24th Dhaka Int’l Film Festival returns with 250 films from 75 countries

The 24th Dhaka International Film Festival opens on January 10, 2026, presenting a wide-ranging programme that will run through January 18, organisers announced. Staged by Rainbow Film Society under the banner "Aesthetic films, thoughtful audiences, enlightened society," this edition will screen 250 feature and short films from 75 countries, with 67 entries from Bangladesh among them.

Festival director Ahmed Mujtaba Jamal said the selection and scheduling are complete and the team is finalising logistics for screenings at three principal venues: Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, the National Museum Auditorium and Alliance Française. 

As in previous years, the festival will present a mix of international competitions, retrospectives, tributes, and thematic strands designed to appeal to both critics and general audiences.

The festival's flagship competition—the Bangladesh Panorama—features eight homegrown films. The local selections include Habibur Islam Habib's "Japito Jibon", Sohel Rana Boyati's "Noya Manush", Zak Mir's "The Story of a Rock", Jobaidur Rahman's "Uraal," Biplob Kumar Pal Bipur's "Dhamer Gan", Anannya PraitkChowdhury's "Noya Note", Sumon Dhar's "Agontuk", and Ahmed Hasan Sani's provocatively titled "Ekhane Rajnoitik Alap Joruri".

Organisers say the festival will continue its ten-section format, which this year comprises: Asian Cinema, Retrospective, Tribute, Wide Angle, Bangladesh Panorama, Cinema of the World, Children's Films, Women's Films, Short and Independent Films, and Spiritual Films. 

The structure aims to balance discovery programming—new auteurs and experimental shorts—with the retrospectives and tributes that provide historical context.

A special strand, "Chinese Film Week", will mark 120 years of Chinese cinema with 15 feature and short films drawn from the country's cinematic history and contemporary scene. The festival will also host its fourth edition of masterclasses: three internationally renowned filmmakers will lead sessions for students and early-career directors, with names to be announced ahead of the festival.

Since 1992, Rainbow Film Society has run the Dhaka International Film Festival alongside its regular screenings, seminars and publications, notably the film quarterly "Celluloid". The festival remains one of the region's most enduring platforms for world cinema in Bangladesh, striving to connect local filmmakers with international audiences, distributors and critics.

For viewers and filmmakers, DIFF offers more than screenings: panels on film production and distribution, curated retrospectives, and networking opportunities with programmers and festival representatives. With a programme heavy on international and Bangladeshi premieres, the 24th edition positions Dhaka once again as a regional hub for cineastes and industry conversation.

Screenings will take place across three venues: Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, the National Museum Auditorium, and Alliance Française. Full schedules, ticketing information, and masterclass details will be released on the festival's website and official social channels ahead of the January opening.