Kolkata, Nov 11 (IBNS) A day after Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan and Shahrukh Khan inaugurated the 18th Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF) in a show of glamour and glitz, the International Forum of New Cinema, organised by India's oldest film society Cine Central, was opened at Metro Cinema here on Sunday by Dada Saheb Phalke winning Bengali actor Soumitra Chatterjee.
The International Forum is part of the KFF now and it will screen 78 films from 25 countries this year.
Jawhar Sircar, Chief Executive Officer of Prasar Bharati, was also present at the inauguration marked by the screening of noted Kannada filmmaker Girish Kasaravalli's Kurmavatara.
Kasaravalli was also present at the inauguration.
Speaking at the opening function, the Prasar Bharati CEO said Doordarshan will produce a documentary film of legendary filmmaker Mrinal Sen.
Sircar said parallel films will also be aired by Doordarshan again with subtitles.
At the inauguration, noted cinematographer Ramananda Sengupta was conferred the Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award.
In the Cine Central's International Forum this year, a retrospective of Hong Kong's famous director Wang-Kar Wai was organised.
Films from Switzerland, Poland, France, Cuba, Denmark, Mexico and China are being shown in the international forum.
On Saturday, the opening function of the KFF was star-studded as gorgeous Bollywood actresses like Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma, who are co-stars of Shahrukh starrer Jab Tak Hai Jaan, glammed up the evening along with a host of Tollywood actors while West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee played the beaming host.
The eight-day-long KFF will screen 160 films of 40 languages by 38 directors from 62 countries.
There are a total of 12 venues across the city where films are being screened.
Recognized by the FIAPF as an International Film Festival, Kolkata Film Festival comes of age in its 18th edition as the only international film festival in India in the non-competitive category.
