# 28th Kolkata International Film Festival

The 28th Kolkata International Film Festival was held from 15th to 22nd December 2022 at Netaji Indoor Stadium, in Kolkata, India. The festival opened with 1973 film Abhimaan, by Hrishikesh Mukherjee. 183 films including 130 feature films and 52 short and documentary films from 42 countries were screened during 7 days of the festival. The opening ceremony was attended by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Rani Mukerji, Mahesh Bhatt and cricketer Sourav Ganguly.
The festival closed on 22 December at Rabindra Sadan hosted by Saheb Chatterjee. Spanish film Upon Entry by Alejandro Rojas, and Juan Sebastian Vasquez and Bangladeshi film The Golden Wings of Watercocks by Muhammad Quayum, jointly won the Golden Royal Bengal Tiger Award for best film, whereas Golden Royal Bengal Tiger Award for best director was won by Ernesto Ardito and Virna Molina for their film Hitler's Witch.

## Highlights of the year

Retrospective on Amitabh Bachchan
A retrospective on Amitabh Bachchan, celebrating his life and works, was presented by screening his films.
Paying homage through special tribute
Filmmaker Tarun Majumdar, veteran actor Pradip Mukherjee, classical musician Shivkumar Sharma and American actor Angela Lansbury, who all passed away in 2022, were given special tribute in the festival.
Centenary celebration
Centenary tribute was given to the French film director and screenwriter Alain Resnais, Italian filmmaker Pier Paolo Pasolini, Greek film actor and director Michael Cacoyannis, alongside Indian cinema's legendary figures Dilip Kumar, Asit Sen, Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Bharati Devi, K. Asif and Hindustani classical musician Ali Akbar Khan.
Game On, A new category
From this year a new category 'Game On' was introduced. Seven sports related films including Soumitra Chatterjee's 1984 film Kony, 2016 film M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story, 2021 film 83 were screened to promote sports among young generation.

## Jury
### International jury

International Competition: Innovation in Moving Images
* Iliana Zakopoulou, (Chairperson), Head of the Department of Sales and Promotion (Hellas Film) of the Greek Film Centre.
* Mano Khalil, a Kurdish-Swiss film director and producer
* Shalini Dore, an editor with Variety
* Tanvir Mokammel, current director of Bangladesh Film Institute (BFI)
* Tannishtha Chatterjee, an Indian actress and director
Competition on Indian Language's Films
* Siddiq Barmak, (Chairperson), an Afghan film director and producer
* Gulnara Abikeyeva, a Kazakh film critic and film researcher
* Viera Langerová, Slovakian film critic, lecturer and scriptwriter
Asian Select (NETPAC Award)
* Latika Padgaonkar (Chairperson), a columnist, translator and editor of several books, also member of the NETPAC (India), and the FIPRESCI.
* Italo Spinelli, a director and author, the founder and artistic director of Asiatica International Film Festival, Rome
* Supriya Suri, the founding member of Cinedarbaar in India and a film curator, and runs her production company Maison Su.
Competition on Indian Short Films
* Jaya Seal Ghosh, an Indian actress, dancer and producer
* Prasun Chatterjee, an Indian filmmaker, also the founder of Kathak Talkies, a Kolkata-based film production company
* Raajhorshee De, a writer and creative director, also project head for two channels in Bengal— Colors Bangla and Zee Bangla.
Competition on Indian Documentary Films
* Anindita Choudhury, the current Vice President of Original Content for Zee5 Kolkata and Bangladesh
* Manas Mukul Pal, an Indian film director and writer
* Sani Ghose Ray, a creative entrepreneur. Currently heading Acropoliis Entertainment

## Official selection

Source:

### Inaugural Film

| Year | English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) |
| Inaugural Film |||||
| 1973 | Abhimaan | Abhimaan | Hrishikesh Mukherjee | India |

### Competition categories
#### International Competition: Innovation in Moving Images

Source:
    Highlighted title indicates award winner
| Year | English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) |
| 2021 | The Golden Wings of Watercocks | Kura Pokhhir Shunye Ura | Muhammad Quayum | Bangladesh |
| 2022 | Silent Glory | Shokouhe Khamoush | Nahid Hassanzadeh | Iran |
| 2022 | The Lord of Creations | Samaresh Basur Projapoti | Subrata Sen | India |
| 2022 | The Warm Blues | | Rishabh Kumar | India |
| 2022 | The Deadman's Bride | Mireasa Mortului | Cornel Gheorghita | Romania |
| 2022 | First snow | ПЕРВЫЙ СНЕГ | Nathalia Konchalovsky | Russia |
| 2022 | In Limbo | Mezhsezone | Alexander Hant | Russia |
| 2022 | The Wedding Parade | Berbu | Sevinaz Evdike | Syria |
| 2022 | The village | AUL | Serik Aprymov | Kazakh |
| 2022 | Hitler's Witch | La Bruja De Hitler | Ernesto Ardito,Virna Molina | Argentina |
| 2022 | Europe | Europe | Philip Scheffner | Germany, France |
| 2022 | Upon Entry | Upon Entry | Alejandro Rojas, Juan Sebastian Vasquez | Spain |
| 2022 | Travels inside foreign heads | Travels inside foreign heads | Antonio Amaral | France |
| 2022 | Dirty, Difficult, Dangerous | Dirty, Difficult, Dangerous | Wissam Charaf | France, Italy |

