Film Festival without Bengali films? Can we even imagine?
Bengal has a unique place when it comes to cinema. Renowned film-makers Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Kumar Ghatak and Mrinal Sen have created their masterpieces in Bengali that managed to enthrall cine-lovers for a long time. And film-makers from both sides of the border, West Bengal and Bangladesh have made an equal and significant contribution in creating such masterpieces. This 17th edition of Mumbai International Film Festival is also celebrating Bengali films from both sides of the border.
The festival is showcasing highly anticipated Bengali documentaries, short fiction and animation films giving the non-feature films a platform to showcase their talent and passion. MIFF 2022 is paying homage to two of the most influential filmmakers from Bengal – Chidananda Dasgupta and Buddhadeb Dasgupta. Besides, there are many handpicked films in Bengali that are featuring at the 17th MIFF. These films have been selected and grouped under various categories, viz. competition and non-competition category and every film in the package deserve all acclaim.
Here’s a list of Bengali films that will be screened and celebrated at MIFF 2022.
National Competition
(Documentary) – An Ode to Quietude
Director- Ashok Kumar Chattopadhyay
(Animation) – Radha
Director- Bimal Poddar
(Animation) – Megha
Director- Rishi Bhaumik
National Prism (Documentary) – My Son and His Grandfather
Director- Bijoy Chowdhury
Special Screening
Sukumar Ray
Director- Satyajit Ray
Country Focus; Thinking of Him;Director- Pablo Cesar
Homage (National)
Portrait of a City; Director- Chidananda Dasgupta
Birju Maharaj; Director- Chidananda Dasgupta
Special Packages (National Award-winning films)
I am Bonnie; Director- Sourabh Kanti Datta, Satarupa Santra, Farha Khatun
A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings; Director- Prateek Vats
Ladakh Chale Rickshawala; Director- Indrani Chakrabarti
Student Films
Inside the Belly; Director- Ritwik Sinha
This MIFF pays a fitting tribute to Bangladesh as ‘Country of Focus’ this year. These films have been selected based on their art of storytelling, concept, characterization, editing, and several other criteria. The film on Shree Jogesh Dutta and the struggles he came across, from being a penniless refugee from East Bengal to becoming the pioneer of Indian mime, is one among the many films under this package.