West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday rescheduled the 26th Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF) to January 2021 in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. The KIFF was supposed to be organised between November 5 and 12.

"After receiving global film fraternity's consent, I hereby inform all the stakeholders of Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF) and cine lovers that our festival has been rescheduled, given the current circumstances," Banerjee tweeted on Thursday.

The CM said that the film festival would now be held from January 8-15 next year. "Let the preparations begin," she said.

Sources in the state information and culture department said that the KIFF committee is working hard to make it a physical event instead of a virtual film festival.

The KIFF is organised every year in Kolkata showcasing many domestic and international films from across the globe. Many leading Bollywood personalities, including Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan and others, take part in the prestigious event every at Nandan here in the city.