MUMBAI: Kolkata is set to become the first city in the country that will have a theatre dedicated to screening of documentaries and non-feature films on a daily basis.

One of the three auditoriums of Nandan, the state-owned multiplex will start regular commercial screenings of all kinds of non-feature films from next month, said Nandan chief executive officer Jadav Mondal in a statement. A screening committee for selection of such films is being formed, it is understood.

With tickets priced economically at Rs 30, the 200-seater Nandan-II with state-of-the-art facilities and digital sound system, will have two shows daily for documentaries and short films. "To begin with, we will give priority to filmmakers from West Bengal. But gradually, we will include films from all over the country and even outside," Mondal said.

Some old Bengali films and regional Indian cinema will also be screened from time-to-time on a commercial basis. Besides, the state government also plans to screen children‘s films and classic Bengali films on the second Sunday of every month.

Filmmaker Haranath Chakraborty, a part of the state government‘s cultural think tank group, said that they proposed the idea after noticing a good number of audiences for documentaries and short films at the Kolkata Film Festival last year. "We don‘t want such films to be limited to festival circuits. People in Kolkata love films and so we thought of having a permanent venue for the purpose," he said.

Presently, the auditorium is used for regular shows of commercial feature films.