Kolkata: To mark the canonisation of Mother Teresa this September, a film festival focusing on her life and teachings will be held at over 100 locations in India and around 50 other countries.
Organised by the World Catholic Association for Communication's India chapter, the Mother Teresa International Film Festival (MTIFF) will be kicked off from Kolkata on August 26 after which it will travel all over the world for the next six months.
Festival director Sunil Lucas said they would present the best and the biggest repertoire of films and documentaries made on the Nobel laureate and inspired by her life.
"The objective is to spread the message of Mother Teresa before the world. We want to raise awareness and sensitise the people," he told PTI.
The Roman Catholic nun, who passed away in 1997 after serving the poor and sick on the streets of Kolkata for 45 years, will be declared a saint on September 4 by Pope Francis in the Vatican City.
Although the complete list of films to be screened in the festival is yet to be finalised, the organisers are planning around 20 movies out of which two will have world premires.
In Kolkata, the festival will be held for three days from August 26 at the state-run Nandan multiplex.
Other Indian cities where the film will be showcased include Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Udaipur, Guwahati, Patna, Indore, Ranchi and four cities of Kerala.
Besides, the film festival will also travel to around 50 other countries including the UK, Malaysia, Ireland, Italy, Australia, Thailand, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and China.