Dhaka fest picks Iran directors for jury

The 20th edition of the Dhaka International Film Festival (DIFF) in the Bangladesh has invited Iranian filmmakers Elaheh Nobakht and Negin Ahmadi to join its jury panels.

Nobakht has joined the jury for the Women Filmmakers competition, in addition to Turkish broadcaster Oya Dogan, Bulgarian filmmaker Yana Lekarska and Bangladeshi documentarian Mehzad Ghalib.

Nobakht, who is also the CEO of ELI Image, an international production and distribution film company, has been a jury member of various international film festivals such as the Religion Today Film Festival in Italy, the International Oriental Film Festival of Geneva in Switzerland, the Beirut International Women Film Festival in Lebanon and the Mena International Film Festival in the Netherland.

Her documentary ‘Beloved’ was screened at numerous international events, including the IDFA and Berlinale, and took first place among the top five mid-length films selected by audience votes at the Hot Docs in Canada.

Iranian movies ‘Lady of the City’ by Maryam Bahrololoumi, ‘Here Yet Absent’ by Fariba Choupannejad, ‘Maryam’s House’ by Mahboub Molaee and ‘Atabai’ by Niki Karimi are in the Women Filmmakers competition.

Ahmadi has joined the Interfaith Jury for the Spiritual Films Section, which also includes Belarussian film expert Igor Soukmanov, Indian scriptwriter and director Rajni Basumatary, and Bangladeshi actor and filmmaker Nader Chowdhury.

Ahmadi is the director of the acclaimed documentaries ‘Connie Bell’, ‘Shirin Days’, ‘Zhivai’ and ‘Zahra Goli’ on the environmental and social issues.

Representatives of Iran at the Spiritual Films Section are ‘Dream about Sohrab’ by Ali Qavitan, ‘Holy Bread’ by Rahim Zabihi, ‘The Last Breath’ by Faraz Fadaeean, ‘Anahid’ by Hamid-Reza Alipour, ‘Grandmother’ by Fardin Ansarinejad and ‘Nahid’ by Samad Alizadeh.

Some 34 movies by other Iranian filmmakers are competing at this edition of the Bangladeshi event.

The Dhaka International Film Festival is one of the most prestigious film events in Bangladesh.

The 20th edition of the DIFF has been slated for January 15-23, 2022.

MG/MG