Indian film Koozhangal (Pebbles), directed by PS Vinothraj, won the Best Film Award in the Asian Film Competition segment at the 20th Dhaka International Film Festival. Organised by Rainbow Film Society, the festival concluded yesterday at the Bangladesh National Museum’s main auditorium.

Speaking at the closing ceremony as chief guest, Information minister Hasan Mahmud said, “Heartiest congratulations to Rainbow Film Society for arranging such a wonderful festival. Hopefully, we will be able to screen the next one in a Covid-free environment.”

Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy Director General (BSA) Liaquat Ali Lucky and Dhaka Club President Khandaker Mashiuzzaman Romel were present as special guests at the ceremony, which was presided over by Liberation War Museum trustee Mofidul Hoque.

The festival featured 225 films from 70 countries. The films were screened under 10 categories — Asian Cinema Section, Retrospective, Tribute, Wide Angle, Bangladesh Panorama Section, Cinema of the World Section, Children Films Section, Women Filmmakers Section, Short and Independent Films Section and Spiritual Films Section.

In Bangladesh Panorama Section, the Best Film Award by FIPRESCI Jury went to Shabnam Ferdousi’s local film “Ajob Karkhana”.

The Best Audience Award in the section was jointly won by two films — N Rashed Chowdhury directed film “Chandrabati Kotha (The Tales of Chandrabati)” and Nurul Alam Atique’s “Lal Moroger Jhuti (Call of the Red-Rooster).”