Welcome to the 9th Rainbow Film Festival. This year we have a line-up which includes films from Bangladesh, India, Iran, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and the UK. Some of these will be premieres and others have not been widely shown here. Our purpose is to allow our patrons to see films which they may otherwise have missed and to extend the boundaries of what they can see in the commercial cinema.

Many other film festivals throughout the world attempt to do this, but viewing movies at special events like ours is not enough. We know that our work has to be on-going throughout the year, and our programme for schools hopes to instill in young people a taste for good cinema that will remain with them for the rest of their lives. In that sense, the Rainbow Festival attempts to be educational. But we hope everyone will find it entertaining too. And that the whole family will appreciate our varied programme of features, documentaries and shorts.

Mounting such an event, and carrying it on beyond the Festival itself is a tall order, and we have to thank Film London, Tower Hamlets, members of the local Bangladeshi media and the management of the local venues for their support. Without them, the event would be impossible. It would certainly have been impossible without the staunch work of Mostafa Kamal, the festival Director, who has found and programmed the films, organised the venues and worked hard, without financial recompense, to ensure that things run smoothly. As Chairman of the Festival, I know we owe him a huge debt.

One major innovation this year is the establishment of a jury which will award prizes for the Best Film and Best Director. There will also be a prize for the film which our audiences like best and we hope you will fill in the forms that will be provided for that purpose. Film-makers particularly appreciate the public’s vote as well as that of the jury. But, though awards are important, our main task is to allow our public to see as wide a variety of films as possible and to enjoy that experience in friendly conditions.



Derek Malcolm
Chair, Rainbow Film Festival Committee