Kolkata, Nov 11 15th edition of Kolkata film festival got off to a colourful start with the screening of Mark Hasrman's "The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas" here on Tuesday.

Organised by the state's information and cultural affairs department, the festival was opened by renowned Bollywood filmmaker Mani Ratnam.

Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee also graced the occasion.

Speaking on the occasion, Mani Ratnam asked the viewers to enjoy the festival to the fullest.

"I think any good film will promote good films. Sometimes even bad films help you to make better films. Do not worry, festival is festival, celebrate and enjoy it. Any film festival will have a take back. You come to a film festival; you will definitely not go back empty hand. You will go with something," said Ratnam.

Ratnam also inaugurated an exhibition on acclaimed Bollywood filmmaker Bimal Roy.

The first day of the film festival also drew a large crowd of movie enthusiasts, who were all excited to watch different genres of movies.

"Generally the kind of movies we cannot watch in our regular TV or regular cinema houses, those movies that we cannot reach out, mainly those kinds of films we will look out here. Like you know not only Hollywood or Bollywood films that usually runs in our cinema houses but the kind of movies, kind of off beat movies, we do not see in our cinema houses, only in festival we are able to see that," said Anwesha Ghatak, a film lover.

The films that are being showcased in the festival have been divided into several categories - Contemporary World Cinema, Documentary films, Century Tribute, Homage, Short films, Marquez on Celluloid, Encounter, Honour, Mexico in Focus, Indian Select, Remembering World War 2 and others.

The festival, which will continue till November 17 will screen 228 films including 175 feature films, 38 short films and 5 documentaries from 56 countries. (ANI)