Filmmaker Amitabha Chaterji’s 8, featuring just two actors, is the only black-and-white film selected for the Bengali Panorama section of this year’s Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF).
The other films chosen for screening in this segment are Chandrasish Ray’s Porshi (Neighbours), Raja Chanda’s Haloom (A roar of tiger), Rudrajit Roy’s Pinjar (The Cage), Reshmi Mitra’s Barobabu (The father of Indian theatre), Nandan Ghosh’s Get Up Kingshuk and Suman Maitra’s A2.
According to news agency PTI, 8 is Chaterji’s ‘most personal work’ and reflects his trials and tribulations as an independent filmmaker.
“8 is my most personal work — a film shaped by the trials of my life as an indie filmmaker over the past eight years. During this period, I made four films while navigating the heartbreak of failed relationships,” he told PTI.
Starring Suraiya Pravin and Jagannath Chakraborty, the film features clips from Chatterjee’s earlier works. It is interspersed with the director’s monologues.
“I handled every aspect of the film — writing, acting, cinematography, editing and sound — to preserve its brutal honesty and edgy rawness,” Chaterji said.
Chaterji’s directorial debut feature Manohar and I (Ami O Manohar) won the Best Debut Film award at the International Film Festival of Kerala in 2018 and the Best Feature Film award at the Pondicherry International Film Festival in 2019. It also received a Best Debut nomination at the Jaffna International Cinema Festival the same year.
The film was officially selected at major festivals including the San Diego Asian Film Festival, Third Eye Asian Film Festival, and Diorama International Film Festival. It is currently available to stream on MUBI. The British Film Institute has listed Manohar and I among 10 Great Films Set in Kolkata.
The 31st edition of the Kolkata International Film Festival is scheduled to take place from 6 November to 13 November.