12 Iranian films to be shown at Dhaka International Film Festival

TEHRAN-Twelve films from Iran will participate in the 23rd Dhaka International Film Festival (DIFF), due to be held in Dhaka, Bangladesh, from January 11 to 19, 2025.

The Iranian films have been selected to be shown in different sections of the festival, which is organized by the Rainbow Film Society.

In the Asian Film Competition section, three films from Iran will compete for the top awards. They include “Summer Time” directed by Mahmoud Kalari, “Projectionist” by Ghorbanali Taherifar, and “Melody” by Behrouz Sebt Rasoul. The latter is a joint production of Iran and Tajikistan.

There will be five Iranian films in the Cinema of the World section including “This Controllable Crowd” by Mohammad Matin Ojani, “Barren” by Mansour Vosoughi, “Maybe Somewhere Else” by Ali Tasdighi, “Winter Threshold” by Soudabeh Beizaei, and “Maria” by Mahdi Asghari Azghadi.

In the Children Films Section, “Nowruz” by Soheil Movaffagh, “Jockey” by Hadi Shariati, and “Miro” by Hossein Rigi will be shown.

“Hello Anna” by Mohammad Hossein Soleimani Fard, which is a joint production of Iran and New Zealand, will take part in the Spiritual Film section.

In addition to the Iranian films participating in the festival, two jurors from Iran Mahnaz Tafaghi and Hoda Moghadam Manesh, will be on the jury panels of the DIFF.

Mahnaz Tafaghi will serve as a juror in the interfaith jury for the Spiritual Films section. She is an Iranian producer, distributor, lecturer, and the founder of Ayvision Films, an independent film production and distribution company.

She began her career as a journalist, working with international news agencies and contributing to various media outlets. Her passion for storytelling led her to cinema journalism, where she worked with numerous film festivals. She later transitioned into film production and distribution, gaining experience with international companies before founding Ayvision Films.

Her company focuses on projects from the Middle East, particularly Iran and Turkey, while also collaborating with European partners on co-productions. AYVISION Films offers a full range of services, including development, production, post-production, and distribution. She has served as a juror in various film festivals so far.

Hoda Moghadam Manesh will be one of the jury members in the Women Filmmaker section. She started her artistic career at a young age by acting in theatrical performances.

After performing in five plays, she entered the professional cinema. She has played in three movies so far. In 2023, she won the best actress award from the Ahmedabad International Festival in India for her role in the movie “Life and Life” directed by Ali Ghavitan. She also wrote a book focusing on art history, which was published in 2016.

The general theme of this year’s edition of the Dhaka International Film Festival is “Better Film, Better Audience, and Better Society”. A total of 201 movies from across the globe will be screened in various sections of the event.

Established in 1992, DIFF is a biennial film festival. It was initially organized on an annual basis but became a biennial event in 1995.

DIFF is one of the most prestigious film events in Bangladesh, dedicated to introduce mainstream global cinema to local filmmakers as well as to promote healthy cine culture within Bangladesh.

SS/