Childrens Film Fest
Sheikh Iraj
If you are a movie buff, then you will love the 10th International Childrens Film Festival, which began on January 24.
This year, the festival, organised by Childrens Film Society (CFS), has been divided into two phases. The first phase is already underway concurrently in Dhaka, Rajshahi, and Rangpur, and will run till January 30. The second phase will take place in Chittagong from February 3 to 4.
This time around, the festival, with the slogan Future in Frames, has a lot to offer as 289 films from 54 different countries are being screened at 11 venues. In Dhaka, the main festival venues are Central Public Library, National Museum, Alliance Francaise de Dhaka, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, British Council, Goethe Institut and Daffodil International University. This year, 60 Bangladeshi children submitted their films in the Child Filmmakers section. Out of those, 21 films are being screened at the festival and the best five will be awarded. The jury board of the contest consists of five judges, and the best part is that all of them are children. In the Young Bangladeshi Filmmakers section, filmmakers aged 19 to 25 are participating. Also this time, the festival has introduced a new segment named International Child Filmmakers. In that section, films made by children from different countries are competing.
Meanwhile, the International Film competition will be judged by Shekhor Mukherjee, a teacher at Indian International Institute of Design, filmmaker Amitabh Reza, and Sabrina Sultana, professor of Mass Communication and Journalism Department at Dhaka University.
Besides screening of films, the festival is also offering a number of workshops and seminars on filmmaking. This week, YI spoke with some young directors, actors, parents, fans and organisers about their thoughts and expectations regarding this years festival.
Purba Biswas, Director
I am studying Mathematics at Jahangirnagar University and I made my first film when I was in Class 7. Due to my studies, I had to take a break. But this year, I submitted my second film, Dropout in the Child Filmmakers section and it was selected to be screened at the festival. I have made this film with my younger brother. Of course, our friends helped us greatly to complete the film.
We made the film in just one day. Our film is based on a true story of a child tea seller. The tea seller himself played the lead role. The duration of our film is 8 minutes. I am happy for the fact that we were able to make something that the judges liked and that its being screened at the festival. I have come to Dhaka to participate in the festival and I will be there every day. I wish to continue making films in the future.
Zamsedur Rahman, Director
I am studying Bangla at Dhaka College. This year, my film Bari Fera is being screened at the festival. The duration of my film is 14 minutes and there are two lead characters in the film. The story of my film revolves around the life of a school boy. Recently, Bari Fera won the best film award at the Victory Day Short Film Festival.
Every year, the festival brings joy to my life. I consider myself to be lucky to be part of such a huge event. I started making films in 2013, and some of my films have won awards as well. In 2013, my first film Shopno Puroner Golpo won an award in the special category. I have my own camera, its a Cannon 7D and I shoot my films with that. My friends and I have started a production house and we work as a unit. I hope, like me, other young filmmakers will be inspired by this festival. I hope my film will entertain the audience, and I will be able to make more and better films.
Sumit Kumar Bhowmick, Actor
I am studying HSC (Higher Secondary Certificate) at Rajbari Government College. I acted in Bari Fera. I always wanted to be an actor, so I regularly took part in school plays. This is not my first film. So far, I have acted in three short films.
I would like to be at the festival, but I have no one to take me. Two of my films have been screened at the festival, but I have never been there. If my director Zamsedur Rahman decides to take me with him, then I might get a chance to be at the festival this time.
Acting is my hobby and I want to continue acting as long I can. I am grateful to my director and the organisers of the festival. Only because of them, so many people can see my work.
Mahtab Rashid, Fan
I have been coming to the Childrens Film Festival for the last 3-4 years. I have gotten very close with the organisers and coming to the festival is a must for me. As a visitor, I cannot take part in the workshops. But I make sure I participate in the seminars as I can learn a lot from those as well. This year, my friends and I have made plans to visit all the seven screening venues in Dhaka. I cant wait to be at the awards ceremony, which will take place on January 30. I love it when I see someone I know winning an award for their work. This festival has helped me to make many new friends and its a great place to be. I wish all the filmmakers the best of luck.
Khaleda Islam, Fan
I have not been to the Childrens Film Festival before, but this year I want to visit with my son. I have heard that some good films will be screened this year. I am a school teacher and as far I know, many schools are having exams now. I dont know why the organisers have chosen this time of the year to hold the festival. I heard that the organisers are facing some financial problems, perhaps, they could organise the festival every two years.
Lipi Biswas, Parent
I have always motivated both my children to participate in different types of creative activities. My daughter and my son have made a film and submitted it to the festival. I am really very proud of them. They told me the story of their film before making it and I liked it. I encourage creative activities, but not at the cost of their education. I want them to manage time for everything. I do two jobs and I take care of my family. I tried to teach my children the same thing _ that you can do a number of things if you learn how to manage time. I will visit the festival soon. I like the environment of the festival. Its safe and secure and as a parent, I am thankful to the orgaisers for that.
Mala Bhowmick, Parent
As a parent, you feel proud when you see your children do something out of the box. My son has acted in a film which is being screened at this festival. I never said no when he wanted to do something creative. I live in Rajbari and I wont be at the festival, but I hope my son wins an award. I dont worry about his education because he knows whats good for him.
Abir Ferdous Mukhar, Festival Director
This year, we received 1,100 films and nearly 300 of them are being screened at the festival. I used to submit films to the festival, then after my 18th birthday, I started working as a volunteer. Right now, we have 125 volunteers.
Every year, the festival is getting bigger and the number of films is increasing. But I am a little concerned about the quality of some of the films we received this year. For example, some of them can be compared to funny clips that we see on the internet. Those films lack the art of storytelling. I have been associated with the festival for the last eight years, but I have not come across anything like this before. On the other hand, most of the films we received this year are truly remarkable. I believe we are really able to motivate young filmmakers. Many children who got introduced to filmmaking through our festival are doing exceptionally well now. Some of them are even studying filmmaking abroad.
Munira Morshed, General Secretary, Childrens Film Society
Since the first festival, we are having trouble finding sponsors. It seems some sponsors lack the interest to contribute to this cause. Even this year, we are not able to manage half the budget we need for the festival. At the very last moment, three sponsors backed off after giving their word. That is why we were not able to organise the festival the way we wanted it to be. I hope our next generation would not have to face such kind of financial problems when it comes to filmmaking. That been said, we have received a good response from the government. It takes money to organise the festival properly. For example, many foreign delegates are coming and we have to take care of them. We want schoolchildren to come to the festival, thats why we send buses to their schools. But now, due to lack of money, we are cutting costs by dropping some of the services.
The festival is free for everyone, and we encourage parents to come with their children. But I see a lack of interest on the part of the parents to bring their children. We all know our children spend a hectic time throughout the year with all that coaching and extra classes. This film festival allows them to relax and put their minds to something creative.
Photos: Courtesy
