Featuring 227 films from 73 countries, this year’s edition is scheduled to be arranged in a hybrid format due to the ongoing global pandemic of COVID-19.

A press conference was held  at Dhaka Club in the capital on Thursday where  festival director Ahmed Muztaba Zamal, festival patron M Hamid, DIFF chairperson Kishwar Kamal, festival advisor Rafiquzzaman and Asian Films Competition jurors - renowned art critic Moinuddin Khaled, actors Ferdous Ahmed and Rokeya Prachy shared the details of the festival.

It was announced that the 19th Dhaka International Film Festival, dedicated to the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman marking his birth centenary, is going to be inaugurated at the main auditorium of the Bangladesh National Museum at 4 pm. .

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen will inaugurate the festival as the chief guest, while Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Vikram K Doraiswami will attend the inauguration event as the special guest.

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The films will be screened at Star Cineplex, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, Sufia Kamal National Public Library and Bangladesh National Museum. Aside from these venues, the festival will screen films using virtual platform LagVelki.com for the first time.

Films under diversified segments including the Asian Cinema Competition Section, Legendary Leaders Who Changed the World, Tribute, Retrospective, Bangladesh Panorama Section, Cinema of the World Section, Children Films Section, Women Filmmakers Section, Short and Independent Films Section and Spiritual Films Section, will be screened.

This year’s festival will feature films on global leaders under a new segment titled ‘Legendary Leaders Who Changed the World’, for the first time in its history.

This will honour Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman as part of Mujib Borsho celebration across the country.

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A very special segment of 19th DIFF is called ‘Tribute’ which will honour Oscar-winning filmmaker Satyajit Ray on the occasion of his birth centenary. Some of his notable films including “Pather Panchali”, “Aparajito”, “Jalsaghar”, “Apur Sansar”, “Ashani Sanket”, “Sonar Kella” and “Hirak Rajar Deshe” will be screened at the festival .

Besides, the festival will also arrange a special seminar session on January 20 at the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy titled “Satyajit Ray: National as Global”.

Renowned actors and activists  from India and Bangladesh, including Padma Bhushan-winning actress Sharmila Tagore, Dhritiman Chatterjee, Supreme Court judge and well-known painting, music and movie collector Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed, art critic Moinuddin Khaled and former Cultural Affairs Minister and noted actor Asaduzzaman Noor, will join the seminar.

The 19th DIFF will also feature Seventh Dhaka International Conference on Women in Cinema 2021, which will be held from January 17 to January 18. Women filmmakers and actors from all over the world are scheduled to join the event.

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Rainbow Film Society has been organising DIFF since 1992. It has been working to promote a healthy cine culture in Bangladesh since 1977.

The 19th edition of DIFF will conclude on January 24.