Depicting adverse consequences of climate change, an exclusive film screening session titled ‘Short Films on Water’ was held on Saturday at the British Council premises, Fuller Road in the capital.
The short films were produced under the project ‘Bangladesh Cymru Climate Stories’ by Dhaka DocLab and Wales One World Film Festival from the United Kingdom with support from the British Council, exploring and showcasing the experience of coastal communities and river dwellers against the backdrop of climate breakdown.
The four films are- ‘Dhuprajhiri’ by director Asma Bithi and ‘Latika’ by director Shamsul Islam Swapan from Bangladesh, and ‘Our Home, the Sea’ by director Mared Reese and ‘She Sells Shellfish’ by director Lily Tonkin from Wales, UK.
Planning Minister MA Mannan joined the event as the chief guest, while Md Abul Kalam Azad, former Secretary to the Prime Minister, and David Knox, Director of Programmes, British Council Bangladesh were present as special guests at the event.
Amongst eminent personalities of the arts, climate and development sectors, including Dhaka DocLab Chairman Nasir Uddin Yousuff and its Director Tareq Ahmed, Bengal Foundation Director General Luva Nahid Chowdhury, Deputy Managing Director of Cosmos Group Masud Jamil Khan, Gallery Cosmos Artistic Director and Deputy Head of Human Resources at Cosmos Group Kate Jaro Khan, civil society partners, artists, filmmakers, young activists and environmental policy enthusiasts, the public screening concluded with a thought-provoking conversation with the directors, producers, and characters of the four documentaries along with a question-and-answer session.
“With its geographic positioning, Bangladesh is facing climate challenges just like the rest of the world with calamities such as river erosion aftermaths, dust pollution and more. Despite having minimal resources, the government is continuously battling against the challenges and we appreciate these exclusive initiatives for increasing awareness regarding our climate,” Mannan said at the event.
Dhaka DocLab Chairman Nasir Uddin Yousuff said, “Through our cultural movements and activities, we were successful in creating mass awareness against diseases like AIDS and made people aware of family planning. Climate change is a recurring theme in our Dhaka DocLab projects and we are really proud to collaborate with the British Council in this wonderful initiative.”
David Knox, Director of Programmes, British Council Bangladesh said, “We aim to bring people together to meet the challenges of climate change. Through the Bangladesh-Cymru Climate Stories films, we can see and understand how close to home these issues can be and hopefully resolve to work towards making real change.”
The film screening event was a part of the British Council’s observation of the upcoming World Environment Day on June 5, which encourages awareness and action for protecting the environment. The Bangladesh-Cymru Climate Stories film project was created in collaboration between Dhaka DocLab and Wales One World Film Festival.
Four filmmakers received financial and technical support from Dhaka DocLab and Wales One World Film Festival to complete their short films, which focus on climate change stories connected to women to create awareness among people. The project has been funded by the British Council’s International Collaboration Programme, which was introduced to support cultural partnerships in the UK and overseas and inspire independent artists to continue creative pursuits. So far, 94 projects from 41 countries have been completed with grant support from the British Council.