Mamata Banerjee is mounting Calcutta Film Festival 2011 on the scale of a Bollywood blockbuster after Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s regional film of a festival last year.

Joining the new chief minister on stage at the inauguration of the 17th edition of the festival will be Shah Rukh Ra.One Khan and Sharmila Tagore. Jisshu Sengupta and June will anchor the November 10 programme, Oscar style, and Koel Mallick will be the thali girl.

The changes will not stop at the gates of the venue, Netaji Indoor Stadium, which holds many more people than the previous chief minister’s choice Nandan. Free shows of the best films, a competitive section and the return of after-parties will contribute to making the 2011 festival bigger and starrier than ever before.

Metro explores what’s new at the festival and its chequered past

Off the screen

The two big additions will be the free morning shows at Nandan I and the best film prize, according to actor Ranjit Mallick, the chairman of the festival.

“The free screening for 500 people at 9am was there till two years back but the choice of films was arbitrary. This year we have handpicked the best seven films. Entry will be on first come, first served basis,” says a festival committee member.

The competitive section will be open to Asian films under NETPAC, a network for the promotion of films from the continent across the globe. The NETPAC Award is now given at 28 film festivals in 21 countries, including Berlin, Locarno, Karlovy Vary, Pusan, Kerala and New Delhi.

“The chief minister is very keen on introducing an award, so we tied up with NETPAC. The selection committee has shortlisted about 12 films, including one from India, from 30-odd entries. A three-member jury will decide the award,” says a source, adding the section might be global from next year.

The event will have two new logos, designed by an advertising agency. A Facebook page of the event has already been created and a new website is under construction.

Three new screens — Fame, South City; Bioscope and Navina — will be added to the usual venues of Nandan, Rabindra Sadan, Sisir Mancha, EZCC and New Empire, says festival convener Shibaji Panja.

The Film Market will make a comeback, as will the after-parties since “a lot of people have expressed their desire to play host on behalf of the film producers’ guild and the government”, says a source.

Film fare

The films selected for the festival are either “2010-11 releases screened at some important international festival” or rich in “cinematic content”. The effort is to restore “the festival’s lost glory with the Goa Film Festival as the yardstick”, says an organiser.

The films have been divided into four categories — world, Asian, regional (including a section on the city) and special focus, with a tribute section on Shohei Imamura and Luchino Visconti.

Tickets for the inaugural film are priced at Rs 50 each. Proceeds will go to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.

Star turn

Apart from Shah Rukh Khan and Sharmila Tagore, Prosenjit and Supriya Devi will be present on Day One. “I will definitely attend the inaugural programme. I have also discussed with Artistes’ Forum the idea of presenting a cultural programme during the inauguration or the closing ceremony,” says the Tolly superstar. The chief foreign guest will be renowned Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan.

Lost glory

The boost to the film festival comes after two dull and lifeless editions. In 2009, the festival had seven delegates instead of the usual average of 50 and a tea party hosted by the chief minister was a sorry substitute for the after-parties. The only star attraction at last year’s festival, devoid of fresh films, budget and foreign delegates, was Satyajit Ray’s controversial documentary Sikkim but that too had to be withdrawn following a court order.

In 2006, Bhattacharjee had decided to do away with both the thali girl and a central minister as chief guest. The thali girls before that included Rani Mukerji, Vidya Balan and Konkona Sensharma.

The next year, there were protest rallies on Nandigram during the festival and the Tollywood film fraternity boycotted the event.

June rues how the show lost its shine. “The enthusiasm and the charm were not there the last couple of years. The budgets were cut down. There were fewer delegates and after-parties. The package was only of Korean films. Last year I visited the festival just one day. Earlier I used to take a week off from work during the festival,” she says.

“I’m glad the floodgates will be opened to the masses this year at Netaji Indoor. Earlier it was a very bureaucratic affair where only the VIPs and delegates were allowed but because of the venue a great number of people will be able to witness the inauguration,” she adds.

Do you think Mamata Banerjee’s film festival will eclipse Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s film festival? Tell ttmetro@abpmail.com