One of the most prestigious film festivals, the 22nd Dhaka International Film Festival (DIFF), kicked off on Saturday with 252 films from 74 countries.
The event is being held under the theme - "Better Films, Better Audience, Better Society." The festival is free to attend and will end on January 28.
The festival was officially opened by Finance Minister Abul Hasan Mahmud Ali, who was also the chief guest at the event. Renowned Indian-Bengali actress Sharmila Tagore was present as the ceremony's special guest.
Speakers at the event included Md Mokammel Hossain, Secretary of the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism, and Yue Liwen, Cultural Counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Bangladesh.
Festival director Ahmed Muztaba Zamal, the organizer of the festival gave the opening speech. It was chaired by DIFF chief patron and former state minister for foreign affairs, Md Shahriar Alam.
The Iran-Bangladesh collaborative film, ‘Fereshteh’, which was directed by Morteza Atashzamzam and starred celebrity actress, Jaya Ahsan, opened this year's festival's ‘Wide Angle Film Poster Exhibition’ section.
The opening session on Saturday night also featured "Mujib: Ekti Jatir Rupokar," directed by Shyam Benegal (Mujib: The Making of a Nation).
The Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib Auditorium (main auditorium), the Poet Sufia Kamal Auditorium of Bangladesh National Museum, the National Art Gallery Auditorium, the National Music and Dance Auditorium of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA), the Academy Auditorium of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Alliance Française de Dhaka (AFD) in the capital are among the locations where moviegoers can go and enjoy watching the the films.
The following programs feature the films: Wide Angle, Bangladesh Panorama, Women's Film Session, Children's Film, Spiritual Films, Short and Independent Film, Asian Competition Section, and Retrospective Section.
The festival's "10th International Women Filmmakers Conference" on how women are portrayed in movies takes place on January 21–22 in the third-floor Samson Lounge of Dhaka Club. The Department of Film and Television at Jagannath University is also supporting the event while UNDP is acting as a strategic partner.
The "10th International Women Film Makers Conference" opened on January 21 at 9:30 a.m. by renowned Indian actress and honoured guest of this year's festival, Sharmila Tagore. The conference is chaired by DIFF Chairperson Kishwar Kamal.
Simin Hossain Rimi, the state minister for women and child affairs was the chief guest.
Minister of Social Welfare Dr Dipu Moni will inaugurate the Wide Angle section of the 22nd DIFF on January 22 at the Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib Auditorium of the Bangladesh National Museum.
Special guests for the event include Dr Shi Chuan, a renowned film scholar, and Yao Wen, the Chinese ambassador to Bangladesh and the Deputy Chair of the Shanghai Film Association.
Aside from this, on January 27 at the Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib Auditorium of the Bangladesh National Museum, there will be a special masterclass day for the second time in the festival's history.
Reputable film scholar Dr Shi Chuan, Deputy Chair of the Shanghai Film Association of China, will speak at the first session of the day. Internationally recognized Iranian filmmaker Majid Majidi will also speak at the second session, and Indian actor, singer, and filmmaker Anjan Dutt will speak at the third session. Film critique Bidhan Rebeiro from Bangladesh will act as the moderator during the sessions.
Attending the masterclasses will require registration. The festival's Facebook page will have the registration link. But before January 27, the registration needs to be completed.
The Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Information, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Cultural Affairs, The Embassy of China in Dhaka, Summit Group, and Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy are among the festival's long-standing partners, along with the Norwegian International Film Festival Handsund, Religion Today Film Festival, Shanghai International Film Festival, Channel I, Ekattor TV, Sense for Wave, and CloudLive.
The festival was founded by the Rainbow Film Society.
For more information about the festival, including the schedule of screenings, visit https://www.dhakafilmfestival.org/.
