The 22nd Dhaka International Film Festival (DIFF) will begin on Saturday, with the slogan “Better Film, Better Audience, Better Society”. One hundred and twenty-nine full-length feature films and one hundred and twenty-three short and independent films are scheduled to enthrall the moviegoers at the festival, where Bangladesh will be represented through 71 films including 12 full-length feature films. Finance Minister Abul Hasan Mahmud Ali will inaugurate the festival as the chief guest at the main auditorium of the Bangladesh National Museum at 4pm while the Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen and eminent Indian actress Sharmila Tagore will join the inauguration ceremony as the special guests. The chief patron of the festival, Shahriar Alam MP will preside over the opening ceremony. ‘Top Gun 3’ in the making? A press conference was arranged on Thursday  at Dhaka Club in the capital where the festival director Ahmed Muztaba Zamal, Dhaka Club President Ashrafuzzaman Khan (Puton), festival executive committee member Jalal Ahmed, patron committee member and Jatiya Press Club (JPC) General Secretary Shyamal Dutta, dramatist and theatre personality M Hamid, cultural personality and Advisory Committee member Mofidul Hoque, film critic and 22nd DIFF Media In-charge Bidhan Rebeiro and DIFF Chairman Kishwar Kamal, also the press conference chairperson, briefed the journos. “Since 1992, the Rainbow Film Society has been organising the Dhaka International Film Festival with support from different organisations. Unfortunately, the support is decreasing day by day. To continue this acclaimed festival in the future, we need proper financial assistance from the government and elite members and corporations in society, which is the driving force behind every other successful film festivals across the world,” Ahmed Muztaba Zamal said at the press conference. The festival this year will open with the Iran-Bangladesh joint production film ‘Fereshteh’ starring acclaimed actress Jaya Ahsan and directed by Morteza Atashzamzam, under the Wide Angle Film Poster Exhibition section. The inaugural session on Saturday evening will also showcase the Shyam Benegal-directed ‘Mujib: Ekti Jatir Rupokar’ (Mujib: The Making of a Nation) at 7 pm, under the Bangladesh Panorama category. Moviegoers will be welcomed at different venues of the 22nd edition of this annual film festival, including the Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib auditorium (main auditorium) and Poet Sufia Kamal auditorium of Bangladesh National Museum, National Art Gallery auditorium and National Music and Dance auditorium of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA), Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Academy auditorium and Alliance Française de Dhaka (AFD), Dhanmondi in the capital. Most Hyped Bollywood Films Releasing in February 2024 The films will be screened under the Asian Competition Section, Retrospective Section, Tribute, Bangladesh Panorama, Wide Angle, Cinema of the World, Children's Film, Spiritual Films, Short and Independent Film and Women's Film Session. Like previous editions, the 'West Meets East: Screenwriting Competition', an interactive four-day seminar and workshop for filmmakers, will be held at the Alliance Française de Dhaka (AFD) from January 23-26. Social Welfare Minister  Dr Dipu Moni will inaugurate the Wide Angle section of the 22nd DIFF on January 22 at the Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib auditorium of Bangladesh National Museum, which will be joined by the Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen and Deputy Chair of Shanghai Film Association and distinguished film scholar Dr Shi Chuan as the special guests. Apart from this, there will be a masterclass for the second time in the festival which will be held throughout the day on January 27 at Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib auditorium of Bangladesh National Museum. The first session will be addressed by eminent film scholar Dr. Shi Chuan, Deputy Chair of Shanghai Film Association of China, while the second session will feature renowned Iranian filmmaker Majid Majidi and the third session will feature Indian filmmaker, actor and singer Anjan Dutt. The sessions will be moderated by Bangladeshi film critic Bidhan Rebeiro. Registration will be required to join the masterclasses and the registration link will be available on the Facebook page of the festival. However, the registration must be completed before January 27. The '10th International Women Filmmakers Conference' on the role of women in films will be held on the 3rd floor of the Samson Lounge, Dhaka Club, from January 21-22 as part of the festival. Department of Film & Television, Jagannath University will cooperate in this and UNDP will be a strategic partner. Top South Indian Films Hitting the Screens in February 2024 In the conference, Bangladeshi women filmmakers will get a golden opportunity to gain experience by exchanging views with local and foreign women filmmakers and personalities. Here, women film makers will discuss the obstacles and ways to overcome them in their work with renowned women makers from around the world, the organizers said at the press conference. Eminent Indian actress and the esteemed guest of this year’s festival Sharmila Tagore will formally inaugurate the '10th International Women Film Makers Conference,' which will be chaired by DIFF Chairperson Kishwar Kamal on January 21 at 9:30 am. State Minister for Women and Child Affairs Simin Hossain Rimi will be present as the Chief Guest at the conference The 22nd Dhaka International Film Festival will conclude on January 28.

