DIMFF and UNHCR conclude month long mobile filmmaking workshop ‘forced to flee’
Picture: After the workshop
The month-long mobile filmmaking workshop titled “Forced to Flee” concluded with a film screening and award ceremony at the ULAB Permanent Campus on Friday.
The Dhaka International Mobile Film Festival (DIMFF), in collaboration with UNHCR, organized the closing ceremony on September 11, marking the end of the workshop that focused on filmmaking and stories related to refugees and displacement.
During the workshop, participants received training on different aspects of filmmaking, including color grading and other essential techniques. The sessions also introduced participants to the experiences of refugees and UNHCR’s work in supporting refugee communities.
Participants explored refugee related stories and were encouraged to communicate their perspectives through filmmaking. Following the training, they produced short films based on the theme “Forced to Flee.”
The films were evaluated by a jury panel, which selected five teams from 20 participating universities. The participating universities were the University of Dhaka, University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh, North South University, Jahangirnagar University and Daffodil International University.
The closing ceremony began with the arrival of participants and guests, followed by an opening and welcome session. Professor Dr. Sumon Rahman, Dean of the School of Social Sciences and Head of the Department of Media Studies and Journalism at ULAB, addressed the gathering.
Mir Wadud Islam, Instructor and Co Advisor of DIMFF 2027, delivered the welcome remarks and highlighted the importance of filmmaking in telling stories related to displacement.
“I would like to thank the UNHCR representatives for giving us, as students, their time and guidance. They were very patient in explaining the concepts and made everything much clearer for us. Their support helped us better understand the project and its purpose,” he said.
Representing UNHCR Bangladesh, Kevin Lindblom, Associate External Relations Officer, spoke about refugees, their experiences and the role of storytelling in creating awareness and understanding.
“The stories and films created in this workshop really touched me. I’m genuinely proud of what you’ve created. Your curiosity, engagement, and willingness to share your perspectives gave these stories a voice,” he said.
Following the film screening, DIMFF 2027 jury members Md. Hafizuddin Munna and Ishtiyak Ahmad Zihad shared their observations about the films and participants’ creative work.
“We would like to thank DIMFF and UNHCR for giving us their time and effort throughout this filmmaking journey. There are so many stories around us, outside our homes and across the country. It is important for the younger generation to step forward and bring these stories to light. Some may win, and some may lose, but that is not what matters,” they said.
The jury panel announced “MANOB” from Jahangirnagar University as the winning team. Outstanding participants were also recognized for their creative contributions and filmmaking efforts.
Certificates were distributed among participants to recognize their participation in the month-long workshop.
“It was such an unexpected journey. We never thought we would win. Through this workshop, we discovered talents within ourselves that we didn’t know we had. We had a lot of fun while shooting the film, and we tried to tell our story through song. It was a really meaningful experience for all of us,” the MANOB team said.
As the winning prize, the team will receive a day long tour of a Rohingya refugee camp from UNHCR.
The ceremony concluded with a vote of thanks delivered by Syeda Sadia Mehjabin, Senior Lecturer and Advisor of DIMFF 2027.
The workshop reflected DIMFF’s focus on empowering young filmmakers through new tools and forms of communication, highlighting mobile technology as a medium for creating and sharing stories.
