KIFF 2024: An introspective journey

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✒️Sagnik Bhaduri

Though the vestiges of an imagined past linger on ,the 30th Kolkata International Film Festival offers a faint ray of hope into an almost dwindling cultural sphere.

Calcutta and its ever consuming affair with culture transcending boundaries

The 30th Kolkata International Film Festival, held from December 4 to 11, 2024, celebrated Kolkata’s rich artistic legacy. The city, known for its deep connection to art, culture, and literature, has nurtured legends like Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen, and Ritwik Ghatak. Ray’s Calcutta Trilogy (Pratidwandi, Seemabaddha, Jana Aranya) explored urban struggles, while Sen’s Interview, Calcutta 71, and Padatik delved into political discontent. Ghatak’s films, inspired by the 1947 Partition, like Meghe Dhaka Tara, used striking techniques to highlight displacement and social issues. Together, their works redefined Indian cinema, blending art with resistance and transcending escapist storytelling.

 An insight into the conception of the film festival and its socio-cultural impact

The brainchild of the erstwhile Left government ,the Kolkata International Film Festival begun in the year 1995,under the Information and Cultural Affairs department ,and fostered a sense of humanism as auteurs ,the likes of Adoor Gopalakrishnan , Shyam Benegal, Goutam Ghose ,Ashoke Vishwanathan and Mani Ratnam assembled to challenge existing artistic convictions. 

Debasish Sen Sharma,eminent filmmaker and film academician, fondly recalled about the days when during his years as a student he flocked to the the festival since its very inception and used to be affronted by its grandness alongside being exposed to the immortal works of masters like Krystov Zanussi, Jafar Panahi,Fernando Solanas and many more.

“In the contemporary epoch,when the onset of the digital revolution has caged us into a square screen,festivals such as these are instrumental to initiate the discourse on film and its semantics.Regarding improvement, I think the festival curators ought to incorporate contemporary pieces that have been prominent in eminent film festivals across the globe since these films are not easy to access from elsewhere”,he stated when asked about his perspective regarding the influence and impact of the film festival in the cultural landscape.

The thematic notions of the KIFF 2024 

Despite all hurdles, it was still a intellectually as well as emotionally fusing experience on my end as I got the wonderful chance to watch Iranian director Nader Saeivar’s directorial debut ‘The Witness(2024)’, a political drama based on the contemporary “ Women,Life and Freedom” movement or the Iranian resistance against patriarchy with a compelling script penned by the eternally iconoclastic neorealist auteur Jafar Panahi followed by Oh-Jung Min’s ‘ House of the  Seasons(2023)’, a moving parable on a multi-generational south Korean family whose pathos,love,loss and humanity are seamlessly combined by vibrant frames ,an elaborate mise-en-scene and humane performances. Jacques Audiard’s French crescendo ‘Emilia Perez(2024)’ which bagged the Jury Prize at the 77th Cannes Film Festival due to its raw, acerbic yet contemplative tone encompassing political corruption in Central U.S.A. , transgender solidarity , humanism , deceit and love in a distinctly Tarantino-esque manner coupled with poignant performances by Karla Sofia Gascon, Zoe Saldana and Selena Gomez. However,what fascinated me the most,was a special screening of Sergei Paranjov’s 1969 magnum opus ‘The Colour of Pomegranates’, a surrealist Soviet-Armenian art film based on the life,experiences and sensibilities of 18th-century vagabond poet Sayat-Nova. As it boasted a divergent curation of masterpieces from the lands of Venice,Cannes and the Berlinale ,the Kolkata International Film Festival 2024 also featured a section which consisted of restored Indian classics that have altered the film grammatology of the country including the 1971 masterpiece ‘Ghatashraddha(The Ritual)’by one of the prominent voices of the New Indian Wave Girish Kasaravalli , G.Aravindan’s profound ‘Thampu/The Circus Tent (1971)’, Shyam Benegal’s sensitive study of the Green revolution ‘Manthan/The Churning(1976)’,auteur Barin Saha’s obliviated  magnum opus ‘Tero Nadir Parey/Beyond Thirteen Rivers(1969)’ alongside a retrospective of eminent experimental filmmaker Kumar Sahani. 

A multiplicity of perspectives unravelled via the opinions of diverse individuals.

 Arjya Shikdar,a university sophomore specialising in economics alongside nurturing his penchant to dissect and analyse the magic of 24 frames per second expressed his admiration upon witnessing the haunting symphony of dogma , discrimination and life as poignantly reflected in Girish Kasarvalli’s ‘Ghatashraddha’, the existentialism of decadence ,media-induced consumerism and disillusionment of post-war Italy portrayed effortlessly by the iconic Marcello Mastroianni in Federico Fellini’s sprawling avant-garde masterpiece ‘La Dolce Vita/Sweet Life(1960)’ or the macabre and unriveting Danish cinematic gem ‘The Girl with the Needle(2024)’ by Magnus Von Horn. “As I am an ardent cinephile, it was an esoteric experience for me as I got to see productions from Panama to Lithuania. In the contemporary era, where people seldom read literature or watch films, KIFF plays an instrumental role in bridging the gap”, stated the 19-year old. Muhammad Aditya Rashmi Rahman, a student at St. Xavier’s University,Kolkata pursuing an undergraduate degree in legal studies, lamented upon the fact that he could not attend this year’s festival . However,with his vast erudition, he commented upon the nature,reach and relevance of festivals such as these in the contemporary socio-political scenario of a world grappling with polarisation and intolerance in utilising artfrom as a mechanism of resisting social inequities and crass right-wing propaganda.

Kaustav Chakraborty, an educator by profession, mentioned aptly that the Kolkata International Film Festival ever since its conception has significantly turned the city into a “melting pot of various cultures”. However even though he praised the diversity of subjects encompassed through the films shown , he urged proper awareness to be spread amongst the youth regarding the process of filmmaking,something which is ever resonant. 

The contemporary scenario alongside the influences and discontents prevalent this year

As I am someone who,alongside being an avid reader sans any specialisation, is fascinated by the philosophical brilliance and the transcending ability of the “empathy machine”(as the renowned science fiction Ray Bradbury fondly termed the motion pictures), I could not fail to the notice in this year’s festival the vestiges of a bygone era which had been erratic ,avant-garde and unconventional as opposed to the collective mediocrity being bred by the armchair intelligentsia and purists who desperately hold onto the once cherished beliefs and institutions redolent of a mammoth tearing off its tusk or a once prosperous mausoleum basking in its past glory.Though there was pomp,ardour and exuberance ,the spirit of film appreciation seemed to take a backseat owing to the convoluted and Kafkaesque time schedule further marred by a faulty administration.A school teacher,who chose to keep her identity anonymous,commented that the inability of the concerned authorities at integrating the multiplexes of the city along with an arduous time stretch made it an Orwellian affair for individuals to queue up for the festival. She further added that these fallacies might be contributing towards the downfall of film appreciation and discourse, a once vibrant vocation in the City of Joy!

Now that the festival has ended all that is left are its memories,the wintry mornings ,the diverse nature of the people,the frequent arguments following musings on a specific film,its aesthetics  and the variety of perspectives on film theory and studies that arose from those discussions!