Fest5 International Film Festival begins in Kolkata with strong message on climate and culture

Thirty films from across the world have been selected for screening at the four-day Fest5 International Film Festival (F5IFF'25), which was inaugurated at the Anthropological Survey of India (AnSI) auditorium here on Friday.

The festival, highlighting the issue of climate consciousness, received over 550 film submissions from 69 countries, reflecting its fast-growing international recognition. ''Thirty films were selected for screening,'' F5IFF director Sourav De said.

Inaugurating the film festival, Padma Shri awardee and legendary actor Mamata Shankar said, ''Cinema has always been a mirror to society, and a festival like F5IFF, with focus on environment, climate change and human dignity, is deeply relevant in today's times.'' ''Through this festival, voices from across the world come together to speak for nature, culture, and humanity. F5IFF is more than a festival, it is a movement that inspires us to think, to feel, and to act for a better tomorrow,'' she pointed out.

Prof BV Sharma, director of the Anthropological Survey of India (AnSI), which collaborated with the film festival, said, ''The festival's focus on environment and climate change resonates deeply with our mission of understanding the relationship between communities and their ecological surroundings. F5IFF'25 provides a platform where culture, science, and sustainability come together for a global audience.'' Across its four days, F5IFF'25 will bring together filmmakers, cinephiles, distributors, producers from around the world for screenings, discussions, and networking opportunities.

This year, F5IFF also introduced two new categories: Bibliophilia, a special section dedicated to films on books, libraries, reading cultures and literary movements, paying tribute to Kolkata's rich literary heritage and Anthropology and Cinema: A new segment showcasing films that explore the intersection of anthropology, human societies and environmental narratives.

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