11th Int'l Children's Film Fest to begin Jan 27

The 11th edition of the hugely successful International Children's Film Festival Bangladesh is ready to take off in Dhaka from January 27 until February 2, after which the festival is expected travel to Chittagong, Rajshahi and Rangpur, says a press release. Organised by the Children's Film Society Bangladesh, the festival will screen 21 films across 6 venues in the capital.

The festival will be inaugurated by Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith on January 27 at 4pm, at Shawkat Osman Auditorium of Central Public Library. Minister of Information Hasanul Haq Inu will attend as chief guest, while British Council's Country Director Barbara Wickham will attend as special guest. Chairman of the Children's Film Society Bangladesh Mostofa Monwar will preside over the event.

This year's festival received over 200 film submissions from 58 countries, out of which 68 are from Bangladesh alone. Twenty one Bangladeshi films are expected to be released, from which five winning films will be selected by the jury. Three prizes are reserved for the Best Director (first, runner up and second runner up), and two special mention awards will also be given. Submissions have been classified into three categories- Young Bangladeshi Talent, Social Film Competition, and Under 18 filmmakers. The theme for this year's Social Film section is “Violence Against Girls.”

As with every installment, the festival includes an International Competition category where 189 films will participate this time. This year's judges for the International Films panel include noted Bangladeshi filmmakers Mostofa Sarwar Farooki and Mezbaur Rahman Sumon, as well as Arun Gupta, Principal of the Film and Video Communications Department of the National Institute of Design in India. The festival will include a rich itinerary of seminars and workshops, for which prominent guests have been invited to take part.

Screenings will commence from January 28 across six venues including Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, Alliance Francaise de Dhaka, British Council, Bangladesh National Museum's Sufia Kamal Auditorium, Goethe Institut, with Shawkat Osman Auditorium remaining as the prime venue. The winners will be announced on February 2, followed by an award giving ceremony on the same day at Shawkat Osman Auditorium.