Dhaka International Film Festival kicked off today with the opening film “Zer.”Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith and Minister of Information, Hasanul Haque Inu were present at the inauguration.
Both of the ministers gave their valuable speeches during the ceremony. Hasanul Haque Inu ended his speech saying “We don’t make movies to make money; we make money to make better movies.”
The Finance Minister gave an engaging speech explaining how he was attracted to movies as a child and how he hopes Bangladeshi films will prosper in the future.
UK based director Yeşim Guzelpinar introduced “Zer,” as the film’s director Kazim Öz couldn’t make it to Dhaka. Guzelpinar, who has worked on the festival for three years as a curator, told Showtime, “Dhaka feels like a second home to me. It’s the lovely people that make it so special.”
“Zer” tells the story of a young New Yorker, Jan, who hears a song in his grandmother’s deathbed. The song describes a mysterious past. Haunted by the song, Jan travels through Kurdistan, searching for his grandmother's past in a journey of self-discovery.
This joint production of Turkey and Germany stars Ahmet Aslan, Haleigh Ciel, Fusun Demirel and Nik Xhelilaj, among others. Released in 2017, the 110 min film has won several awards and was screened in many festivals like Istanbul and Haifa International Film Festival.
