NEW DELHI: Six films based around the war for Bangladesh with Pakistan rule are to be screened in a special festival being held here to mark 40 years of liberation.

The ‘Bangladesh War of Liberation in Celluloid’ Festival will be inaugurated tomorrow by Bangladesh High Commissioner Tariq A Karim and Information and Broadcasting Secretary Uday Kumar Varma. The opening film is ‘Matir Moina’ by Tareque Massud which won the Critics Award in Cannes in 2002.

Morshedul Islam, who has directed the films ‘Khelaghar’ (Dolls House) and ‘Amar Bondhu Rashed’ (My Friend Rashed) which are being screened, will be here along with Joya Ahsan, actress of the award-winning film ‘Guerrilla’ by Nasiruddin Yousuff which will close the three-day Festival on 25 March.

The other films are: ‘Joyjatra’ by Tauquir Ahmed, and ‘Khondo Golpo – 1971’ )1971 – A few Shattered Tales’).

Addressing a press meet here, Deputy Bangladesh High Commissioner Mahbub Hassen Saleh said a review committee had selected the six films which were also shown earlier in Kolkata and Agartala. He said those cities had been chosen because of their proximity to Bangladesh and mentioned that Tripura which had a population of 1.2 million in 1971 had received fleeing Bangladeshi population of 1.6 million, which is something that has never happened anywhere else. India had given refuge to ten million refugees.

Answering a question, he said attempts would be made to take the films to other parts of India.He recalled that the last Bangladesh film festival held in April 2010 had played to full houses.Answering another question, he said several Indians who had contributed to the liberation effort were being honoured in Dhaka on 27 March.

Film Festivals director Rajiv Kumar Jain said the festival was being as part of the Cultural Exchange Programme aimed at increasing people to people contacts.