The 14th Dhaka International Film Festival (DIFF) in Bangladesh will be host to 184 movies from 60 countries including 20 from Iran.
The main competition section ‘Australasion’ is dedicated only to feature films from Asian and Australian cinema. Four Iranian films will compete with 17 other productions in this category, Mehr News Agency reported.
‘I am Not Angry’ directed by Reza Dormishian, ‘Three Fish’ by Hamidreza Qorbani, ‘Tajrish, an Unfinished Story’ by Pourya Azarbaijani and ‘A Few Cubic Meters of Love’ by Jamshid Mahmoudi are all among the 2014 productions of Iran cinema in the event which have earlier attended international events.
A five-member international jury will adjudicate the main competition section. They will select one best film, best director, best actor, best actress, best script and best cinematographer. The awards consist of a crest and certificate. The best film award also carries a cash prize of $1300.
Other non-competitive sections include feature, short and documentary films where 16 Iranian young and veteran filmmakers will present modern cinema of the country to the world through their works.
A total of 25 films will be shown in the section ‘Cinema of the World’. ‘Paternal House’ by Kianoosh Ayyari and ‘Edit’ by Alireza Razazifar are Iranian films in this category.
‘Spiritual Section’ will screen 18 movies where ‘Death of the Fish’ by Rouhollah Hejazi and Reza Mir-Karimi’s ‘Today’ are the Iranian flicks.
Among 10 participants in the ‘Children Film Section’ five films are made by Iranian directors including, ‘A Cold Day’ by Mohammad-Ali Talebi, ‘My Mother’s Blue Sky’ by Ali Qavitan, ‘The Escape From the Castle’ by Qolamreza Ramezani, ‘Ava’ by Siamak Kashef-Azar and ‘The Other’s Father’ by Yadollah Samadi.
‘Women Filmmakers Section’ is dedicated to short and feature films made by women from around the world. This section is host to 37 movies while five of them are directed by Iranians. Feature films include ‘Track 143’ by Narges Abyar and ‘Tragedy’ by Azita Mogouee and the three shorts are ‘Must Be Black’ by Baran Sarmadi, ‘Snowy Way’ by Azar Faramarzi and ‘No One Does Not Speak’ by Maryam Moosazadeh.
There are also two more short films from Iran taking part in the ‘Short and Independent Films Section’. ‘P.T.S.D 11’ by Ehsan Hemati and ‘It Hits Upon the Roof’ by Teymoor Qaderi are Iranian representatives in this category where 44 films will be shown.
The general theme of the DIFF has been described as “Better Film, Better Audience, Better Society”. According to the festival’s official website, DIFF is a bold expression of resistance against decadence, vulgarity and cheap commercialism that pervades the mainstream Bangladesh film industry.
Workshops and conferences will also be held on the sidelines of the 14th edition of the festival, slated for January 14-22, 2016, in the capital Dhaka.
