KIFF 2025: Simi to be present at Ray’s memorial lecture

The 31st Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF) is set to take place from November 6 to 13. This year’s Satyajit Ray Memorial Lecture promises to bring together Simi Garewal, noted filmmakers and scholars to reflect on diverse facets of cinema and Ray’s influence on the art form.

A close source to the festival shared, “A seminar on Ritwik Ghatak will be held at KIFF, and film director and script writer Adoor Gopalakrishnan will be delivering a lecture along with Arun Singh and other dignitaries from Tollywood. There will also be a seminar on AI but the speakers for this category are still under consideration.” An exhibition dedicated to Santosh Dutta, Pradip Kumar, Guru Dutt, Robert Altman, Sam Peckinpah and Richard Burton will be showcased at the festival this year.

KIFF 2025 will shine a special spotlight on Poland through a dedicated exhibition celebrating its cinematic legacy. The festival will present five sections showcasing Polish cinema, featuring both contemporary and classic works, a centenary tribute to filmmaker Wojciech Jerzy, a collection of animated films, and titles exploring Indo-Polish cultural ties. A lineup of restored films will also be screened, including works by Satyajit Ray and Charlie Chaplin.

Simi Garewal will be the notable speaker as a restored version of Aranyer Din Ratri will be screened. Five of Ghatak’s films will also be screened to celebrate his 100th birth anniversary– Source