The ‘20th Dhaka International Film Festival’ (DIFF) will be held in Dhaka from 15 to 23 January 2022. The general theme of the festival is ‘Better Film, Better Audience and Better Society’. The Festival has been organized on a regular basis by Rainbow Film Society, which has been dedicated to the promotion of a healthy cine culture in Bangladesh and in celebrating the global mainstream in film and its social relevance since 1977.
Rainbow Film Society is one of the most active film entities in the film society movement of Bangladesh. Apart from holding regular film shows and film related seminars and workshops, Rainbow also brings out “The Celluloid”, one of the leading cinema periodicals from Bangladesh with an international audience.
The DIFF is one of the most prestigious film events in Bangladesh and, to a great extent, has helped shape an increasingly healthy and positive national film culture. DIFF is a bold expression of resistance against the decadence, vulgarity and cheap commercialism that pervades the mainstream Bangladesh film industry.
The festival has also created space for young and aspiring filmmakers in Bangladesh and larger South Asia to connect with global artistic trends and to strengthen the parallel development of Bangladeshi cinema.
In the short span of twenty-nine years, DIFF has attained international recognition with nineteen festivals held in 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021 respectively. We are confident that like the earlier events the festival would succeed in creating awareness among all concerned about the need for making and viewing good films.
Necessary preparatory work in this regard is already underway. During the 20th DIFF, organizers expect to screen about 220 films, with participation from around 70 countries. The screening will be held at the Alliance Francaise de Dhaka, Star Cineplex, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, Central Public Library Auditorium and Bangladesh National Museum Auditorium. Dhaka International Film Festival will be using the virtual platform for the second time, besides the cinema halls.
As mentioned above, DIFF will be using the online platform starting 20th DIFF, for projecting films online. The DIFF authorities will select a few from the many submitted films and will use an online platform to cast it and once a film representative submits their film, they also agree in allowing DIFF to do so. (You must submit your film only if you have your consent on your film to have the possibility of being projected online).
The festival will have a competition for “Asian Cinema Section”, “Retrospective”, “Tribute”, “Wide Angle”, “Bangladesh Panorama Section”, “Cinema of the World Section”, “Children Films Section”, “Women Filmmakers Section”, “Short and Independent Films Section” and “Spiritual Films Section”.
Just like the previous years, Rainbow Film Society is expecting numbers of women filmmakers, actors and personalities from all over the world to attend our very important segment- “Eighth Dhaka International Conference on Women in Cinema 2022”. This conference will be held on Sunday, January 16, and Monday, January 17, 2022, during the festival.