Showcasing 252 films from 71 countries, the 21st Dhaka International Film Festival (DIFF) will begin Saturday (January 14, 2023). One hundred and twenty-nine full-length feature films and one hundred and twenty-three short and independent films are scheduled to enthral the moviegoers at the festival. Bangladesh will be represented at the festival through 81 films, including 12 full-length feature films and 69 short and independent films. Read more: Bangladesh Film Artistes’ Association finally begins journey with full panel Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen will inaugurate the festival as the chief guest at the main auditorium of the Bangladesh National Museum at 4pm. Prime Minister's Private Industries and Investment Adviser Salman F Rahman will join the ceremony as the special guest, which will be presided over by State Minister for Foreign Affairs and DIFF chief patron Shahriar Alam. "Rainbow Film Society has been organising the DIFF every year since 1992 with support from different organisations. Unfortunately, that support is dwindling," festival director Ahmed Muztaba Zamal said at a press conference in the capital Thursday. Read more: It's a 'Dream Run' to Florida film fest! "To continue this acclaimed festival in the future, we need proper financial assistance from the government and elite members of society and corporations, the driving force behind every other successful film festival across the world." About the unavailability of suitable venues for the festival, newly elected Jatiya Press Club (JPC) General Secretary Shyamal Dutta said the JPC is going to serve as one of the venues for the upcoming edition of the DIFF. Films will be screened at the Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib auditorium (main auditorium) and Poet Sufia Kamal auditorium of the Bangladesh National Museum, National Art Gallery auditorium, Nandan Theatre open ground and Jatiya Sangeet and Nrityakala auditorium of the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA), Star Cineplex (Bashundhara City) and Alliance Francaise de Dhaka (Dhanmondi) in the capital. Read More: Indian Movie RRR’s Success at Golden Globe 2023 They will be screened under nine categories – Asian cinema competition section, retrospective, wide angle, Bangladesh panorama, cinema of the world, children's films, women filmmakers, short and independent films and spiritual films. The 21st DIFF will also feature the Ninth Dhaka International Conference on Women in Cinema 2023 at the Samson Lounge, Dhaka Club, from January 15 to 16 and West Meets East: Screenplay Lab from January 15 to 18 at Alliance Francaise de Dhaka. This year, the festival will also host a day-long master class for the first time on January 21 at Bangladesh National Museum. It will be led by filmmakers Jon Jost from the US and Anja Strelec from Belgium. Read More: 2022 Highest Grossing Movies Worldwide There will also be a special session where script pitching, film studies, and practical filmmaking experience will be discussed by Sadia Khalid Reeti and filmmaker Tasmiah Afrin Mou. Bidhan Rebeiro will conduct the master class sessions. The 21st Dhaka International Film Festival will draw to a close on January 22.

The 20th edition of the Dhaka International Film Festival (DIFF), one of the most prestigious film events in Bangladesh, officially began in the city Saturday to showcase the creations of some of the best contemporary filmmakers – 225 films from 70 countries. Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen inaugurated the nine-day festival as the chief guest while the event was chaired by State Minister for Foreign Affairs and chief patron of the festival Md Shahriar Alam. State Minister for Cultural Affairs KM Khalid, Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka Vikram Kumar Doraiswami and festival director Ahmed Muztaba Zamal also spoke. Also raed: Doraiswami hopeful of commercial screening of Indian films in Bangladesh Dr Momen said the DIFF has created space for young and aspiring filmmakers in Bangladesh and beyond to connect with global artistic trends – contributing immensely to shaping an increasingly healthy and positive national film culture.

With 225 films from 70 countries, the Dhaka International Film Festival (DIFF) will raise its curtain Saturday. One hundred and twenty-five full-length feature films and 96 short and independent films are scheduled to enthral the moviegoers at the festival, where Bangladesh will be represented through 18 full-length feature films and 22 short and independent films. The films will be screened at the Bangladesh National Museum, Alliance Francaise de Dhaka, Star Cineplex, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, Sufia Kamal National Public Library and the academy auditorium of the foreign ministry. They will be screened under 10 categories – Asian cinema competition section, retrospective, wide angle, tribute, Bangladesh panorama, cinema of the world, children films, women filmmakers, short and independent films and spiritual films. The nine-day DIFF is going to be inaugurated at the main auditorium of the Bangladesh National Museum at 4pm. Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen will inaugurate the festival as the chief guest. State Minister for Cultural Affairs KM Khalid and Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Vikram K Doraiswami will join it as special guests. The DIFF will also feature the Eighth Dhaka International Conference on Women in Cinema 2022 at the Samson Lounge, Dhaka Club from January 16-17 and West Meets East: Screenplay Lab from January 16-19 at Alliance Francaise de Dhaka. Thursday, a press conference was arranged at Dhaka Club in the capital where the festival director Ahmed Muztaba Zamal, DIFF Chairperson Kishwar Kamal, Secretary at the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism and DIFF Executive Committee Member Md Mokammel Hossain, Dhaka Club President Khandaker Mashiuzzaman Romel, Iranian filmmaker and DIFF head programmer Zohreh Zamani, festival executive committee member Jalal Ahmed, and patron committee member journalist Shyamal Dutta briefed the journos. Rainbow Film Society has been organising the DIFF every year since 1992.  

Reflecting on the necessity of global festivals for the betterment of cultural practices, Information Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud said on Sunday that Bangladesh has earned the respect of the world through successfully arranging globally admired cultural rendezvous like Dhaka International Film Festival every year.

The 19th edition of the prestigious Dhaka International Film Festival (DIFF) concluded on Sunday with the awards ceremony where a movie from Kyrgyzstan about an old writer who believes in the redeeming power of literature, The Road to Eden, walked away with the top prize.  

Remembering Oscar-winning film-maestro Satyajit Ray on his birth centenary, speakers at the 19th Dhaka International Film Festival (DIFF) said he transcended linguistic barrier and took Bengali cinema to an untouchable height.

The ongoing 19th edition of Dhaka International Film Festival (DIFF) is being held for the first time in a hybrid format combining  due to the ongoing COVID-19 global pandemic, and LagVelki.com, country’s first online pay-per-view movie streaming platform, is streaming the movies online as the official virtual platform of this festival.

The 7th edition of Dhaka International Conference on Women in Cinema at the 19th Dhaka International Film Festival (DIFF) concluded on Monday at the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA).

Echoing the slogan "Better Film, Better Audience and Better Society", the 19th edition of the Dhaka International Film Festival (DIFF) has officially began in the capital on Saturday.