Commemorating the glorious heritage of the Film Society movement, the Government of West Bengal created Nandan, the West Bengal Film Centre in 1985. Inaugurated by Satyajit Ray, the centre started functioning from the year of its genesis.

Nandan not only provided the technical infrastructure for the film movement, but bestowed fruits to the Bengal intelligentsia for cerebral cultivation. From the moment of its foundation the Kolkatan film buffs demanded their own film festival that Bengal thoroughly deserved.

In 1995, Nandan organized its first ever independent film festival. Within a couple of years it was recognized by FIAPF (International Federation of Film Producers’ Associations– Paris), the international authority of film festivals. For years Nandan has marched forward in building a proper film culture, travelling parallel to the so-called mainstream. Now, the Kolkata Film Festival is in its 12th year and shares a permanent place in the international film festival calendar, showcasing films from all over the world.