A sixteen-day film festival titled ‘Bangladesh Film festival 2017’ is set to kick off today across the country. With the theme ‘Film for all, art and culture for all’, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA), in association with all District Shilpakala Academy, has organised the festival for the second time

Cultural Affairs Minister Assaduzzaman Noor will inaugurate the festival as chief guest today on the BSA premises, while secretary to the Ministry of Cultural Affairs Md Ibrahim Hossain Khan, filmmakers Syedul Anam Tutul, Morshedul Islam and Bangladesh Film Director Association president Mushfiqur Rahman Gulzar will be present as special guests.

Presided over by BSA Director General Liaquat Ali Lucky, secretary of the BSA Jahangir Hossain will deliver the welcome speech at the opening ceremony.

After the inauguration, Reazul Rezu’s directorial debut film ‘Bapjaner Bioscope’ will be screened at the National Art Plaza auditorium of BSA and 63 districts Shilpakala Academy.

‘Bapjaner Bioscope’ stars Shahiduzjaman Selim, Sanjida Tonmoy, Masud Mohiuddin, Tarek Babu and Satabdi Wadud, among others, in lead roles.

A total of 44 films from 64 districts in the five categories-classic, internationally acclaimed or internationally award winning, liberation war based film, contemporary films and women directed films will be screened during the festival.

Every day three films will be screened at the National Art Plaza and 63 districts Shilpakala Academy at 3pm, 5:15pm and 7:30pm.

Among 11 contemporary films released from 2015 to 2016, three films will be awarded in three categories, such as Best Film, Best Film Director and Special Jury Award. Best film will get a prize money worth Tk 2,00,000, while Best Film Director will get Tk 1,00,000 and Special Jury Award get Tk 50,000.  The prize giving ceremony will be held on the closing day of the festival on October 21.

To disclose the above information, a press conference was held in the seminar room of National Theatre Hall of BSA on Thursday, where BSA Director General Liaqaut Ali Lucky,

President of Federation of Film Societies of Bangladesh Architect Lailuin Nahar Shemi, Film critic Anupam Hayat, President of Moviana Film  Society Belayet Hossain Mamun and BSA secretary Jahangir Hossain, Bangladesh Short Film Forum president Jakir Hossain Raju, among others, were present at the event.

Beginning from today, the festival will run till October 21. The first edition of the festival held in 2015.