Locarno Festival 2017

Film festivals are held with prominence in all countries. Out of the countless that exist, 14/15 international film festivals are awaited with the most suspense and regarded most admirably by fans all around the world. All film festivals are unique in thoughts, presentation, experimentations, product designing, and overall emphasis. Locarno Festival stands to be a prestigious film festival among the list of many, and we personally want to wish Locarno Festival congratulations on its successful 70 years. Locarno, situated in Switzerland, is surrounded by mountains and lakes, which makes up for an amazingly scenic environment. Locarno Festival has its own artistic style of presenting films, always ensuring an amiable atmosphere that goes along with the beautiful environment. Locarno has always believed in simplicity in films, which I personally find to be a very unique trait.

At this age of digital technology, we have the world at our fingertips. We can watch movies at home without a single problem, but to truly enjoy a film festival requires experiencing it physically. The vastness of international film festivals can never be understood without visiting at least one once in a lifetime; and expert opinions can never be formed without repeated visits. Having been invited from Open Doors to join Locarno Festival 2017, I have my own experience to share.

Open Doors is an initiative taken by Locarno Festival that has been going for 15 years. Compared to Locarno Festival, it is relatively quite young, yet it has already established itself as a unique platform that nurtures budding filmmakers from underdeveloped countries and sheds spotlight on the films produced in these countries. From 2016 to 2018, Open Doors will be focusing on eight specific South Asian countries, which of course include Bangladesh. Open Doors emphasizes on "unlocking the world", and has been quite successful at lending a helping hand to promising directors and producers by providing funding.

Everyone will agree with me when I say that Open Doors is a very innovative initiative. If it continues for some more time, it will be easier for the focused countries to showcase their films in an international level and receive substantial support for future projects. I sincerely hope it does continue, because it truly can motivate budding filmmakers into taking initiatives of their own and making their country's name shine in international film festivals.

Congratulations are in order to Mahde Hasan for winning the first place in the "Movie of My Life" segment of Locarno Festival 2017. His achievement is truly a big accomplishment for Bangladesh. Congratulations also have to be given to Rubaiyat Hossain for receiving the Prix ARTE International Open Doors award, which provided her funding worth 6,000 Euros. Their successes are sure to inspire young Bangladeshi filmmakers into carrying the torch and grabbing their own spotlight in international stages. It can never be forgotten that the language of films is an international one, and a well-made film is capable of breaking language barriers. Thus I believe it isn't long since Bangladesh too shines in the main segments of international film festivals like Locarno.