West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee announced at a press conference that the 14th Kolkata Film Festival will kick off from November 10.  The eight-day cinematic extravaganza will include the screening of 276 recently released films from all over the globe.

Bhattacharjee said that the melange will have 17 Indian entries, other than 44 short-films, eight documentaries and seven children’s films. A total number of 100 foreign films from 62 countries will also be included, of which majority will be the Latin American films.  

The festival, for which 2,500 delegates have been registered, will pay centenary tribute to the renowned French director Jacques Tati by showcasing four of his masterpieces – The Big Day, Mosiure Hulots Holiday, My Uncle and Play Time.

In addition, a special segment of Satyajit Ray’s favourite Hollywood films as well as Ray’s restored films will be screened.

According to Bhattacharjee, “Short filmmakers would also get the chance to showcase their works during the festival at the Bangla Academy, while there would be ‘film market’ for marketing the movies all over the world.”

The Chief Minster said that the budget for the festivities has been pegged at Rs 1.40 crore. The West Bengal government would spend towards procuring the films, but other expenses like providing hospitality to the guests would be met by the sponsors.