The International Kolkata Short Film Festival (IKSFF), to be held this year between March 5 and 12, has been organised as an effort to celebrate the timeless spirit of storytelling. To get the ball rolling, the festival committee met at Press Club Kolkata on February 23 to felicitate jury members and other film personalities.
Among those felicitated were musician Pandit Mallar Ghosh, actress Jaya Seal Ghosh, actor Debashis Roy, and directors Indira Dhar Mukherjee, Sagnik Chatterjee and Sandipan Roy. The jury also features filmmaker Soumitra Dastidar, directors Pradipta Bhattacharya and Mohan Das, and Albanian filmmaker Valmir Tertini.
Speaking at the event, festival chairman Sourav Chakraborty said, “Seventy per cent of the ticket sales will go to the filmmakers, while 30 per cent will be retained by event partner Eventizer. I would like to thank the jury for being with us every step of the way and encouraging people to watch these films.”
Musician Pandit Mallar Ghosh and actress Jaya Seal Ghosh at the felicitation event
Festival director Saswati Guha Chakraborty added, “We started this festival during a difficult time and we have encountered a series of challenges in bringing it back. But the unwavering support we received in bringing these films to the people is what keeps us going.”
IKSFF 2022 received over 190 submissions from 26 countries and will screen more than 100 short films. Keeping the pandemic in mind, the festival has adopted a hybrid model this year. Audiences can opt for online screenings and enjoy the selected films from the comfort of their homes by booking their tickets at www.eventizer.co.in. They have the option to purchase a daily ticket, or a season ticket.
“Our efforts have always been directed towards supporting short-film directors and we will continue in the same direction. Having this festival online is a big opportunity to get people from across the world to watch these films,” said the festival’s executive director Manas Banerjee.
But the festival isn’t entirely doing away with the magic of the big screen — a physical screening will be held at Rotary Sadan on March 13 to bring proceedings to a close.
Delegate passes for this day can also be booked at the Eventizer website. The screening will be followed by a ceremony where 15 awards will be up for grabs, including the Jiban Guha Memorial Award for Best Actor.