The 17th Dhaka International Film Festival (DIFF)-2019 will kick off on January 10 with the theme 'Better Film, Better Audience and Better Society'. The inaugural session will be held at the main auditorium of Bangladesh National Museum, Shahbagh in the city.

The Rainbow Film Society will organise the festival where more than 200 international and Bangladeshi films will be screened under the categories of Asian Competition, Retrospective, Bangladesh Panorama, Cinema of the World, Children's Films, Spiritual Films, Women Filmmakers, and Short and Independent Films.

As part of the festival, many filmmakers, actors and personalities from more than 60 countries will attend the 'Fifth Dhaka International Conference on Women in Cinema 2019' at the Gallery of Alliance Francaise de Dhaka (AFD) from January 11-12. The festival will continue till January 18.

Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith will inaugurate the festival as chief guest. State Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and chief patron of Dhaka International Film Festival Shahriar Alam MP will preside over the event.

Rainbow Film Society is one of the most active film entities in the film society movement of Bangladesh. Apart from holding regular film shows and film related seminars and workshops, Rainbow also brings out "The Celluloid", one of the leading cinema periodicals from Bangladesh with an international audience.

The DIFF is one of the most prestigious film events in Bangladesh and, to a great extent, has helped shape an increasingly healthy and positive national film culture. DIFF is a bold expression of resistance against the decadence, vulgarity and cheap commercialism that pervades the mainstream Bangladesh film industry. The festival has also created space for young and aspiring filmmakers in Bangladesh and larger South Asia to connect with global artistic trends and to strengthen the parallel development of Bangladeshi cinema.