Alliance Française du Bengale & Nandan: West Bengal Film Centre in collaboration with the Consulate General of France in Kolkata, announced the second edition of the French Film Festival Kolkata.
Gracing the announcement were film director Goutam Ghose, actress Rituparna Sengupta, Didier Talpain, Consul General of France in Kolkata, Nicolas Facino, Director of Alliance Francaise du Bengale and Director of the festival, and others.
The festival is scheduled from February 22 to March 1, 2025. More than 80 films will be screened in the second edition of the festival. The inauguration ceremony will take place on February 22, 2025, at Nandan 1 from 6:30 pm onwards. It will be graced by film director Goutam Ghose, celebrated actors Nasiruddin Shah, Anasuya Sengupta, Rituparna Sengupta, Rukmini Maitra, and Chief Advisor of 3FK, Pritimoy Chakraborty.
Acclaimed film director Anubhav Sinha, and film & casting director Trishaan Sarkar will also grace the event with their presence.The six sections in the festival are Animation Films, Classics, Contemporary Cinema, David Foenkinos Retrospective, Call of the Mountains, and Indian in Cannes.
The festival will begin with the world premiere of Délocalisés, directed by Ali Bougheraba and starring Redouane Bougheraba. This French film shot extensively in Kolkata between February and April 2024, will be released in France on March 12, 2025.
The closing film will be La Délicatesse, directed by David and Stéphane Foenkinos. On February 23, actor Naseeruddin Shah will present the iconic film Manthan as a tribute to its late director, Shyam Benegal.
The festival introduces a professional segment, that will help foster industry dialogue through panel discussions on: The Importance of Women in Global Cinema, the State of play and prospects for collaboration between French and Indian cinema, and The role of AI in cinema: Artistic and economic challenges.
A short film night will be organized on February 28, 2025, at the Auditorium of Alliance Française du Bengale from 9:00 PM to 6:30 PM. It will feature over 35 French short films. Rituparna Sengupta will inaugurate the Short Film Night by presenting the opening film, Distances. It is a captivating 30-minute short directed by Ashoke Vishwanathan. The film is the result of a workshop conducted with the staff and students of Alliance Française du Bengale, featuring performances from the entire team. Nicolas Facino, Director of Alliance Française du Bengale, will also be seen in a pivotal role in the film.
The closing ceremony will take place on March 1, 2025, at Nandan 1 from 6:30 pm onwards.
The guests at the closing ceremony are H.E. Thierry Mathou – Ambassador of France to India, Santanu Basu– IAS, Principal Secretary-Information & Cultural Affairs Department, Government of West Bengal, Nicolas Facino – Director of Alliance Française du Bengale, Nandita Das, filmmaker and actor, Sudhir Mishra, Huma Qureshi, film actor, David Foenkinos, filmmaker and writer, Rituparna Sengupta, actor, Mukesh Chhabra, casting director, Anjan Dutt, filmmaker, actor, and singer, Richa Sharma, actor and model, Pritimoy Chakraborty–Industry Veteran & Chief Advisor of the film festival.
The second edition of the French Film Festival Kolkata will celebrate the magic of cinema and foster cultural collaboration.
