The 4th edition of the Samabhav Travelling Film Festival
The 4th edition of the Samabhav Travelling Film Festival took place in Dhaka from August 21-22 of 2022. Department of Women and Gender Studies, University of Dhaka was one of the organizing partners of this event along with BRAC James P Grant School of Public Health, BRAC University, Sangat Feminist Network in Dhaka, One Billion Rising Bangladesh and Men Against Violence and Abuse (MAVA).
The theme of the festival was gender, masculinity, sexuality and diversity. It aimed to engage people through stirring conversations with expert on contemporary gender issues and intersectionality.The festival featured 20 films from various directors along with notable films like The Great Indian Kitchen, Natkhat, Hridoy Bosot, Untying The Knot, Bhaap, Sunday, Darling and Tuloni Bia that covered wide range of gender matters. The festival inaugurated with Key note speakers- Khushi Kabir, Coordinator for One Billion Rising Bangladesh and Advisor for Sangat-A Feminist Network, Dr. Umme Busra Fateh Sultana, Associate Professor and Chairperson of the Department of Women and Gender Studies, Harish Sadani, co-founder of MAVA and other hosts expressing their opinion. There were also discussion sessions in between featuring of films where distinguished guests like, eminent filmmaker Shameem Akhtar, photographer and activist Taslima Akhtar, barrister Sara Hossain, director Nelson Deb and Sharmin Kabir (founder of Wreetu health and Wellbeing foundation) provided their valuable opinions through engaging in discussions with the audience.
The second day of the film festival followed the same suit with prominent guests like director Amitabh Reza Chowdhury, theatre and television actor, director and social activist Sara Zaker, Nurun Nahar from Naripokkho, Dr. Gitiara Nasreen of Department of Media and Mass Communications, Dhaka University, Prof. Firdous Azim, chair of the Department of English and Humanities, BRAC University, and Directors Nazia Zebin and Nasrin Siraj Anni gracing the festival with their expert opinion and spontaneous discussion with the audience. The two-day Festival aimed to provide a safe, non-threatening platform to open up, ventilate differences and celebrate diversity in Gender.