KIFF 2025 to open with iconic film ‘Saptapadi’
KOLKATA: The 2025 edition of the Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF), starting November 6, will open with the eternal Uttam Kumar–Suchitra Sen romantic classic Saptapadi (1961), minister Aroop Biswas announced at a press conference on Tuesday at Rabindra Sadan. Marking 50 glorious years of Sholay, director Ramesh Sippy will be in Kolkata to deliver this year’s Satyajit Ray Memorial Lecture, one of KIFF’s most-awaited and prestigious sessions.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will inaugurate the 31st edition of the film festival at Dhano Dhanyo Auditorium on November 6 at 4 pm, followed by the screening of the opening film at 6.30 pm. As always,
Dona Ganguly and her troupe will set the tone for the evening with a graceful dance recital. Though the ministers did not disclose the guest list for the inaugural ceremony, sources said that Simi Garewal and Sharmila Tagore, both part of Satyajit Ray’s ‘Aranyer Din Ratri’, may share the stage with Sippy. The newly restored 4K version of Ray’s cult classic will have a special screening on November 8. This year, KIFF received a record 1,827 entries, of which 215 films from 39 countries, including 185 feature films and 30 short films, have been selected.
Minister Indranil Sen informed that the ever-popular Cine Adda at Ektara Mancha has been renamed ‘Gane Gane Cinema’ by the Chief Minister. The reimagined section will weave together songs, stories, and memories, featuring some of Bengal’s most beloved artistes, from Prosenjit, Iman Chakraborty, and Kabir Suman to Nachiketa.
Biswas, who also serves as Bengal’s sports minister, added that the CM took a keen interest in curating this year’s festival, particularly in highlighting films on sports and the environment. “With global warming on the rise, we wanted to focus on nature.
Four films from around the world on environmental themes will be showcased this year,” he said. For Prosenjit and Koel Mallick, who were present at the press meet, KIFF brought back fond memories of watching international classics at Nandan during their younger days.
This year, Poland takes the spotlight as the focus country, with 19 films being screened. Fourteen films will compete in the international competition for the coveted Royal Bengal Tiger Trophy. To mark the birth centenary of legendary filmmaker Ritwik Ghatak, KIFF will host a special retrospective featuring an exhibition on the master and screenings of his iconic works like ‘Meghe Dhaka Tara’, ‘Bari Theke Paliye’, ‘Komal Gandhar’, and more.
Tributes will also be paid to cinematic legends marking their centenaries, including Guru Dutt, Santosh Dutta, Salil Chowdhury, Richard Burton, Sam Peckinpah and Raj Khosla, alongside a special tribute to Robert Redford, Shyam Benegal, David Lynch, Arun Roy, Raja Mitra, Claudia Cardinale, and Shashi Anand.
