“Dariush Mehrjui Retrospective is a major attraction at the festival”

L-R: Ahmed Muztaba Zamal, Mehrjui's “Banoo” will be screened today. Photo Courtesy: DIFF

As the 12th Dhaka International Film Festival reaches its 4th day [today], festival director Ahmed Muztaba Zamal talks about its progress. The Dariush Mehrjui Retrospective began on January 13. According to Zamal, this is a major event: “Mehrjui was there prior to the screening; the presentation was very nice; the print of the film was great and audience enjoyed it.”
The retrospective, one of the most attractive sections of the festival, began at the Shawkat Osman Auditorium, Central Public Library through the screening of “The Tenants”.
A social satire that stands as a metaphor, “The Tenants” is a breath of fresh air from Iran. The film, set in the 1980s' Tehran, narrates stories of people with their own quirks and eccentricities.
Six Mehrjui films are being screened in the section.
A weeklong workshop started yesterday at the festival venue. The workshop, conducted by Australian documentary-maker Warne Stephen Robert, especially focuses on documentary development.
Foreign delegates including filmmakers, actors, organisers and jury board members are in town at present. Zamal said that delegates have expressed their satisfaction regarding the arrangement of the festival.
This year over 200 films are being screened -- an admirable accomplishment by any standard. Zamal informed that they wanted to include more but failed because of lack of venues. Films are being screened at four venues at this year's festival. Financial constraint has limited the arrangement as well, according to the festival director.
“We had a plan to use Star Cineplex as one of the venues, as we used it on previous occasions. But it is quite far from the main venue and the mall atmosphere is not supportive of the festival. Moreover, its ticket price is higher than our expectations,” said Zamal.
Zamal sees Australasian Competition as the most significant section, as he considers this an opportunity for Bangladeshi productions to shine. It mostly features films by independent filmmakers. About Short and Independent and Women Filmmakers sections, he said that these two segments mainly feature works of young, aspiring individuals.
“Young filmmakers are being showcased this year,” he said.
He sees the participation of Bangladeshi films to be adequate -- 37 Bangladeshi films are being screened at the festival. However, regarding the overall inclusion, Zamal said that the organisers would be choosy in future.
Organised by Rainbow Film Society, the 10-day festival is being supported by several local and international organisations. AB Bank is the main sponsor of the fest, while Maasranga Productions and Standard Chartered Bank are two co-sponsors. Channel i is the media partner.