The 31st Kolkata International Film Festival will be inaugurated on 6 November at Dhono Dhanyo Auditorium by West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee. Veteran actor Shatrughan Sinha, former cricketer Sourav Ganguly, singer Arati Mukherjee, filmmakers Ramesh Sippy and Sujoy Ghosh will be the guests at the event.
Here’s everything you need to know about this year’s edition of the annual film festival.
What is the opening film this year?
The festival will open with a screening of Saptapadi, the iconic Uttam Kumar–Suchitra Sen classic.
How many films will be screened this year?
A total of 215 films will be showcased — in 18 Indian and 30 foreign languages — across 20 screens across Kolkata.
Which venues will host the screenings?
Nandan, Rabindra Sadan, Sisir Mancha, Rabindra Okakura Bhavan, Radha Studio, Nazrul Tirtha, Navina, Star Theatre, Menoka, Ajanta, PVR Mani Square, Inox Metro, Inox Quest, Inox South City, Globe, New Empire, and Prachi.
What are the special tributes this year?
Centenary tribute will be paid to Ritwik Ghatak with six of his films being screened. In addition, a discussion on Ghatak will be held by Adoor Gopalakrishnan on 12 November at 4pm at Sisir Mancha. An exhibition on Ghatak will take place at the Nandan foyer. His actors, technicians, and students will be felicitated on 13 November at Rabindra Sadan.
Which other film personalities are being honoured?
Tributes will also be paid to centenarians Richard Burton, Santosh Dutta, Salil Chowdhury, Raj Khosla, Sam Peckinpah, and Wojciech Has. An exhibition at Gaganendra Pradarshashala will showcase materials related to these legends, along with works of Pradip Kumar and Robert Altman.
Special tributes will be paid to Robert Redford, Claudia Cardinale, David Lynch, Shyam Benegal, Arun Roy, Raja Mitra, and Shashi Anand.
Which country is the focus at KIFF 2025?
Poland is this year’s focus country. The Polish delegation will include a seven-member team featuring Agata Wasowska-Pawlik, director of the International Cultural Centre in Krakow.
Poland will present 19 films, including the upcoming biographical film Chopin Chopin (2025). Before its screening, Monika Rosca will perform a live piano recital.
An exhibition titled Polish Cinematography in Posters: The Art of Andrzej Pagowski will also be held at Gaganendra Pradarshashala.
What other attractions can one expect at the festival this year?
A special ‘Unheard India’ section has been added this year which will feature films in eight rare Indian languages including Kokborok and Tulu.
Additionally, regular Cine Adda panel discussions at Ektara Mancha will be held every evening.
A seminar on Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Cinema will be held at Sisir Mancha on 10 November at 4pm.
