8th Short and Independent Film Festival Dhaka, 2003

Ireland, Strangers in the night

With 'Independent Film Independent Expression' as the slogan of the event, this year's festival is dedicated to the memories of Tareq Shahriar, the recently deceased President of the Forum, and filmmakers Sheikh Niyamat Ali and Salauddin who also died recently. Sessions on these personalities will feature their films. This year's event will feature screening of short films, documentaries, experimental films and animation films. Besides, a few special sessions will show films from Germany, Iran, Portugal, Philippines and those selected by the Satyajit Ray Film Institute of India.

Another notable event of the festival is the 5th Alamgir Kabir memorial speech. Indian filmmaker Arun Khopkar will present the speech on Role of National Films in Globalisation. At the national seminar, filmmaker Manjare Hasin Murad will present essay on Alternative Films at Present.

The festival will have a new section named Independent Shorts in which maximum 5-minute long films made by Bangladeshi filmmakers on any format except VHS will be screened. In this competitive section, awards, sponsored by Singer, will be given for the Best Film and the Special Mention Film. A Tareq Shahriar Best Audience Award will also be given to a film for which the audience's votes will act as the key factor. Moreover, one filmmaker of the country will be given a lifetime achievement award in the name of Hiralal Sen, the first filmmaker of the subcontinent.

This year's festival will also feature screening of films made in video format. Plays made for the television, however, are not eligible for this category.

A daylong Women's Session will mark screening of films made by women and also those dealing with women's issues.

A total of 30 countries will participate in the festival with 110 films from abroad and 30 from the host Bangladesh. Participating countries include Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, France, the USA, England, Spain, Russia, India, Pakistan, Iran, Bulgaria, Turkey, Finland, Hungary, Austria, Lebanon, Australia, Canada, Cambodia, Philippine, Portugal and Iraq (Kurdistan).

Bangladesh Short Film Forum, founded in 1986, has been holding this festival biannually since 1988. A committee has been formed on the occasion of this year's festival. Eminent litterateur Hasnat Abdul Hye is acting as the Chairman of the committee, while veteran journalist Obayed-ul-Haque is the Chairman of the National Advisory Board. Aminul Islam is the Director of the festival.