Kolkata/IBNS, Nov. 6 -- West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, veteran filmmaker Ramesh Sippy, senior actor-MP Shatrughan Sinha on Thursday graced the inauguration of 31st Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF).

The inauguration was held at Dhanadhanya Auditorium.

Bengali film veteran Ranjit Mallick, iconic singer Arati Mukerjee and several other regional stars including Prosenjit Chatterjee, Rituparna Sengupta, Dev, Koel were among the attendees.

The opening film was the Bengali classic Saptapadi (1961), starring Uttam Kumar and Suchitra Sen.

This edition showcases 215 films from 39 countries, across 18 Indian and 30 foreign languages.

The "Focus Country" is Poland, with a special segment devoted to Polish cinema.

The fest...