Amitabha Chatterjee’s ‘8’ lone black-and-white film in KIFF Bengali Panorama

Kolkata, Nov 3 (PTI) Young director Amitabha Chatterjee’s '8' is the only black-and-white film selected in the Bengali Panorama section of this year’s Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF) starting November 6.

The film features just two actors.

Apart from '8', Porshi (Neighbours), Haloom (A roar of tiger), Pinjar (The Cage), Barobabu (The father of Indian theatre) and A2 are the other films that have been chosen for screening in the segment.

Chatterjee told PTI on Sunday, "8 is my most personal work — a film shaped by the trials of my life as an indie filmmaker over the past eight years. During this period, I made four films while navigating the heartbreak of failed relationships." He said the film, however, is not merely a personal diary or an ode to broken relationships.

The film has clips of his earlier works intercut with the director’s monologues.

"It is an unscripted journey through longing and loneliness, recording my quirky conversations with two actors. I handled every aspect of the film — writing, acting, cinematography, editing and sound — to preserve its brutal honesty and edgy rawness," he said.

"The narrative doesn’t follow a structured path. Through this work, I wanted to create not just a story but a feeling — love slipping away, time dissolving. There’s no resolution, only acceptance that some things will always remain unfinished,” he added.

The film features actors Suraiya Pravin and Jagannath Chakraborty.

Chatterjee’s debut feature Manohar & I (Ami O Manohar) won the Best Debut Film award at the International Film Festival of Kerala in 2018 and the Best Feature Film award at the Pondicherry International Film Festival in 2019. It also received a Best Debut nomination at the Jaffna International Cinema Festival the same year.

The film was officially selected at major festivals including the San Diego Asian Film Festival, Third Eye Asian Film Festival, and Diorama International Film Festival, and is currently streaming on MUBI. The British Film Institute listed it among "10 Great Films Set in Kolkata." PTI SUS MNB