The ninth edition of Dhaka DocLab, one of Asia’s leading documentary co-production platforms, concluded with a hybrid Closing Ceremony on August 16, 2025, at the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy. This year’s lab brought together 17 compelling documentary projects from across Asia and beyond, culminating in a ten-day journey of mentorship, collaboration, and international industry engagement. The closing event welcomed both in-person and virtual participants, including special guests Masuma Rahman Tani, Managing Director of the Bangladesh Film Development Corporation (BFDC), and S. M. Abdur Rahman, Vice Chairman of the Bangladesh Film Certification Board, who emphasized the need for greater institutional support for documentary filmmakers in Bangladesh.
The program officially began with a four-day online workshop from August 3 to 6, where participating filmmakers received in-depth mentoring on story development, pitch design, and visual storytelling. Mentors included acclaimed filmmakers and professionals such as Sean McAllister, Sahra Mani, Royta Kotani, and Audrius Stonys for the Development category, and Tao Gu and Nilotpal Majumder for the Rough Cut category. The pitch sessions, held on August 9 & 10, allowed filmmakers to present their projects including trailers and verbal pitches to an esteemed panel of international producers, programmers, and commissioning editors. These were followed by one-on-one meetings from August 11 to 13, offering personalized feedback and the chance to explore co-production and festival opportunities.
The Closing Ceremony also celebrated remarkable projects with the presentation of three prestigious international awards. The DocEdge New Zealand Award was awarded to Blue Collars from the Frontline (Development Category) by Citto Anondi (Bangladesh) and Prabha (Work in Progress/Rough cut Category) by Vinita Negi (India), announced by Alex Lee, Co-founder and Director of DocEdge New Zealand. The Eurodoc Award was presented to Mantra of the Mangroves by Tayran Razzak (Bangladesh), with the winner revealed via a recorded message from Leonard Cortana of Eurodoc’s Inclusion Program and Strategic Partnerships. The same project also received the DocEdge Kolkata Award; due to prior commitments, Nilotpal Majumder, representing DocEdge Kolkata shared the announcement with the team on August 17, following the closing event.
Moderated by Director of Dhaka DocLab, Tareq Ahmed, the ceremony featured closing remarks from Filmmaker, Akram Khan, Director of the Department of Theatre and Film, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, Faiz Zahir, and Member of the Bangladesh Film Censor Board, Rafiqul Anwar Russell, who all emphasized the importance of collaboration and creative freedom within Asia’s growing documentary landscape.
With renewed commitment to nurturing regional storytelling, Dhaka DocLab 2025 ended on a powerful note continuing its role as a vital Asian forum for documentary filmmakers to connect, learn, and take their stories to the world.