Curtains will rise for the 13th International Short and Independent Film Festival, Dhaka 2014 today at the National Museum premises in the capital’s Shahbagh area.
The eight-day festival will feature about 200 films from 50 countries, and will take place in six venues simultaneously, including National Museum, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, Russian Cultural Centre, Jagannath University and Independent University.
After the inaugural ceremony two documentaries, “Baghdad Messi” and “Pony and Me,” will be screened.
Shyam Benegal, an esteemed filmaker in India, and Aruna Basudev, Indian filmmaker and critic, will attend the festival as special guests.
In a retrospective session of noted UK filmmaker Kim Longinotto, eight exclusive documentary films will be screened.
Apart from screening, the festival has some intriguing events on its schedule, such as Bangladesh Cinema Talents Programme, a five-day creative summit of local and international filmmakers along with the new, young and aspiring filmmakers for sharing knowledge and experience, and exploring new ideas.
Also, another event called Alamgir Kabir Memorial Lecture will be held at Poet Sufia Kamal Auditorium in National Museum on December 9, where Aruna Basudev will present the key paper.