French Film Festival 2025 brings ‘Manthan’ & ‘The Shameless’ to city
KOLKATA: From the masterpieces of Jean-Luc Godard, Francois Truffaut, Costa-Gavras, cutting-edge modern French films, to screening of acclaimed Indian films like ‘Manthan’, ‘Manto’ and ‘The Shameless’ at Cannes, the second edition of the French Film Festival Kolkata (3FK) promises to be a treasure trove for the cinephiles of Kolkata. To be held from February 22 to March 1, this eight-day film fest organised by Alliance Française du Bengale & Nandan in association with the Consulate General of France will feature an extensive lineup of 80 films.
One of the highlights of the festival is the screening of the iconic movie ‘Manthan’, country’s first crowd-funded film, as a tribute to late filmmaker Shyam Benegal by the legendary actor Naseeruddin Shah. This 1976 cult film was featured in the Cannes Classics section in 2024. In fact, Naseeruddin will also be present at the opening of the film fest alongside Goutam Ghose, , Anasuya Sengupta, Rituparna Sengupta, Rukmini Maitra, and Pritimoy Chakraborty, chief advisor, 3FK. ‘Thappad’ maker Anubhav Sinha will also grace the event alongside Didier Talpain, Consul General of France in Kolkata, Nicolas Facino, Director of Alliance Francaise du Bengale and Director of the festival and Santanu Basu, IAS & Principal Secretary of the I&CA, Govt of Bengal.
“Kolkata is a city that breathes cinema. It’s a place where stories come to life, where filmmakers find inspiration and where audiences embrace the magic of the big screen. This film festival is a celebration of this love for cinema, bringing together the finest of French and Indian storytelling,” said Facino.
The cinema lovers shouldn’t miss the opening film, featuring the world premiere of ‘Delocalises’, directed by Ali Bougheraba and starring Redouane Bougheraba. This much-anticipated French film, shot extensively in Kolkata between February and April 2024, will hit theatres in France on March 12, 2025.
Apart from the six curated festival sections like Animation Films, Classics, Contemporary Cinema, David Foenkinos Retrospective, Call of the Mountains and Indian in Cannes, for the first time, the festival has introduced a professional segment, fostering industry dialogue through panel
discussions on topics like ‘The Importance of Women in Global Cinema’, ‘State of play and prospects for collaboration between French and Indian cinema’ and ‘The role of AI in cinema : Artistic and economic challenges’. Also, on February 28, Rituparna will inaugurate the Short Film Night where over 35 French short films, screened continuously from 9 pm to 6.30 pm, offering cinephiles an all-night movie experience.
