Five-day film festival kicks off at DU

'Amar Bhashar Chalachitra 1423' (The cinema of my language - 1423 is the year according to the Bengali calendar) began at the Teacher-Students Centre (TSC) of Dhaka University on Friday. The festival marking February, the month made immortal by the Language Movement of 1952, is organized by the Dhaka University Film Society (DUFS).

A total of 20 films from Bangladesh and Kolkata will be screened during the 16th edition of the festival. DUFS will also confer upon Mohammad Khosru, a pioneer of the film society movement of Bangladesh, their Lifetime Achievement Award.

The DU-based society for film enthusiasts will also confer the 'Hiralal Sen Padak' to the best film of 2016, as judged by members of their panel. State Minister of Posts and Telecommunications Tarana Halim and DU Vice-Chancellor AAMS Arefin Siddique are expected to attend the closing ceremony.

The festival began with the screening of a Bengali film the 'Jana Aranya' (1976) directed by Satyajit Ray, on Friday while 'Ei Ghor Ei Songsar' directed by Malek Afsari, 'Chhutir Ghonta' written and directed by Azizur Rahman, and Indian Bangla 'Cinemawala' by Kaushik Ganguli were screened at 1:30pm, 4pm and 6:30pm respectively.

Two Indian Bengali films 'Subarnarekha' directed by Ritwik Ghatak and 'Khela' by Rituparno Ghosh were screened at 10am and 1:30 pm respectively yesterday (Saturday) while 'Anil Bagchir Ekdin' a film of Humayun Ahmed and 'Oggatonama' of Tauquir Ahmed were shown on the same day at 4 pm and 6:30 pm respectively.

'Matir Moina' and 'Adam Surat', directed by Tareque Masud, will be screened at 1:30 pm and 4 pm today,  while  'Mahanayak' (The Great Hero) by Alamgir Kabir Indo-Bangla joint venture film 'Shankhachil' will be screened at 10 am and 6:30 pm respectively.

'Pich Dhaka Poth' (1968), directed by Ehtesham, will be screened at 10am tomorrow while other three films -- 'Palabi Kothay', 'Rokto' and 'Jalaler Golpo' (Jalal's Story) will be played at 1:30 pm, 4 pm and 6:30 pm respectively.

Concluding the festival on February 14, eminent filmmaker Zahir Raihan's war documentary 'Stop Genocide' will be screened at 10am, while another feature film 'Hotath Bristy' will be shown at 11:30 am, 'Shikari' at 2:10 pm and 'Monpura' will be shown at 6 pm.

DUFS has been organizing the annual film festival with the slogan 'Sustha Chalachitra, Sustha Darshak' since 2002.