DHAKA (BANGLADESH), Jan 14: The 14th edition of Dhaka International Film Festival kicked off at the Bangladesh National Museum in Shahbagh, Dhaka on Thursday. In the presence of Bangladesh’s Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu and State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam, the festival formally opened after renowned Norwegian filmmaker Anja Breien and Syrian filmmaker Mohamed Malas lighted ‘panas’ during the opening ceremony.
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The theme of this year’s festival is “Better Film, Better Audience, Better Society.”
Bangladeshi director Rubaiyat Hossain’s ‘Under Construction’ was the opening film this year.
Speaking during the function, Festival Director Ahmed Mujtaba Jamal informed that 170 films from 60 different countries, including Nepal, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Finland, Iran, UK, and Australia, will be screened at the festival. “We are also holding the second edition of ‘Women in Films’ conference as part of the festival. The eight-day long festival will also give opportunities to local and international filmmakers to share their experiences with each other,” he said.
Actor Dayanhang Rai starrer ‘Taandro’ will be premiered during the festival. Other Nepali films being screened are ‘Sunakali’, ‘Talking to the Air: The Horses of the Last Forbidden Kingdom’, and ‘Kamaro.’ Bhojraj Bhat’s ‘Sunakali’, which is a documentary about a girls’ football team from Mugu, has been selected to compete in the Cinema of the World section.
The festival has been divided into different sections and will hold competitions amongst the films accordingly. It includes a competition section for Asian and Australian cinemas, and other categories like Retrospective, Cinema of the World, Children’s Film, Women Filmmakers, Short and Independent Films, Nordic Film Session, and Spiritual Films.