#### Competition on Indian Language's Films

Source:
    Highlighted title indicates award winner
| Year | English title | Original title | Director(s) |
| 2022 | The Faded Footprints | Lokkhir Paa | Abhik Das |
| 2022 | Salt Of The Earth | Bhoomiyude Uppu | Sunny Joseph |
| 2022 | Colours of a Rebel Sprout | Akoman | Pranjal Saikia |
| 2022 | Sattha Soothakada Suttha | Sattha Soothakada Suttha | Therunalli D |
| 2022 | Beginning | Beginning | Jagan Vijaya |
| 2022 | Tora's Husband | Tora's Husband | Rima Das |
| 2022 | The Fallen are Connected | The Fallen are Connected | B.S. Pradeep Varma |
| 2022 | Muthayya | Muthayya | Bhaskar Maurya |
| 2022 | Global Aadgaon | Global Aadgaon | Anilkumar Salve |
| 2022 | Naanera | Naanera | Deepankar Prakash |
| 2022 | OCD | OCD | Soukarya Ghosal |
| 2022 | If Only Trees Could Talk | Sikaisal | Bobby Sarma Baruah |
| 2022 | Sthalam | Sthalam | Bijukumar Damodaran |
| 2022 | The Terrace | Chhaad | Indrani Chakraborty |

#### Asian Select (NETPAC Award)

| Year | English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) |
| 2022 | Home for Sale | Продаётся дом | Taalaibek Kulmendeev | Kyrgyzstan |
| 2022 | The River Breathes | Ano ko no Yume wo Mizuninagashite | Shoji Toyama | Japan |
| 2022 | The Keysmith | Chabiwala | Raja Ghosh | India |
| 2022 | Fortune | DOV | Muhiddin Muzaffar | Tajikistan |
| 2022 | Incredible Coorg | Pommale Kodag | Kottukattira Prakash Kariyappa | India |
| 2022 | Doosra | Doosra | Channa Deshapriya | Sri Lanka |
| 2022 | Hijab | Munni | Ismail Moodushedde | India |

#### Competition on Indian Short Films

Source:
| English title | Original title | Director(s) |
| Outlaw's Gun | Bandit'S Bazooka | Divyesh Gandhi |
| The Cremation | Daah Sanskaar | Falguni Bhakta |
| The Arrival of Shurponakha | Shuruponakhar Agomon | Suchandra Vaaniya |
| I am, Mehmood | Mein, Mehmood | Prataya Saha |
| Void | Xunyota | Nabapan Deka |
| The Divine Touch | Haater Sporsho | Dr. Prosenjit Choudhury |

#### Competition on Indian Documentary Films

| English title | Original title | Director(s) |
| In Search Of Neelpawan Baruah | Neelpawan Baruak Bichari | Keshar Jyoti Das |
| My Country | Amar Desh | Suman Sen Gupta, Subhra Mukhopadhyay, Saswata Sarkar |
| Imroz - A Walkdown Memory Lane | Imroz - A Walkdown Memory Lane | Harjit Singh |
| Nybreum - The Unsettled Shade | Nybreum - The Unsettled Shade | Neha Sharma |
| Dream For Livelihood | Bhat Kaporer Swapno | Raktim Mondal |
| Mizo Soundscapes | Mizo Soundscapes | Joshy Joseph |
| The Edge Of The Sunshine | Dhoop Kinaara | Shadab Farooq |

### Non-Competition Categories
#### Amitabh Bachchan: A Living Legend

Source:|
| Year | English title | Original title | Director(s) |
| 1975 | Deewaar | Deewaar | Yash Chopra |
| 2005 | Black | Black | Sanjay Leela Bhansali |
| 1979 | Kaala Patthar | Kaala Patthar | Yash Chopra |
| 1973 | Abhimaan | Abhimaan | Hrishikesh Mukherjee |
| 1982 | Shakti | Shakti | Ramesh Sippy |
| 1981 | Silsila | Silsila | Yash Chopra |
| 1971 | Anand | Anand | Hrishikesh Mukherjee |
| 1982 | Bemisal | Bemisal | | Hrishikesh Mukherjee |

