Kolkata International Film Festival will pay tribute to masters we lost this year

KOLKATA: The 23rd edition of the

Kolkata International Film Festival

(KIFF) will feature 144 movies from 65 countries, to be screened under 18 categories across 12 locations. The festival will also pay tribute to Om Puri, Tom Alter and Ramananda Sengupta -three masters of cinema who passed away this year.

Puri, who had a special bond with Kolkata, passed away on January 6. As a tribute to him, the festival is trying to screen Satyajit Ray's `Sadgati'. Based on a short story by Munshi Premchand, this 1981-film has a stellar performance by Puri in the role of village shoemaker Dukhi. Another Ray classic -`Shatranj Ke Khiladi' -will also be screened in the tribute section. This film stars Tom Alter in the role of aide de camp of general James Outram, whose character was essayed by Richard Attenborough.

Director Sandip Ray said, “In case of Om, there are so many good works that anyone would be spoilt for choice to select one film as a tribute. To screen `Sadgati', permission has to be sought from Doordarshan, which had produced the film. I, however, wasn't aware of the decision to screen it. Yadav Mandal had called me up and told me about wanting to screen `Shatranj Ke Khiladi' for Tom. I told him that the film was produced by Delhi-based Suresh Jindal. I am sure it won't be difficult to get permission for these movies.“ Cinematographer Ramananda Sengupta's daughter Nandini Sengupta Chakraborty said, “We are happy with the initiative to pay a tribute to Baba. The festival will be screening his `Headmaster'.This was one of my father's favourite works. I have always wanted to watch this film, but couldn't get hold of a good print.“

Aretrospective of Thai cinema's leading new wave auteur Pen-Ek Ratanaruang is also being organized. And the director will be in the city to attend the festival.