Dhaka DocLab empowering the art of nonfiction

The inaugural ceremony of Dhaka DocLab was held at the auditorium of the Liberation War Museum on Friday, the second annual event since their inception. Dhaka DocLab is a documentary co-production project market for South Asia, organized by Dhaka Independent Film Network, which comprises of a collective of independent Bangladeshi filmmakers. It is a one of a kind platform which engages itself through organising workshops, master classes and seminars, to help in the process of pitching and mentoring of the talented documentary filmmakers. This year's participants include talents from Bangladesh, India and Nepal.

Minister of Cultural Affairs, Asaduzzaman Noor MP, embraced the occasion as the chief guest. Some members from Dhaka DocLab who were in attendance included Bangladesh National Film Award winner Nasiruddin Yousuff, director Tareq Ahmed, along with trustee of Liberation War Museum Mofidul Haque, Indian director, editor and cinematographer Nilotpal Majumdar, and many other international guests. The inaugural ceremony was followed by a screening of the documentary film Distant Barking of Dogs, directed by Simon Lereng Wilmont.

During an interview with The Daily Star, renowned director Paul Pauwels from the European Documentary Network who will be mentoring the projects said, “Though the documentary film making scene here is relatively in its early stages, it seems to be gaining momentum with time. And with such initiatives grooming the film makers of today, it will not be long until we see the prominence of the talents here, illuminating the international arenas.”

The promising 6-day event has been catagorised in different segments that will include mentoring of the participants' projects, film screenings, one-on-one meetings, pitching of the projects and more. Various renowned names from the local and international documentary film circuit are scheduled to attend during the occasion.