#### Bengali Panorama

| Year | English title | Original title | Director(s) |
| 2022 | Grassland | Ghasjomi | Sumantra Roy |
| 2022 | NeetiShastra | নীতিশাস্ত্র | Arunava Khasnobis |
| 2022 | Taranga - The Wave of Life | তারাঙ্গা | Palash Dey |

#### Centenary tribute

    International
| Year | English title | Original title | Production countrie(s) |
| Alain Resnais ||||
| 2006 | Private Fears in Public Places | Cœurs | France |
| 1959 | Hiroshima, My Love | Hiroshima mon amour | France |
| Pier Paolo Pasolini ||||
| 1964 | The Gospel According to St. Matthew | Il vangelo secondo Matteo | Italy |
| 1976 | Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom | Salò o le 120 giornate di Sodoma | Italy, France |
| 1967 | Oedipus Rex | Edipo re | Italy, Morocco |
| Michael Cacoyannis ||||
| 1971 | The Trojan Women | The Trojan Women | United States, United Kingdom, Greece |
| 1977 | Iphigenia | Iphigenia | Greece |
| 1962 | Electra | Electra | Greece |
| 1964 | Zorba the Greek | Alexis Zorbas | Greece, United States |
    Indian
| Year | English title | Original title | Director(s) |
| Dilip Kumar ||||
| 1960 | The Great Mughal | Mughal-e-Azam | K. Asif |
| 1961 | Ganga Jamuna | Gunga Jumna | Nitin Bose |
| 1982 | Power | Shakti | Ramesh Sippy |
| Bharati Devi ||||
| 1959 | The Holy Island | Sagar Sangamey | Debaki Bose |
| Ali Akbar Khan ||||
| 1960 | Hungry Stones | Khudhito Pashan | Tapan Sinha |
| Year | English title | Original title |
| Hrishikesh Mukherjee |||
| 1975 | Mili | Mili |
| 1973 | Anuradha | Anuradha |
| 1971 | Anand | Anand |
| 1966 | Anupama | Anupama |
| 1973 | Anari | Anari |
| 1982 | Bemisal | Bemisal |
| 1969 | Satyakam | Satyakam |
| 1973 | Abhimaan | Abhimaan |
| Asit Sen |||
| 1956 | Chalachal | Chalachal |
| 1963 | Uttar Falguni | Uttar Falguni |
| 1959 | Deep Jwele Jaai | Deep Jwele Jaai |
| K. Asif |||
| 1960 | Mughal-e-Azam | Mughal-e-Azam |

#### Cinema International

| Year | English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) |
| 2022 | Decision to Leave | 헤어질 결심 | Park Chan-wook | South Korea |
| 2022 | Alcarràs | Alcarràs - L'ultimo raccolto | Carla Simón | Spain, Italy |
| 2022 | The Five Devils | Les cinq diables | Léa Mysius | France |
| 2022 | One Fine Morning | Un beau matin | Mia Hansen-Løve | France, Germany |
| 2022 | Close | Close | Lukas Dhont | Belgium, Netherlands, France |
| 2022 | Rule 34 | Regra 34 | Julia Murat | Brazil, France |
| 2022 | Prison 77 | Modelo 77 | Alberto Rodríguez | Spain |
| 2022 | When the Waves Are Gone | Kapag Wala Nang Mga Alon | Lav Diaz | Philippines, France, Portugal, Denmark |
| 2022 | The Blue Caftan | Le Bleu du caftan | Maryam Touzani | France, Morocco, Belgium, Denmark |
| 2022 | How Is Katia? | Yak Tam Katia? | Christina Tynkevych | Ukraine |
| 2019 | Victim | Obet | Michal Blasko | Slovakia |
| 2022 | Nightsiren | Svetlonoc | Tereza Nvotová | Czech Republic, Slovakia, France |
| 2022 | Queens | Malikates | Yasmine Benkiran | France, Morocco |
| 2022 | Heartbeast | Heartbeast | Anio Suni | Norway |
| 2022 | Alma Viva | Alma Viva | Cristèle Alves Meira | Portugal, France, Belgium |
| 2022 | Joyland | Joyland | Saim Sadiq | Pakistan |
| 2022 | Blanquita | Blanquita | Fernando Guzzoni | Chile |
| 2022 | Boy from Heaven | Boy from Heaven | Tarik Saleh | Sweden, France, Finland |
| 2022 | I Have Electric Dreams | Tengo sueños eléctricos | Valentina Maurel | Belgium, France, Costa Rica |
| 2022 | Call Of God | Kõne taevast | Kim Ki-duk | South Korea |
| 2022 | The Whale | The Whale | Darren Aronofsky | United States |
| 2022 | No Bears | خرس نیست (Khers Nist) | Jafar Panahi | Iran |
| 2022 | Triangle of Sadness | Triangle of Sadness | Ruben Östlund | Sweden, France, United Kingdom, Germany |
| 2022 | Broker | 브로커 | Hirokazu Kore-eda | South Korea |
| 2022 | The Ocean Angel | Maariya | Aruna Jayawardana | Sri Lanka |
| 2022 | Crimes of the Future | Crimes of the Future | David Cronenberg | Canada, Greece |
| 2022 | My Sailor, My Love | Rakkaani Merikapteeni | Klaus Härö | Finland |
| 2022 | Rhinegold | Rhinegold | Fatih Akin | German |

