Farooki's “emotional homecoming”

Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, one of the forerunning filmmakers taking Bangladeshi films to an international audience, has had a long-standing connection with the Busan Film Festival. One of Asia's most prestigious film festivals, held annually in the South Korean city of Busan, had screened his films “Third Person Singular Number” (2009), “Television” (2012) and “Ant Story” (2014). Now, the helmer is participating in the festival from the other end of the panel – as a jury member.

Farooki has been invited to join this year's festival (to be held October 6-15) as a jury in the Sonje Award – for short films. On the panel with him will be Munich Film Festival Programmer Bernhard Karl and Korean film critic Nam Da Eun, who will be presenting the Best Asian Short Film and Best Korean Short Film.

Talking to The Daily Star, Farooki said “When 'Third Person…' was screened at Busan, it was in a way my first international journey. This festival has played an important role in the grooming of young Asian filmmakers, and to be invited there is like an emotional homecoming for me. This is my first time as a jury in an A-list festival; I was a jury previously at London's East End Festival, and the Asia Pacific Screen Awards – which is a major event, but it's not a festival. Also, Tareque bhai (noted filmmaker late Tareque Masud) used to hang out with us younger directors, and he always said he did so to remain updated about new trends and thoughts in film. As a jury of the short films, it will give me a glimpse of at the filmmakers and their approach to filmmaking, and update and enrich me about the latest trends in Asian cinema.”

Bangladeshi director Golam Rabbani Biplob will also join the festival as a NETPAC Award jury.

The Busan Film Festival, first held in 1996, has been a platform for new films and first-time directors, especially from Asia. The festival's efforts to promote young talent have also seen it draw a youthful audience. The festival also hosts the Asian Project Market that connects filmmakers to funding.

This year's festival, the 21st edition, will see screening of 300 films from 69 countries, including 122 World and International Premieres. The jurors for the main feature section, titled 'New Current' section, will be headed by influential Malian director Souleymane Cissé, Indian producer Guneet Monga, International Film Festival Rotterdam director Bero Beyer, Korean filmmaker Zhang Lu and Iranian filmmaker Mahmoud Kalari.