Festival Director Ahmed Muztaba Zamal delivers speech at the opening ceremony. Photo: Courtesy
The 22nd edition of the coveted Dhaka International Film Festival (DIFF), one of the longest-running film events in the world, was inaugurated on Saturday with 252 films from 74 countries - chorusing the slogan "Better Films, Better Audience, Better Society."
Finance Minister Abul Hasan Mahmud Ali inaugurated the festival as the chief guest of the opening ceremony, while the subcontinent's renowned Indian-Bengali actress Sharmila Tagore was present as the special guest at the inaugural ceremony.
Yue Liwen, Cultural Counselor of the Embassy of China in Bangladesh and Md Mokammel Hossain, Secretary of the Civil Aviation and Tourism Ministry also spoke at the event.
Presided over by the DIFF chief patron and former State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam, the welcome remarks were delivered by festival director Ahmed Muztaba Zamal, founding organiser of this coveted film festival, reports UNB.
This year's festival began with the Iran-Bangladesh joint production film 'Fereshteh' starring acclaimed actress Jaya Ahsan and directed by Morteza Atashzamzam, under the Wide Angle Film Poster Exhibition section. The inaugural session on Saturday evening also showcased the Shyam Benegal-directed 'Mujib: Ekti Jatir Rupokar' (Mujib: The Making of a Nation).
Moviegoers can watch the films at different venues including the Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib Auditorium (main auditorium) and Poet Sufia Kamal Auditorium of Bangladesh National Museum, National Art Gallery Auditorium and National Music and Dance Auditorium of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA), Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Academy Auditorium and Alliance Francaise de Dhaka (AFD), Dhanmondi in the capital.
The films will be screened under the 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.
Eminent Indian actress and the esteemed guest of this year's festival Sharmila Tagore will formally inaugurate the '10th International Women Film Makers Conference,' which will be chaired by DIFF Chairperson Kishwar Kamal on January 21 at 9:30 am. State Minister for Women and Child Affairs Simin Hossain Rimi will be present as the Chief Guest at the conference.
Initiated by Rainbow Film Society, DIFF is supported by 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 and Summit Group, alongside the festival's longstanding partners - Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, Dhaka Club Limited, Bangladesh National Museum, Alliance Francaise de Dhaka, Norwegian International Film Festival Handsund, Religion Today Film Festival, Shanghai International Film Festival, Channel I, Ekattor TV, Sense for Wave, and CloudLive.
Open to all, the 22nd Dhaka International Film Festival will conclude on January 28 this year. Details regarding the festival including the screening schedule are available athttps://www.dhakafilmfestival.org.
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