Exhibition on KIFF’s 30-year journey: A delight for movie buffs

KOLKATA: On day one of the 30th Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF 2024), cinephiles flocked to Gaganendra Pradarshashala to witness an exhibition titled KIFF: A Journey of 30 Years.

The display offered a nostalgic trip for both elderly film enthusiasts and young movie buffs, tracing the festival’s rich history.

Interestingly, not everyone might recall the evolution of the festival’s name. Initially known as the Calcutta Film Festival, it was renamed the Kolkata Film Festival in its seventh year and rechristened the Kolkata International Film Festival in 2012, during its 18th edition.

The year 2014 marked another milestone as the festival introduced a competitive section, instituting the prestigious Golden Royal Bengal Tiger Award. True to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s vision of making cinema accessible to all, the exhibition drew a large and diverse audience, much like the festival itself, which has long provided Kolkatans with a unique opportunity to experience the glamour of Indian cinema up close.

Organised by the West Bengal government, KIFF has expanded over the years, incorporating new sections such as open forums, a film market, exhibitions, book bazaars, seminars, and master classes.

The exhibition vividly captures this journey, starting from the festival’s inaugural day on November 9, 1995, when it was opened by legendary filmmaker Mrinal Sen and the then Chief Minister Jyoti Basu at Nandan.

Deb Benegal’s ‘The English August’ was the inaugural film screened and the festival’s venues included Madhusudan Mancha, Ahindra Mancha, and Chaplin in addition to Nandan. Early retrospectives honoured icons like Uttam Kumar, Jean Renoir, and Akira Kurosawa.

In 1996, the second edition began with Govind Nihalani’s ‘Sanshodhan’. The third year brought Andrei Tarkovsky’s ‘Russia’ leaving a lasting impression on many. 76-year-old Ranjan Ghosh reminisced about being mesmerized by Tarkovsky’s work. “I remember watching ‘Russia’ and it felt like an out-of-the-world experience,” he said.

That year, Bernardo Bertolucci’s ‘Stealing Beauty’ was the closing film.

The exhibition also revisits the pivotal moments of 2001 and 2002 when Union Minister Sushma Swaraj inaugurated the festival at Nandan. A transformative chapter began in 2011 when Mamata Banerjee as the CM further democratized the event. Shah Rukh Khan’s first appearance at the 17th edition set the stage for unforgettable inaugurations in subsequent years, with icons like Amitabh Bachchan and SRK sharing the dais. Their regular presence continued to star power to the festival.

For attendees like Aindrilla Mitra, a third-year student at Presidency College, the exhibition offered a walk through the festival’s legacy. “For those of us who have been part of KIFF in recent years, this display is a wonderful trip down memory lane,” she said.