The 22nd Dhaka International Film Festival (DIFF) is starting from Saturday 20 January in the Capital with the general theme of the festival is ‘Better Film, Better Audience, and Better Society’. The organizing group Rainbow Film Society held a Press Conference on Thursday 18 January 2024 at Dhaka Club’s Samson Lounge.
It was said in the press conference that Finance Minister Abul Hasan Mahmud Ali will be present as the chief guest at the opening ceremony of the festival. Ambassador of China to Dhaka Yao Wen and famous actress of subcontinent Sharmila Tagore will be present as special guests. It will be presided over by former State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam, the chief patron of the festival.
In the press conference, the organizers said that 250 films from 74 countries including Bangladesh will be screened at this year’s festival. This year’s festival will have Asian competition section, retrospective section, tribute, Bangladesh panorama, wide angle, cinema of the world, children’s film, spiritual films, short and independent film and women’s film session section.
The films of the festival will be screened at the poet Sufia Kamal and Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib Auditorium of the National Museum in the capital, the Shilpakala Academy’s Chitrashala, the Dance Hall Auditorium, the Alliance Française de Dhaka, Auditorium and the Academy Auditorium of the Ministry of External Affairs.
During the festival, internationally renowned filmmakers, critics, journalists, dignitary officials of embassies of different countries and prominent cultural personalities of the country will exchange their experiences with the audience.
As part of the festival, the ’10th Dhaka International Women Filmmakers Conference’ on the role of women in films will be held on January 21 and 22 at Samson Lounge of Dhaka Club. Festival Chairperson Kishwar Kamal will preside over the opening day of the ’10th International Women Filmmakers Conference’ on January 21 at 9:30 am. State Minister of Women and Child Affairs Simin Hossain Rimi will be present as the chief guest. Foreign Secretary Masood Bin Momen and Jagannath University Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr. Sadeka Halim will be special guests. Renowned actress Sharmila Tagore will inaugurate the conference by lighting the lamp.
Besides, on January 22 at 4:30 pm, at the opening ceremony of the Wide Angle section. chief guest Social Welfare Minister Dr. Deepu Moni. Special guests will be Chinese Ambassador Yao Wen and Shanghai Film Association Deputy Chair Shi Chuan.
At the 22nd Dhaka International Film Festival, everyone’s attraction is now in the ‘Master Class’! Because one of the most popular personalities of Iranian cinema, Majid Majidi, the director of world-famous movies like ‘Children of Heaven’, ‘Baran’ and ‘Song of Sparrow’, is going to take the master class. Besides, Shi Chuan, deputy chair of the Shanghai Film Association of China, and Anjan Dutta, director, actor and singer from India, will speak in two different sessions of the master class. The master class will be held on January 27 throughout the day. Bangladeshi film critic Bidhan Riberu will conduct the masterclass sessions. Anjan Dutt’s music will be performed at the end of the masterclass. Advance registration is required for all these four sessions. The registration link will be available on the festival’s Facebook page, said Mujtaba Jamal.
As part of the festival, an interactive four-day makers’ seminar and workshop ‘West Meets East: Screenwriting Competition’ will be held at the Alliance Française de Dhaka, Gallery on January 23-26. In this event, the best screenplay will get 5 thousand US dollars, the second place screenplay will get 3 thousand US dollars and the third place winning screenplay will get 2 thousand US dollars.
The curtain of this 9-day international film festival will come down on January 28. State Minister for Information Mohammad Ali Arafat will be present as the chief guest on the concluding day. The senior secretary of the same ministry will be present as a special guest. Humayun Kabir Khondkar, Iranian director Majid Majidi and Sharmila Tagore.
Chairperson of the festival committee Kishwar Kamal, researcher Mofidul Haque, dramatist M Hamid, press club general secretary Shyamal Dutta, filmmaker Aka Reza Ghalib, Ashrafuzzaman Khan (Puton) President of Dhaka Club, Fakhrul Arefin Khan, Arifur Rahman and film critic Bidhan Riberu were also present in the press conference.
The Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Information, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Culture, Chinese Embassy in Dhaka and Summit Group are cooperating in the festival.
Rainbow Film Society has been organizing this film festival since 1992. This society was established in 1977.