24th Dhaka International Film Festival begins at Stamford University

The 24th Dhaka International Film Festival began on Friday and will continue until January 18, 2026. 

The festival is being held at several venues in the capital, including Alliance Française de Dhaka, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, Bangladesh National Museum and Stamford University Bangladesh.

This year’s festival will screen 245 films from 91 countries, including Bangladesh, highlighting a wide range of international cinema.

Stamford University Bangladesh has joined the festival as an official venue partner. Screenings at the Stamford University Auditorium will run from January 10 to January 15. Films will be shown four times a day at 11:00 am, 1:00 pm, 3:00 pm and 5:00 pm. Entry to the screenings is free and open to all.

An inauguration ceremony was held at the Stamford University Auditorium on January 10 before the start of the screenings. The festival screenings at the university were inaugurated by Acting Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Md Younus Mia. Treasurer Prof Dr Mohammad Jeaul Hasan, Registrar Muhammad Abdul Matin, Prof Dr Matin Rahman, Chairman of the Department of Film and Media, Assistant Professor Ferdous Alam Siddique, Finance Director Md Motaher Hossain, Prodeepto Mobarook, Head of Public Relations Division, along with chairmen of different departments, faculty members, officers and students were present.

The main inauguration ceremony of the festival was held at the Bangladesh National Museum auditorium on Saturday at 4:00 pm.

On the opening day at Stamford University Auditorium, four films were screened. These were Tri Svadbi i Odin Pobeg (Three Weddings and One Escape) from Abkhazia and Russia, Matsarak (Scarecrow) from Austria and Iran, Odiseja e Gëzimit (Odyssey of Joy) from Kosovo, and Fabula, a co-production from the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.

On the second day, January 11, four more films are scheduled to be screened at the same venue. These include Papa Buka from India and Papua New Guinea, Pismo (The Letter) from Russia, Hao Hao Shuo Zai Jian (The Shore of Life) from China, and Baq e Moz (The Banana Garden) from Iran.

The Dhaka International Film Festival has been organised by Rainbow Film Society since 1977. It is regarded as one of the country’s leading international film festivals and focuses on promoting world cinema and cultural exchange.

The nine-day festival will conclude with an awards ceremony on January 18, 2026.