Ritwick, Indranil, Dhruba join KIFF committee

The 25th Kolkata International Film Festival is turning into an interesting event. Not just the competitive sections involving feature films, there is a lot of interest regarding the short and documentary section of the festival. On Wednesday, director Raj Chakrabarty confirmed to CT that he has been asked to be the chairperson of this section. Earlier, chairpersons of this section were Anjan Bose and Arindam Sil.
“Yes, I’m the chairperson of this section. I have always been associated with KIFF. This time around, I have kept myself free during the festival so that I can contribute more. I have already attended some three or four meetings. I will be very happy if my involvement can encourage those who have struggled like me. Work has begun and we are expecting some 600 entries in this section,” Raj said.
However, he will not be watching all the entries. “We have a team of 10-12 people who will screen the entries. Director Manas Mukul Pal is part of this team too. Assistant directors doing good work are also part of the team. They will filter the entries and bring down the number to 30-40. Then, I along with some others, will watch those entries. Those will then be forwarded to a jury board comprising experts. This board will decide on the winners,” Raj said.
Though Raj has himself never directed a short film or a documentary, he likes this medium. “Being a film-maker, I watch all kinds of work. I have watched Satyajit Ray’s Sikkim and have also seen many documentaries directed by Goutam Ghose. There are some fantastic work being now attempted by newcomers. I would want to encourage those new talents and give them a platform. I am also trying to rope in students of cinema to be associated with KIFF,” Raj concluded.


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