A four-day children's film festival titled ‘Bangladesh Children's Film Festival 2017’, organised by Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA), will begin today at the academy’s National Art Plaza in Segun Bagicha of the capital. Besides, the festival will also be taking place in the 64 districts across the country simultaneously.

Cultural Affairs Minister Asaduzzaman Noor will inaugurate the festival at the National Art Plaza Auditorium as the chief guest, while eminent artist Mustafa Monowar, General Secretary of Children's Film Society Bangladesh Munira Morshed Munni and Assistant Professor of Mass Communication and Journalism Department of Dhaka University Sabrina Sultana Chowdhury will be present as special guests.

A seven-member jury committee comprising filmmakers Sajedul Awal, Munira Morshed Munni, Tareq Ahmed, Farha Jabin Oishee, Federation of Film Societies Bangladesh general secretary Belayet Hossain Mamun, Bangladesh Pramanyo Chitro Porshod general secretary Farid Ahmed and assistance director of Theatre and Film Studies Department of BSA Chakladar Mostafa Al Masud have selected a total of 40 films for screening in the festival.

Another seven member jury committee, headed by Syed Saluddin Zaki, was formed to nominate the films for the award in two categories—‘Children based films’ and ‘Children made films’.

Today, on the opening day, a total of seven films will be screened at the festival. These are—‘Basher Khelna’ directed by Raju Ahmed and Dewan Sanjedul Arafat, ‘Somantoral Jatrya’ by Tareq Aziz Nishok, ‘Dristy Hara Golpo’ by Sumaiya Sima, A letter to God’ by Hemonto Sadiq, ‘Mon Phoring’ by Rahman Lelin, ‘Swapna Pakhi’ by Shariful Islam and Rajputtur’ by Tokon Thakur.

Besides screening of films, workshop titled 'Film Understand' to be held on December 29 and 30 and a seminar will be held on December 29 at 4 pm at the National Art Plaza auditorium during the festival.

To disclose the detailed information about the festival, a press conference was held at the Seminar Hall of BSA yesterday, where BSA Director General Liaquat Ali Lucky and filmmaker and researcher Dr Sajedul Islam, among others, were present.