252 films being screened at Dhaka Int’l Film Festival

FE Team | Published: January 22, 2024 00:47:13

Actress Sharmila Tagore speaking as the chief guest at an event on the second day of the festival at National Museum in the city on Sunday

The 22nd edition of Dhaka International Film Festival (DIFF) was inaugurated on Saturday with 252 films from 74 countries - chorusing the slogan 'Better Films, Better Audience, Better Society', reports UNB.
Finance Minister Abul Hasan Mahmud Ali inaugurated the festival as the chief guest, while the subcontinent's renowned Indian-Bengali actress Sharmila Tagore was present as the special guest at the inaugural ceremony.
Yue Liwen, Cultural Counselor of the Embassy of China in Bangladesh and Md Mokammel Hossain, Secretary of the Civil Aviation and Tourism Ministry also spoke at the event.
Presided over by the DIFF chief patron and former state minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam, the welcome adress were delivered by festival director Ahmed Muztaba Zamal, founding organiser of the film festival.
Inaugurating the 22nd DIFF, Finance Minister Abul Hasan Mahmud Ali said, "Cinema has no border, and the audiences in Bangladesh are now watching almost every film beyond the boundaries. Through festivals like the DIFF, our audiences have been able to enjoy quality films from the entire world, and foreign audiences are also learning about our films and culture through this festival."
This year's festival began 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 also showcased the Shyam Benegal-directed 'Mujib: Ekti Jatir Rupokar' (Mujib: The Making of a Nation).