#### Game On

| Year | English title | Original title | Director(s) |
| 2021 | 83 | 83 | Kabir Khan |
| 2016 | M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story | M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story | Neeraj Pandey |
| 2007 | Chak De! India | Chak De! India | Shimit Amin |
| 2016 | Dangal | Dangal | Nitesh Tiwari |
| 2013 | Bhaag Milkha Bhaag | Bhaag Milkha Bhaag | Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra |
| 2014 | Mary Kom | Mary Kom | Omung Kumar |
| 1984 | Kony | Kony | Saroj Dey |

#### Homage

Four films will be showcased to pay homage to Jean-Luc Godard, the French-Swiss film director, screenwriter, and film critic.
| Year | English title | Original title | Production countrie(s) |
| 1965 | Alphaville | Alphaville: une étrange aventure de Lemmy Caution | France |
| 1961 | A Woman Is a Woman | Une femme est une femme | France |
| 1961 | Contempt | Le Mépris | France, Italy |
| 1960 | Breathless | À bout de souffle | France |

#### Short and Documentary Panorama

| English title | Original title | Director(s) |
| Ripples Under the Skin | Ripples Under the Skin | Farha Khatun |
| How do I Show the Ocean Space You Carried Inside You | How do I Show the Ocean Space You Carried Inside You | Abeer Khan |
| The Ripple | Eewai | Khwairakpam Bishwamittra |

#### Special Screening

Source:
| Year | English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) |
| 2022 | Wind | Hawa | Mejbaur Rahman Sumon | Bangladesh |
| 2020 | Captive | Nazarband | Suman Mukhopadhyay | India |
| 2022 | Lakadbaggha | Lakadbaggha | Victor Mukherjee | India |
| 2021 | Neighbours | Neighbours | Mano Khalil | Syria |

#### Special tribute

| Year | English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) |
| Pradip Mukherjee |||||
| 1976 | The Middleman | Jana Aranya | Satyajit Ray | India |
| Shiv Kumar Sharma |||||
| 1981 | Continuation | Silsila | Yash Chopra | India |
| Angela Lansbury |||||
| 1945 | The Picture of Dorian Gray | The Picture of Dorian Gray | Albert Lewin | United States |
| Tarun Majumdar |||||
| 1971 | The invitation | Nimantran | Tarun Majumdar | India |
| 1978 | The People | Ganadevata | Tarun Majumdar | India |
| 1976 | Child Bride | Balika Badhu | Tarun Majumdar | India |

#### Unheard India: Rare Language Films

Source:
| English title | Original title | Language | Director(s) |
| TUSU | TUSU | Kurmali | Biswait Roy |
| Dhairya | Dhairya | Byari | Aditya R Chiranjeevi |
| Lotus Blooms | Lotus Blooms | Maithili | Pratik Sharma |
| Tortoise Under The Earth | Dharti Latar Re Horo | Santhali | Shishir Jha |
| Mansai-Beyond River | Mansai-Beyond River | Rajbanshi | Ashutosh Das |
| The Monk And The Courtesan | Bhagavadajjukam | Sanskrit | Yadu Vijayakrishnan |
| Darling | Nasimay | Rabha | Hiren Bora |

## Winners

Source:
* Golden Royal Bengal Tiger Award for Best Film:
** Upon Entry
** The Golden Wings of Watercocks
* Golden Royal Bengal Tiger Award for Best Director: Ernesto Ardito, Virna Molina for Hitler's Witch
* Golden Royal Bengal Tiger Award for Best Short: I Am, Mehmood by Prataya Saha
* Golden Royal Bengal Tiger Award for Best Documentary: Nybreum - The Unsettled Shade by Neha Sharma
* Special Jury mention (Innovation in Moving Pictures): Silent Glory by Nahid Hassanzadeh
* Hiralal Sen Memorial Award Best Film (Indian language's films) : Muthayya by Bhaskhar Maurya
* Hiralal Sen Memorial Award Best Director (Indian language's films) : Deepankar Prakash for Naanera
* Special Jury mention (Indian language's films):
** The Terrace by Indrani
** If Only Trees Could Talk by Dr. Bobby Sarma Baruah
* NETPAC Award for Best Film : Fortune by Muhiddin Muzaffar
* Special Jury mention (Indian Short Films):
** Void by Nabapan Deka
** The Divine Touch by Dr. Prosenjit Choudhury