Talent brims at Int'l Children's Film Festival
The grounds of the Public Library premises were filled with the joyous shrieks of children running around in statement orange t-shirts, herded about by older youths donned in the same attire. Saturday marked an occasion young talents with a passion for cinema have looked forward to for the past 11 years, and the Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith ceremoniously set things off by inaugurating the International Children's Film Festival that day. Minister of Information, Hasanul Haq Inu attended as chief guest, while British Council's Country Director Barbara Wickham was present as special guest.
The Festival opening proved to be a wonderful spectacle with the hoisting of the National Flag following the national anthem and inaugural song. To everyone's delight, this was followed by setting balloons and pigeons free into the blue sky. The event was presided over by Mostofa Monwar, Chairman of Children's Film Society, which was also attended by the organisation's President Mohammad Zafar Iqbal and General Secretary Monira Morshed, and festival advisor Morshedul Islam. Noted director Mohammad Abir Ferdous also delivered a welcome address at the event.
Aside from playing a crucial part in the festival management, children and adolescents are also delegated the responsibility in managing screenings. “Children are working in the Jury Board, doing public relations, managing the office, taking care of the delegates, maintaining the film screening schedule and more,” said Jisan, a college student who is working in the media section of the festival. An elated Sayeda Abrar Tohat Raha, a young filmmaker and a student of class ten in Viqarunnisa Noon School, said she was very excited about the arrangement as this was the third time her film had been selected for showing at the festival.
The inaugural ceremony was followed by the festival's first film screening of Maria Novaro's “Tesoros.”
More than 200 films made by children and young adults from 58 countries are expected to be screened across six venues at Dhaka over the six day festival which concludes on February 2. Films will be screened daily from 11am-2pm, and 4pm-6pm at Central Public Library's Shawkat Osman Auditorium, Bangladesh National Museum's Sufia Kamal Auditorium, Alliance Française de Dhaka, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, The British Council, and Goethe Institut.
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