TEHRAN – The 24th Dhaka International Film Festival (DIFF) will host works by 13 Iranian filmmakers and two other directors will serve on the jury panels of various sections.

The works will be screened in various sections of the festival, to be held in Bangladesh from January 10 to 18, Honaronline reported.

In the Asian Film Competition section, “The Husband” directed by Ebrahim Irajzad will have its international premiere. “Whisper My Name” by Rasoul Sadr Ameli and “Fish on the Hook” by Muhiddin Muzaffar (an Iran-Tajikistan joint production) will also be shown in the section.

“Without Me” by Mohammad Asadnia will have its world premiere in the Cinema of the World section. The feature documentary “Scarecrow” by Houshang Allahyari and Babak Behdad (an Iran-Austria co-production) will take part in the section as well.

Iranian filmmaker Saleh Alavizadeh will also be present in this section with “Rainbow,” which is a co-production of the Czech Republic and Germany.

“The Banana Garden” by Reza Keshavarz Haddad will represent Iran in the Children Films section and the Open T Bioscope section will show “Invasion” by Arshia Zinali.

Six films from Iran will be screened in the Short & Independent Films section, including “Yo Yo” by Mohammadreza Mayghani, “Holy Water” by Esmael Ramezani and Marzieh Bani Ali, “Swans Sleep Standing” by Mousa Razavi, “Hall of Dirty Clothes” by Mohammad Hossein Zahmatkesh, “The Sun Will Not Rise” by Alireza Sadeghi Moghaddam, and “Rivers Do Not Return” by Omid Shakaryazi.

Filmmakers Ehsan Kaveh and Ronak Taher are the two Iranian figures who will serve on the jury panels of the Interfaith Jury for the Spiritual Films section and Women Filmmakers section, respectively.

Kaveh is also a producer, Sobh International Festival director, university lecturer, editor, and broadcast manager. He has served as a jury member at some Local film festivals. 

Holding a master’s degree in media management, he is currently the deputy to the IRIB World Service. He has been working in IRIB for 26 years and has produced lots of documentaries, animations, and some short films and drama series. 

Ronak Taher is an Iranian–Australian filmmaker and visual artist based in Melbourne. Her films have earned the Master of Film & TV Best Production Script Award—supported by the Australian Directors Guild and Moving Clickers—and have been nominated for multiple distinctions, including Best Master of Film & Television Production, Best Overall Production, and the Sarah Watt Award. Her work has been screened at film festivals around the world, and her most recent film received First Prize for Best Film at the 43rd Fajr International Film Festival.

Dhaka International Film Festival promises a diverse showcase of Iranian cinema, spanning feature films, documentaries, short films, and children’s movies.

A biennial film festival held in Dhaka, Bangladesh, the DIFF was established in 1992. It was initially organized on an annual basis, but has become a biennial event since 1995.

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

SS/SAB