Dhaka: The main event of the 17th International Inter University Short Film Festival is set to begin on September 21 at the Teacher-Student Centre (TSC) of the University of Dhaka. Dhaka University Film Society (DUFS) is arranging the event in partnership with the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Dhaka, UNDP Bangladesh, and the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
According to United News of Bangladesh, campus screening tours featuring selected films are already underway across several university campuses in Bangladesh, in anticipation of the main event. This year's edition saw about 1269 films submitted by student filmmakers from 92 countries, with the festival jury board selecting the top 200 films for its official screening programme.
The festival, founded in 2007 with the slogan 'Take Your Camera, Frame Your Dream,' aims to provide a platform for student filmmakers from Bangladesh and beyond, promoting cross-cultural exchange through cinema. This year, a new flagship category, 'Reels of Resistance,' has been introduced, focusing on films that address human rights, civic resistance, gender justice, displacement, and community resilience.
The festival's cultural visual theme is inspired by Baul Gaan, emphasizing the pluralistic and anti-hierarchical traditions of Baul culture, and linking folk heritage with contemporary cinematic expression. Films selected for the festival are presented in four categories: Competition for films under 15 minutes, Panorama for films over 15 minutes, One Minute Short, and Reels of Resistance.
Awards to be presented include the Zahir Raihan Best Short Award, Tareque Masud Best Emerging Director Award for Bangladeshi student filmmakers, Best One Minute Short, and Best Reels of Resistance Award, along with several technical honourable mentions.
As part of its nationwide screening initiative, IIUSFF has already held sessions at Jatiya Kabi Kazi Nazrul Islam University in Trishal, Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology, Gazipur Agricultural University in Gazipur, and Jahangirnagar University in Savar. Post-festival screenings will also take place at Cumilla University, Rangamati Science and Technology University, and Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University in the week following the main event.
Public screenings at TSC will run from 10am to 9pm each day from September 21 to 23, featuring the selected films and discussion sessions. On September 23, DUFS will host a panel discussion titled 'Film, Memory, and the Politics of Hope: Witnessing Injustice, Preserving Truth and Imagining a Just Future.' This discussion will explore documentary archives, the evidentiary boundaries of film, and transitional justice.
The panel will include Norwegian Ambassador to Bangladesh H¥kon Arald Gulbrandsen, UNDP Bangladesh Resident Representative Stephen Rodriques, and Romana Schweiger, Senior Advisor on Rule of Law and Human Rights at UNDP, alongside independent filmmakers and human rights practitioners.
The festival will conclude with the announcement of award winners and a live Baul music performance. The top 15 short films will be screened at Star Cineplex, Bashundhara. All screenings and panel sessions at TSC are free and open to the public, according to the organisers.