27

Kolkata: The eighth edition of the Kolkata International Children's Film Festival organised by Sishu Kishore Akademi (SKA) will be held from January 20 to 27 at eight venues in Kolkata. The festival will screen around 200 films from 35 countries.

The inaugural film will be Walking With the Wind directed by Praveen Morchhale that has won three national awards in sound designing, best audiography and best Ladakhi film. Films from countries like Brazil, Estonia, Ireland, Italy, Serbia, Sri Lanka, Portugal, Norway and Romania have been newly added in the Festival. There will be seven films from Iran. Apart from Nandan I, II and III, Rabindra Sadan, Sisir Mancha, Ahindra Mancha, Rabindra Tirtha, Rabindra Okakura Bhavan and Star Theatre will be the venues for the festival.

The films that will be screened has been divided into several categories like Sci Fi, blockbuster, seven classics, retrospective, literature and cinema and world cinema to name a few. The festival will also pay tribute to noted filmmaker Mrinal Sen who died recently.

State Education minister Partha Chatterjee, state Public Works Department minister Aroop Biswas, Minister of State for Information and Cultural Affairs department Indranil Sen, filmmaker Sandip Ray and Arpita Ghose, Chairperson of SKA, will be present at the inaugural ceremony that will be held on January 20 at Nandan I.

There will be an exhibition on Sci Fi at Gaganendra Pradarshanshala and another exhibition at Rabindra Okakura Bhavan on Evolution of Camera.

The special publication for this year are Goopi Gyne Bagha Byne 50 edited by Sandip Ray and Icche Danar Ora Uri — a compilation of personal anecdotes of film personalities which will be launched during the inaugural programme. The closing film will be Jim, Button & Luke — The Engine Driver of Germany directed by Dennis Gansel.

The announcement regarding the details of the event was made by Indranil Sen in presence of SKA chairperson Arpita Ghosh and filmmaker Sandip Ray. The details on the timing and venue of the films will soon be made available on the website of SKA.

It may be mentioned that similar to the Kolkata International Film Festival, the Kolkata International Children's Film Festival has also reached a new height with several steps taken by the Mamata Banerjee government.