The 13th edition of Liberation DocFest Bangladesh begins in Dhaka on Thursday, featuring 17 documentary films from Bangladesh and other countries under the theme “Presence in Absence”.
The three-day festival, running until October 31, will take place at the Liberation War Museum in Agargaon and Alliance Française de Dhaka in Dhanmondi. The programme includes screenings, seminars and discussions focusing on documentary cinema, freedom and human rights.
This year’s programme features National and International Competition sections, alongside a “Best of the Fest” category.
According to the organisers, 188 films were submitted from different countries, with 18 selected by an 8-member preview committee. The organisers said the festival aims to promote documentary filmmaking on freedom and human rights, strengthen ties between local and international filmmakers, and encourage younger generations to explore the genre.
The selected films explore themes including gender equality, resistance, displacement, statelessness, generational memory, ecological crises, ancestral roots and the legacy of Bangladesh’s Liberation War.
The winning film in each of the National and International Competition sections will receive Tk100,000. A nine-member Youth Jury will also select a film, whose makers will receive a crest and certificate.
The National Competition jury comprises filmmaker Shabnam Ferdousi, visual artist and filmmaker Dilara Begum, and Sajjad Hossain, a teacher at the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh.
The International Competition jury includes cultural personality M Hamid, filmmaker Shameem Akhtar and human rights activist Asif Munier.
A seminar on connecting younger generations with the history and memory of the Liberation War will be held at 4pm on October 30 at the Liberation War Museum. The discussion will examine opportunities and challenges in incorporating documentary filmmaking into higher education assignments.
Launched in 2006, Liberation DocFest Bangladesh has provided a platform for filmmakers to explore freedom, human dignity and human rights through documentary cinema.