Renowned film critic Ahmed Muztaba Zamal will attend the 68th Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) as a jury member from FIPRESCI, International Federation of Film Critics. This is his third time attending the festival as a jury.
The nine member FIPRESCI critics' jury in the forthcoming Bernilae is comprised of Mario Abbade Neto from Brazil, Sandra Perovic from Serbia, Shahla Nahid from France, James Evans from UK, Tina Poglajen from Slovenia, Bettina Schuler from Germany, Carlota Mosegui from Spain and Teresa Vena from Germany, alongside Zamal.
Throughout the years, Zamal participated in many significant film festivals as international, FIPRESCI and Netpac (Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema) jury like Cannes, Berlinale, and Venice. He is the President of Rainbow Film Society and the festival director of the Dhaka International Film Festival.
Zamal fondly recalls the first time he went to Berlinale in 1998 as a jury member. That year, Brazilian film “Central do Brasil” by Walter Salles won every major foreign film award including Berlinale’s prestigious Golden Bear award, BAFTA and Golden Globes. But the FIPRESCI chose a different film, as they attempt to provide a platform to upcoming filmmakers, rather than give every award to one perfect film. As a result, the critics gave a young Japanese director the FIPRESCI award for his maiden film.
“I always carry that learning with me wherever I go as a judge. We try to promote young promising filmmakers. I’m looking forward to seeing how things have changed at the Berlinale after twenty years,” said Zamal in a conversation with Dhaka Tribune’s Showtime.
Each year, Berlinale comprises about 400 films of every genre, length and format. The festival is divided into the following nine sections – competition, Berlinale shorts, panorama, forum, generation, Berlinale special, retrospective, homage and Perspektive Deutsches Kino (German Cinema Perspective).
68th Berlin International Film Festival will take place from February 15-25.
Tuesday, July 21, 2026
