Festival Briefing for Press: Download English Version / Download Bangla Version

About Bangladesh Short Film Forum & Festival
Bangladesh Short Film Forum was formed in August 1986 and since then remains the only organization of country’s young independent filmmakers. This year Bangladesh Short Film Forum Celebrating 30 years of its journey. The festival was initiated in December 1988 as the first international festival of short films in the entire subcontinent. The festival has now become a major biennial cultural event of the country, and has been growing in size, stature, and media coverage. The upward trend is expected to continue during the forthcoming 14th festival in terms of audience turnout, coverage in both electronic and print media, and the number of entries and participating countries.

Main Sections:
Cinema of The World (regular screenings)
Films In Competition
International Competition – Fiction
International Competition – Documentary
NETPAC Jury Award
Tareq Shahriar Best Independent Short
International & Bangladeshi Independent Film
Retrospective
Alamgir Kabir Memorial Lectures National Seminar
Master Classes

Venues:
NATIONAL PUBLIC LIBRARY (4th – 10th Dec)
Opening Program (03rd Dec – Saturday)
Closing Program (10th Dec – Saturday)
Regular Screenings [(4 shows / day * 7 days) = 28 shows]

NATIONAL MUSEUM (4th – 10th Dec)
Main Auditorium [(2 shows / day * 7 days) = 14 shows]
Sufia Kamal Auditorium
Regular Screenings [(3 shows / day * 7 days) = 21 shows]

SHILPAKALA ACADEMY (4th – 10th Dec)
Shangit O Nrittokala Auditorium
Regular Screenings [(3 shows / day * 7 days) = 21 shows]
Seminar Room
Alamgir Kabir Memorial Lecture (6th Dec – Monday)
Master classes (5th & 7th Dec – Tuesday & Wednesday)
National Seminar (9th Dec – Thursday)

Film Procurement Scenario:
Total film submission – 2500(+)
Total country participation – 108
Total film for screening – 500(+)

Important Film / Package Inclusion:
1. Recent Short & Independent Films from various internationally acclaimed film festivals, like – Cannes, Sundance, TIFF, Oberhausen, Berlinale, Locarno, Busan, Venice etc. & 2 films from Oscar’16.
2. Significant Film Packages – Polish Animation Films, DOK Leipzig Animadoc Films, Latin American Films, Films of Eight Sisters (India), Films from Beijing Film Academy.
3. Recent & Internationally acclaimed Bangladeshi Independent Films.
4. One/Two Bangladeshi Independent Films’ World Premiere.

Retrospective:
Internationally acclaimed Indonesian filmmaker – Garin Nugroho
[Five feature length films will be screened]

Special Screening:
Eminent Chinese Filmmaker & Professor of Beijing Film Academy – Dr. Xie Fei
[Two Feature Length Films will be screened in presence of the filmmaker]

Special Screening Programs:
 Films from Beijing Film Academy
 Films of DOK Leipzig
 Films from Eight Sisters of India (“KNOW YOUR NEIGHBOUR”)
 Films of Latin America (“REGIONAL FOCUS”)
 Films of Genocide (proposed)
 One/Two Bangladeshi Independent Films’ International Premiere

Alamgir Kabir Memorial Lecture (5th Dec – Monday):
Key Speaker – Dr. Xie Fei
(venue & time will be announced soon)

Master Classes (6th & 7th Dec – Tuesday & Wednesday):
[Two half-day sessions & will be conducted by one guest each day]
1. Garin Nugroho (Indonesia)
(venue & time will be announced soon)

National Seminar (8th Dec – Thursday):
Key Speaker – Dr. Zakir Hossain Raju
[Subject: Govt. & Independent Cinema]

Awards & Mentions:
1. International Competition – Fiction [Award money US$ 1000, Crest & Certificate]
2. International Competition – Documentary [Award money US$ 1000, Crest & Certificate]
3. Lifetime Achievement Award – for any eminent film personality for contribution to
Bangladeshi Cinema.
4. Tareque Shahriar Best Independent Shorts – [Award money BTD 25,000.00,Crest &
Certificate] This Award is only for Bangladeshi young & aspiring Filmmakers.
5. NETPAC Jury Award – [Crest & Certificate from NETPAC]

Jury:
International Competition – Fiction
1. Garin Nugroho (Indonesia)
2. Prof. Monjurul Islam (Bangladesh)
3. Ms. Azar Faramarzi (Iran)

International Competition – Documentary
1. Atahualpa Lichy (Venezuela)
2. Marcel Maïga (Germany)
3. Tareq Ahmed (Bangladesh)

NETPAC
1. Chalida Uabumrungjit (Thailand)
2. Golam Rabbani Biplob (Bangladesh)
3. Dhammika Dissanayaka (Sri Lanka)

Tareq Shahriar Best Independent Shorts
1. Zahidur Rahim Anjan
2. Sajedul Awal
3. Shabnam Ferdousi

Foreign Dignitaries who will attend the festival (till date)
 Prof. Xie Fei; China
 Garin Nugroho; Indonesia
 Marcel Maiga; Germany
 Atahualpa LichyI; Venezuela.
 Chalida Uabumrungjit, Thailand
 Dhammika Dissanayaka, Sri Lanka

(and some other guests will come also… the complete list of guests during festival will be announced soon)