Twenty films of Satyajit Ray will be screened in a film fest at an auditorium here in January.

Mayor Gautam Deb, also the chairman of the advisory committee of Dinabandhu Mancha — a state-run auditorium — said on Tuesday that the auteur’s son and filmmaker Sandip Ray will inaugurate the event on January 12.

“Actress Sharmila Tagore (who acted in many Ray films) will attend the closing ceremony on January 21,” said Deb.

The Satyajit Ray Film Festival is being organised by the state information and cultural affairs department in association with Dinabandhu Mancha.

“It will be a 10-day fest in which 20 films, including some documentaries, will be screened. We have also received consent from Sharmila Tagore on her presence in the closing function,” he added.

Film enthusiasts here can watch Ray classics Pather Panchali, Aranyer Dinratri, Nayak, Jalsaghar, Goopi Gayen Bagha Bayen, Charulata and Seemabaddha.

Veteran actor Barun Chanda, who played the role of the protagonist in Seemabaddha, will join in an interactive session with the audience at Ramkinkar Hall on the same premises on January 14.

The next day, filmmaker Goutam Ghosh and film critic Sanjay Mukherjee will address a seminar on filmmaking at the same venue, said organisers.

Ahead of the fest, a procession will be organised in the city to inform people about the event, they said.

Song Fest

The 15th edition of Bangla Gaan Utsav — an annual Bengali song fest — will be held at the auditorium of Margaret (Sister Nivedita) English School at Pradhannagar, Siliguri, from Wednesday to Friday.

Mukul Sengupta, president of the organising committee, said prominent Bengali singers Sidhu and Saumitra Roy will perform at the event. “Many local artistes and students of music schools will join,” he said.