KOLKATA: It was a starry Friday evening at Nandan as Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor, ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ director Anurag Kashyap, and Bengali stars Saswata Chatterjee and Rituparna Sengupta graced the inauguration of the first-ever French Film Festival in Kolkata. To be held till February 24, the inaugural edition of the French Film Festival is being organised by Government of West Bengal and Alliance Francaise du Bengale.
Nicolas Fascino, director, Alliance Francaise du Bengale, said more than 60 films will be screened at the festival, including classics, in The French New Wave section. From iconic directors Jean-Luc Godard and Francois Truffaut’s cult films to contemporary Indian cinema, the nine-day festival is a manifestation of the cultural bridge that connects French, Indian and Bengali cinema. The event also saw the presence of Didier Talpain, Consul General of France in Kolkata, Cultural Affairs secretary Santanu Basu, and Sharmistha Banerjee, CEO, Nandan.
Anil Kapoor received a special gift from French delegates—a 1980 photograph of him in Kolkata during the shooting of ‘Kahan Kahan Se Guzar Gaya’. Excited about the moment captured by famous photographer Nemai Ghosh, Kapoor called it his long-time wish. “From Satyajit Ray to Godard, French and Indian cinema has legendary directors.
It is at the film fests that we can watch both on the big screens,” said the ‘Animal’ actor.
The festival’s highlights include Martin Bourboulon’s ‘The Three Musketeers’ and Laetitia Colombani’s ‘The Braid’. Kashyap, whose acclaimed film ‘Kennedy’ will be featured at the fest, urged the audience not to miss out on ‘The Braid’.