You want to enjoy decent movies sitting in a comfortable theatre hall, but you have no fine way to do so in this city. Don't worry! The Dhaka International Film Festival (DIFF) is definitely the right choice for you. The 16th edition of DIFF, which begins on January 12, is going to showcase a number of selective local and international films for the movie buff in you to choose from this New Year. The nine-day festival has a lot to offer, with 216 films from 63 countries that will be screened at five venues across Dhaka from January 12 to 20. Fans will get the chance to mingle with more than 100 Bangladeshi and foreign guests, including actors, filmmakers, producers and activists, who will attend the grand film fiesta, Ahmed Muztaba Zamal, festival director of DIFF, told The Weekend Independent.
The festival, with the theme ‘Better Film, Better Audience and Better Society’, will have several sections, including Bangladesh panorama, Asian cinema competition, cinema of the world, retrospectives, children's films, women filmmakers, short and independent films, and spiritual films. Besides screening films, the festival will also host a number of workshops and seminars on filmmaking.
About the target audience, Zamal said: “Our target is to attract middle-class families, students, intellectuals, film-lovers, and of course, people related to the movie industry. This film festival is unique in a sense that we don’t screen any commercial films. We try to show more art films that are not made for commercial purpose."
There is no specific country of honour this year, Zamal said. An international jury committee will select and award one best film, best director, best actor, best actress, best script and best cinematographer from each category at the end of the festival. The awards will consist of a crest and certificate.
“There are many countries participating in this year’s festival. Many delegates will come. Lots of film-related events, like Asian filmmakers’ and women filmmakers’ conferences are going to take place,” the festival director said.
Just like previous years, DIFF is expecting a number of women filmmakers from all over the world to attend the two-day ‘Fourth Dhaka International Conference on Women in Cinema 2018’, which will be held at the Alliance Francaise de Dhaka in Dhanmondi from January 13 to 14.
"The invited guests will discuss issues concerning women at this very important conference, which will take place in our country as the world is undergoing enormous changes, with both positive and negative implications for women. I can also mention that this conference will serve as the heart of this festival," Zamal said.
This year, FIPRESCI (Fédération Internationale de la Presse Cinématographique), in association with International Film Critics Association of Bangladesh (IFCAB), will organise the First Asian Film Critics Assembly from January 15 to 16. The aim of the assembly is to establish closer relations between film critics and collaborations. Meanwhile, IFCAB and Pathshala South Asian Media Institute is holding the 8th Dhaka Cine Workshop, which began on January 5 and will continue till January 20.
Zamal believes DIFF will offer Bangladeshi filmmakers the opportunity to meet and interact with internationally renowned directors and producers: “Our emerging filmmakers can learn a lot about making good films from DIFF. I only say to them, ‘Come to the festival each day and try to compare your films with others’. There will many international delegates present, and our new filmmakers can communicate with them and learn new things about making films. They can also discover the shortcomings of their films and find ways to fix them and improve themselves as filmmakers."
At this year’s festival, 10 Bangladeshi filmmakers have submitted their films in the ‘Bangladesh panorama’ section. The films are Bhuban Majhi by Fakhrul Arefeen Khan, Chitkini by Sajedul Awwal, Ekti Kabir Mrittu by Abu Sayeed, Halda by Tauquir Ahmed, Kaler Putul by Aka Reza Ghalib, Khancha by Akram Khan, Meyeti Ekhon Kotahay Jabe by Nader Chowdhury, Rina Brown by Shameem Akhtar, Shohagir Goyna by Lata Ahmed, and Swatta by Hashibur Reza. Out of these films, one best film and one best director will be awarded.
According to Zamal, DIFF has already paved the way for developing the standard of Bangladeshi films. “I am always optimistic about our film industry. It will be much better in the future. We see many young people are coming forward to make movies. If we look at last year, we can easily mention some good films. So, the home audience is discovering new genres and getting a new taste from films now."
To improve the quality of Bangladeshi films, Zamal suggested: “They (the filmmakers) should make films with good sound stories, scripts, and production. It is encouraging that the storylines of our local films are generally good. But the main problem is that the films are usually technically very weak. I mean there are some problems of continuation, colour combination, and sound quality. I would request them to be more careful about such things."
“Also, proper film-screening environment should be ensured. Besides, private television channels must play a role and government patronisation should be increased. We see our government funding the film industry for some special films. But the number is limited. On the other hand, the mindset of the people must be changed. From our practical experience, I can share that we faced huge difficulties getting sponsors for this festival. We don't know the reason for it. So, our corporate groups must come forward to patronise the film industry," the director added.
Like many other international film festivals held around the globe, DIFF has some special objectives. “To maintain standard is the specialty of this festival. We always work towards improving our screening facilities, so that our audiences can enjoy the films in comfort. We also introduce mainstream global films to local moviegoers and filmmakers,” he said.
The festival director urged movie fans to visit the festival venues, which include Central Public Library and National Museum at Shahbagh, Alliance Francaise de Dhaka and Russian Centre of Science and Culture at Dhanmondi.
Regarding people’s participation in the film festival, the director said DIFF had been enjoying huge audiences from its inception, but their numbers appear to be reducing in recent years. "There were around 26,000 visitors last year. But that number is not satisfactory as we saw more than 65,000 in 2002. We cannot say whether the number will increase this year," he added.
Zamal believes the main reason behind dwindling audiences is that people have many other options of entertainment today: “They can now enjoy films on YouTube. Moreover, they don’t have enough time to go to film festivals. And I think traffic jams are also responsible for that. People cannot come to watch a movie killing two or three hours on the road."
The festival has been organised on a regular basis by Rainbow Film Society since 1992. “DIFF was started in 1992 to celebrate the 15th anniversary of Rainbow Film Society. From the beginning of its journey, the festival faced huge challenges. It took about six years to hold an organised festival," said Zamal about the festival’s background.
"Many renowned foreign filmmakers have been coming to the festival each year, which is a good sign for our local film industry. We use every type of media outlet to spread news of the festival. We are always ready to help our local filmmakers to attend the festival. We also work to promote the films of new filmmakers in many ways," Zamal said. “I would again request everyone to visit the festival and enjoy good films.”
The schedule and latest updates of the festival will be available on DIFF’s website, dhakafilmfestival.org. n
Photos: Courtesy.
(Edited by Parveen Ahmed.)