29th edition of Kolkata International Film Festival was inaugurated by CM Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata on Tuesday

The 29th edition of the Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF) started in Kolkata on Tuesday, but Bollywood stars Shahrukh Khan and Amitabh Bachchan, who have attended the festival's launch every year throughout the earlier editions have not attended this time.

Actor Shatrughan Sinha and his daughter Sonakshi Sinha, Anil Kapoor, Salman Khan, were present as Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee officially opened the film festival. KIFF is one of the major film festivals in the nation, according to Salman Khan, one of the festival's prominent attendees.This year, from December 5 to 12, 23 locations across the city will screen a total of 219 films from 39 different nations. Bengali movie from 1963 Deya Neya will be the first movie to be shown in the festival, starring matinee idol Uttam Kumar.

Thirteen international films will compete for the Golden Royal Bengal Trophies for Best Film and Best Director, which carry prize money of ₹51 lakh and ₹21 lakh, respectively. The International Competition part of the film festival is called Innovation in Moving Images. The organisers have added a competitive segment this year, with a champion who will get ₹7.5 lakh in prize money. The film festival will include six Spanish-produced films as part of its focus nation programme. Australia is the designated nation of emphasis, and its cinematic productions will also be presented.

By showing these films, the festival will pay respects to Mrinal Sen, Dev Anand, and Richard Attenborough. Laurence Kardish will give the esteemed Satyajit Ray Memorial Lecture on December 9. A seminar on acting and directing will be led by actor Manoj Bajpayee and filmmaker Sudhir Mishra.