Nandan was venue for a French film fest from 16-24 February. The West Bengal government along with Alliance Française du Bengale and celebrated the 1st edition of the French Film Festival this year.
This festival was a manifestation of the cultural bridge that represented connections among French, Indian, and Bengali cinemas over the years.
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This festival screened 42 movies that included 28 full-length films and was segregated into 5 parts so that cinephiles could enjoy. These 5 sections include: Contemporary films, young audience, French new wave, Indian classics at Cannes and special screenings.
The opening of the festival was graced by actor Anil Kapoor, director Anurag Kashyap, actor-director-musician Anjan Dutt, actor Rituparna Sengupta and actor Saswata Chatterjee on 16 February.
Anil Kapoor reminisced about his early days of vigour and joy in Kolkata, expressing his affection and longing for the city where he began his acting journey through the film, Kahan se Guzar Gaya, released in 1980. He also said how a photograph sent by Mr Nicolas Facino, the director of Alliance Française du Bengale brought back memories of his first time shooting a movie. He also praised the work of director and cinematographer Nemai Ghosh.
Didier Talpain, the consul general of France in Kolkata along with Nicolas Facino, expressed their admiration for Kolkata as the cultural capital of India that stands as a bridge between cultures of foreign lands and also as a beacon of creativity and innovation in the realm of cinema.
A special focus was given to some award-winning movies, such as The Three Musketeers: Milady, and The Three Musketeers: D’Artagnan directed by M. Bourboulon and also Asterix and Obelix: The Middle Kingdom directed by Guillaume Canet.
Movies like Aguntak by Satyajit Ray, Antarjal Yatra by Goutam Ghosh, Padatik by Mrinal Sen, Uttoran by Sandip Ray, Tahader Kotha by Buddhadeb Dasgupta, and Padma Nadir Majhi by Goutam Ghosh, which had previously been screened at the Cannes Film Festival.
Finally, on the last day, the closing ceremony featured the blockbuster film La Tresse directed by Laetitia Colombani.
