Dhaka University Film Society (DUFS) in association with United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is organizing the 13th edition of the International Inter University Short Film Festival (IIUSFF).
The festival aspires to promote and inspire the work of young university going filmmakers with the slogan ‘Take Your Camera, Frame Your Dream’.
As part of the festival, DUFS held a two-day ceremony on June 19-20, to observe the World Refugee Day.
Director Amitabh Reza Chowdhury and the former Cultural Affairs Minister Assaduzzaman Noor delivered brief speeches to inaugurate the event.
A panel discussion, titled “What is the right narrative approach to representing refugees in film?” - was held on the first day of the ceremony, featuring filmmakers Proshoon Rahman and Patrick Bodenham, and Dhaka University Professor Dr ASM Ali Ashraf.
“Student leadership is very rare in Bangladesh. So I am very glad to participate in this wonderful event” said Dr. A. S. M. Ali Ashraf.
Director Patrick Bodenham, who made “Amina, My Sister” about a Rohingya family, recollected his experience of filming in Kutupalong camp. He reiterated the importance of digital media in capturing the refugee experience.
Director Proshoon Rahman recited renewed poet W. H. Auden’s heart touching poem “Refugee Blues” at the end of the discussion.
Moreover, five screenings of officially selected films from 'Short film on Refugee Category' - the latest edition to IIUSFF submission categories, were held, along with a 3D photo exhibition on the IIUSFF website (iiusff.com).
“The two-day event sought to shed light on the Refugee crisis and the plight of the displaced at large. Our goal was to provide a cross-cultural platform that would attempt to address the prevailing injustice in the world and the devastation that has touched the lives of countless refugees through cinema,” said the International Affairs Secretary at DUFS, Nahid Bhuiyan.
In 2007, the IIUSFF started its journey with the aim to provide a platform for the young and talented student filmmakers in Bangladesh and overseas to showcase their craft.
