DIFF announces category for Bangladeshi films

Organisers have announced the 21st Dhaka International Film Festival (DIFF) which will be held in Dhaka from 14 to 22 January 2022. The main slogan of this year’s festival is ‘Aesthetic Films, Mindful Audience, Enlightened Society’. The Festival has been organised on a regular basis by Rainbow Film Society, which has been dedicated to the promotion of a healthy cine culture in Bangladesh and in celebrating the global mainstream in film and its social relevance since 1977.

Globally acclaimed film critic and DIFF director Ahmed Muztaba Zamal Shovon told The Business Post, ‘‘We are glad to announce a brand new addition coming to DIFF 2023, which is only for Bangladeshi filmmakers. Only Bangladeshi filmmakers can submit their films in this brand new competition category and the top three eligible film submissions will be awarded three awards.’’

The prize money for the best 3 films in this category will be TK 2 lakh 50 thousand for the winner, Tk 1 lakh 50 thousand for the runner-up and Tk 1 lakh for the second runner-up.

The submitted films for this new category must be produced within 2021 to 2022 and the maximum length of these films can be 10 minutes.

DIFF also requires that participant films have not previously been screened in any other Bangladeshi film festival before.

Also, no film can be withdrawn after being submitted for this category.

Like previous years, the 21st DIFF will also have its regular segments for Asian Cinema Competition Section, Retrospective, Wide Angle, Tribute, Bangladesh Panorama Section, Cinema of the World Section, Children Films Section, Women Filmmakers Section, Short and Independent Films Section and Spiritual Films Section.

All the film screenings will be held at the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, Alliance Française de Dhaka, Central Public Library Auditorium, National Museum Auditorium and Star Cineplex.

Rainbow Film Society is one of the most active film entities in the film society movement of Bangladesh. Apart from holding regular film shows and film-related seminars and workshops, Rainbow also brings out ‘The Celluloid’, one of the leading cinema periodicals from Bangladesh with an international audience.

The DIFF is one of the most prestigious film events in Bangladesh and, to a great extent, has helped shape an increasingly healthy and positive national film culture. DIFF has always been a bold expression of resistance against the decadence, vulgarity and cheap commercialism that pervades the mainstream Bangladesh film industry.

The festival has also created space for young and aspiring filmmakers in Bangladesh and larger South Asia to connect with global artistic trends and to strengthen the parallel development of Bangladeshi cinema.

In the short span of twenty-nine years, DIFF has attained international recognition with nineteen festivals held in 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021 respectively.

Necessary preparatory work in this regard is already underway. During the 21st DIFF, organizers expect to screen more than 200 films, with participation from around the world.