'West Meets East' at DIFF

According to Sydney Levin, there often seems to be a misunderstanding amongst filmmakers that, in order for a film to be successful in the international market, it must comprise of a stellar cast. In fact, what is more vital is for the script to convey a message that is relatable. She says that what we finally see on the screen is what matters the most.

Along with the newcomers, multiple celebrated local filmmakers were also amongst the speakers at this year's DIFF. During his address, Tauquir Ahmed mentioned that one of the prime factors that imposed a restriction on the quality of local films is the budget. Comparatively, the Western films tend to be more appealing to the audience due to the hefty budget allocated for the making. Mostofa Sarwar Farooki said that filmmakers should be selective about their stories. He emphasised on the necessity to identify the content accurately and also to formulate stories based on an international context. According to young producer Abu Shahed, Netflix is scooping a large sum of money from the Bangladeshi subscribers, despite having no investment locally. He hoped that the company would soon invest and assist the local film community to flourish.

The event concluded with a thank you note from filmmaker Samia Zaman.