A new door has opened for Bangladeshi independent filmmakers, as Festival del film Locarno, a leading international film festival, has officially called for entries from Bangladesh.

The announcement was made by Paolo Bertolin, a consultant of the festival, at a programme held at Goethe Institut in the capital.  

Alongside Bangladesh, this year special focus has been given to Bhutan, Nepal and Myanmar. Filmmakers from these four countries are encouraged to participate in the festival, and there will be special considerations for films from these countries within the Open Doors events of the festival. 

The Open Doors initiative will start discovering the diverse cinematographic landscape of South Asia and its promising talents. For three years -- 2016 to 2018 -- Open Doors Hub will cover the following countries: Afghanistan, Maldives, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar and Nepal – the latter four benefiting from a special focus.

Filmmakers from Bangladesh can submit their films in Open Doors category. The last date of submission for 2016 festival is February 23.  

There are three sections in Open Doors: Open Doors Hub, Open Doors Lab, and Open Doors Screenings. 

Up to 8 projects from South Asia will be selected to take part in the Open Doors Hub, where the project holders will meet with potential European and international partners.

The Open Doors Lab will invite a few promising, emerging producers/filmmakers from Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar and Nepal. Participants will benefit from a tailor-made programme designed to embrace the international market specificities and opportunities, and increasing their professional skills and profile.

The Open Doors Screenings will introduce the Festival audience to South Asia's cinematographic and cultural landscape through the screening of a number of films from the selected region.

The festival will run from August 3-13, 2016 in Locarno, Switzerland.