Aditya Vikram Sengupta’s Once Upon A Time In Calcutta will have its world premiere at the upcoming 78th Venice International Film Festival in September. The Bengali film is the only Indian one at the event this year and will compete in Orizzonti (Horizons) section.
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Sengupta’s first film Asha Jaoar Majhe (Labour of Love, 2014) was premiered in the Venice Days section of the festival in 2014 where he also won the FEDEORA Award for Best Debut. His second film, Jonaki (2018) premiered at International Film Festival Rotterdam in 2018.
The Bengali film is inspired by real-life events and pays homage to the city of Kolkata. According to the makers, Once Upon A Time In Calcutta “follows the life of a bereaved mother trying to desperately find a new identity, love and independence, but soon realizes that she is not the only scavenger in a city brimming with hunger”.
“The film highlights the aspirations and struggles of people gasping for breath in an ever-expanding metropolis,” Sengupta said in the director’s notes. “For the viewer, I have tried to create a real glimpse into the murky waters of Calcutta, with colourful characters, all trying very hard to find a corner of their own without drowning.”
The writer-director-editor is thrilled to return to Venice with his latest project. He said in a statement, “Venice is a dream festival for any filmmaker and we are extremely grateful and excited to be back with a Bengali film about the city, especially on the 100 birth centenary of Satyajit Ray.”
Sengupta joins other Indian filmmakers such as Shubhashish Bhutiani, Chaitanya Tamhane, Ivan Ayr, Sushma Khadepaun whose films have also played in the Orizzonti section.
Once Upon A Time In Calcutta boasts an ensemble cast lead by Sreelekha Mitra and Bratya Basu and features Satrajit Sarkar, Arindam Ghosh, Reetika Nondine Shimu, Anirban Chakrabarti and young first-time actor Shayak Roy. The feature film is also made up of a cast of non-professional actors, including Sengupta’s father, Tridib, in a key role.
The Bengali feature, presented by Wishberry Films, has been filmed by cinematographer Gokhan Tiryaki who has worked with award-winning filmmaker Nuri Bilge Ceylan's cinematographer, while the score has been composed by Dutch composer Minco Eggersman.
Produced by For Films in association with Catherine Dussart Productions (France) and DUOFilm AS (Norway), Once Upon A Time In Calcutta is supported by Cannes L'Atleier, NFDC Film Bazaar, Sorfond and CNC cinema du monde.
The 78th edition of the Venice International Film Festival will be held from 1-11 September. Filmmakers Bong Joon Ho, Chloé Zhao and actresses Cynthia Erivo and Sarah Gadon are jury members for the main competition.