[1] It was scheduled to take place from 5 to 12 November 2020 but was postponed to January 2021 due to COVID-19 pandemic in India.
[2] The 26th Kolkata International film festival was virtually inaugurated by CM of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee on 8 January 2020.
[3] Shah Rukh Khan, who is the brand ambassador of Bengal, joined the ceremony over a video call.
The festival commenced with actor Soumitra Chatterjee's world-renowned film Apur Sansar.
[3] The Festival Paid Tribute to Late Legendary Actor Shri Soumitra Chatterjee, Federico Fellini, Éric Rohmer, Ravi Shankar, Fernando Solanas, Kim Ki-duk, Basu Chatterjee, Rishi Kapoor, Irrfan Khan, Tapas Paul, Amala Shankar, Hemanta Mukhopadhyay, Bhanu Bandopdhyay & Santu Mukhopadhyay.