The sixth edition of the International Children Film Festival organised by Bangladesh Children Film Society in association with UNICEF was inaugurated on Saturday simultaneously at 22 venues in six divisional towns in the country.
With the slogan, ‘Future in Frame’, the festival features 200 films, created by children filmmakers from forty two counties will be screened at 22 film venues. Sixty out of over a hundred local films will be screened at the festival of which five will be awarded.
Internationally acclaimed puppeteer Mustafa Monwar, who is also the chairman of the festival advisory committee, hoisting the festival flag inaugurated the grand gala at the Central Public Library.
Subsequently, a colourful procession was brought out from the venue that rounding the TSC intersection ended at the Bangladesh National Museum.
UNICEF representative in Bangladesh Dr Pascal Villeneuve, Canadian director Nancy Trits Bitkin, chairman of the society Dr Zafar Iqbal and festival director Morshedul Islam, among others delivered speeches at the programme at the museum.
The festival director Morshedul Islam highlighted the special features of the current edition of the festival. ‘A girl director will get special award in addition to five regular prizes this year,’ Islam said.
‘From the next time we will try to organise an international contest,’ he added.
He also expressed his anger for not being able to hold the opening ceremony at the scheduled venue at Bangla Academy as the academy surprisingly gave booking of the hall to another organisation.
‘I also missed a part of the inauguration ceremony as I had to take permission for lighting candles in the speech giving ceremony at Bangladesh National Museum auditorium from the museum authority,’ he added.
Claiming the festival the biggest of its kind in the world Zafar Iqbal said, ‘The festival is for the children, of the children and by the children.’
-With New Age input
