At KIFF, women filmmakers hog limelight with poignant tales

The Asian Age.  | Santanu Chowdhury

Metros, Kolkata

The films were shown under “International Competition: Women Directors’ Films” section.

Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan speaks during the inauguration of 22nd Kolkata International Film Festival, 2016 in Kolkata. (Photo: AP)

Kolkata: The penultimate day of 22nd Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF) belonged to women filmmakers who enthralled the city’s cine buffs with their breathtaking films. Three German films were screened on Thursday.

Directed by Anne Zohra Berrached, German film 24 Weeks left the “audience in tears” when the protagonist in the film decided to abort her unborn child. “The film was made to help us understand who we actually are. It is a story of a woman who has to take a tough decision at the crucial juncture of her career,” said one of the producers of the film.

Another film The Olive Tree, directed by Spanish filmmaker Iciar Bollain, was the editor’s pick of the day.

The movie tells the story of a woman who wishes to recover a thousand year-old olive tree to keep her grandfather alive. The film received with positive response from the audience.

Another German film House without Roof, directed by Iraqi born Soleen Yusef, depicts the story of three siblings who embark on a journey to Iraq to fulfil the last wishes of their late mother and bury her in their Kurdish home village next to their father.

The films were shown under “International Competition: Women Directors’ Films” section.

Meanwhile, Ei Ami Eka Anya (Different Shades of Me), a biography documentary on celebrated journalist and author Sankarlal Bhattacharya, directed by Amartya Saha stood out in the documentary and short films competition.

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