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The second edition of the international film festival in Kolkata under the aegis of West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, has assumed a larger scale.
The total spend for the eight-day long cinematic extravaganza this year is 10-15% higher than last year. The budget allocated for the festival is around Rs 5 crore, but the government is likely to end up spending Rs 4 crore.
“The budget for this year's festival has been allocated to Rs 5 crore, however, our estimated expenditure would be around Rs 4 crore,” says Atri Bhattacharya, secretary, West Bengal information and culture department.
“We have received overwhelming responses from the private sponsors and had to refuse many who approached us at the eleventh hour,” he informs. Calcutta Electricity Supply Corporation (CESC), Ambuja Realty, Patton Group, Dhunseri group, Coal India and so on, are the main sponsors of the event.
Celebrating hundred years of Indian Cinema, KIFF will showcase 180 films from 60 countries. This year's festival is also mourning the loss of singer Manna Dey and film maker Rituparno Ghosh, the latter's film 'Sunglass' was the inaugural film. Around 24 foreign delegates, including Israeli filmmaker Amos Gitai, are attending the festival.
Earlier in 2011, the venue for the inauguration ceremony was shifted from Nandan Auditorium to Netaji indoor stadium to accommodate 5,000 people.
In her usual style, the Chief Minister announce doles for the industry by announcing mediclaim insurance for all the artists and technicians working in the Tollywood cine industry. She also offered accommodation facilities for 'Bangabibhushan' awardees.
However, the government's critics rued how film festivals had changed from the last regime. The film festival in the Left Front regime was meant for a discerning audience. It was Chief Minister, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee's pet project. The budget was also meagre, much less than Rs 1 crore.
Under Banerjee's Ma Mati Manush policies, however, the festival has been thrown open to the masses. A lot many venues have been added. Not everyone, however, is appreciating the change.
Anik Dutta, director of Bhooter Bhabishyat, believes a lot has changed over the years. “Earlier, I would be eagerly waiting for this time of the year to watch world class cinema but for the past few years, I haven't been able to find time or felt the urge to go.” he adds.
