The ninth edition of International Children's Film Festival was inaugurated on January 23 simultaneously at 15 screening venues in different districts in the country. German movie "My Friend Raffi" was screened at the inauguration of the festival.
Children's Film Society Bangladesh has organised the event, the weeklong event features around 150 films from 30 countries. Pran-RFL, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, Daffodil University and Alliance Francaise de Dhaka are also providing additional support for the festival.
The main attraction of this year's festival is a competition section in which 33 Bangladeshi films will be featured. Five of them will be given prizes in different categories at the end of the festival. A jury board comprising five peers will judge the ambiance of the movies. Eminent director Morshedul Islam, film critic Sajedul Awal and Jakir Hossain Raju will lead the juror panel for the international section where only senior filmmakers can submit movies on children. Apart from these two special awards "Young Bangladeshi Talent Award" and "Social Film Award" have been reserved for novice directors. The films are being screened at 15 venues in different districts in Dhaka, Rajshahi and Sylhet.
The venues in Dhaka are: Shawkat Osman Memorial Auditorium of the Central Public Library, Bangladesh National Museum, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, Daffodil International University and Alliance Francaise de Dhaka.
Finance minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith inaugurated the festival on the Central Public Library premises with cultural minister Asaduzzaman Noor and artist Mustafa Manwar in attendance.
Each venue shows films in three sessions-11am, 2pm and 4pm. Shawkat Osman Memorial Auditorium, the main venue for the festival have an additional session starting 6pm.
Aside from film screenings, the festival also includes a workshop and a two parted daylong seminar. The workshop on filmmaking has been conducted by director Amitabh Reza at the museum's Sufia Kamal auditorium on January 27 while the seminar will take place at the seminar room of Public Library on January 28. The closing ceremony will be held at the main auditorium of the museum. Joya Ahsan will meet the children and young filmmakers on the first part while two Freedom Fighters will lead the second part of the seminar.
On the occasion of the festival, the organiser arranged a press conference on January 21. Festival director Reyad Morshed and general secretary of International Children's Film Festival Munira Morshed attended the event.