Open Air Film Festival- New Pride of Kolkata
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Discover the unique concept of the Kolkata Open Air Film Festival, which showcases a diverse selection of movies ranging from classics to mainstream films. This event, organized through crowdfunding, unveils the potential of Calcutta and the enthusiasm of its people.
The city of Calcutta leaves me astounded with each passing day. But alas, when I do express such fervor to my friends hailing from other parts of the country, they respond by labeling Calcutta as a dying city. Despite such a negative stigma, this city recently achieved a commendable feat; the Calcutta Metro successfully executed a trial run of India’s maiden underwater metro. Furthermore, allow me to recount another less sung-of event that transpired in the City Of Joy recently – The Kolkata Open Air Film Festival.
To the best of my knowledge, this event is one-of-a-kind in India and has completed its fourth year. This unique concept of showcasing films in the open air originated a few years back when a group of movie enthusiasts realized that the existing format of the festivals caters solely to cinema-literate audiences, leaving the common people, who are more acquainted with mainstream films, feeling excluded. So they created KOAFF, a platform where an audience had the choice of cognitive movies by filmmakers like Kurosawa as well popular movies like Sholay.
The festival strives to showcase movies of all genres, from documentaries to classics to works made by budding filmmakers who might not have had opportunities to showcase their movies. The organization was lauded for its selection of movies, which ranged from ‘Autumn Sonata’ a classic by Bergman, to the recent Oscar-nominated ‘A Yak in the Classroom ‘ by Pawo Choyning Dorji, from ‘Herbert’ an adaptation of Nabarun Bhattacharya’s novel by veteran theater artist Suman Mukhopadhyay to ‘Rang de Basanti’a popular Hindi movie.
The festival which started with the 3-day movie screening four years ago has now blossomed into a grand six-day extravaganza. It is worth mentioning that the entire event is organized through crowdfunding and without any sponsorship. The organizers of KOAFF toiled tirelessly to generate funds from the general public, who gladly contributed to the cause.
KOAFF hosted this festival in Naktala Kolkata and received a humongous response from the audience, demonstrating the enthusiasm of movie lovers of the city. Although Calcutta may bear a negative stigma, events such as the Kolkata Open Air Film Festival unveil the potential of the city and the fervor of its people.
“Calcutta is like another world. People, there are very special and grateful”
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