Training facilities for women filmmakers are needed to boost their skills, speakers said at a seminar on Monday.

They also said that the modern film industry was highly technology-based and future filmmakers needed technological skills for survival.

The seminar titled ‘Women’s Empowerment and the Future of Cinema’ was held at the seminar room of Bangladesh Film Archive in the capital Dhaka.

The Women’s Film Society Bangladesh president, Aktanin Khair Tanin, presented the keynote while information and broadcasting secretary Mahbuba Farjana was present as the chief guest at the event chaired by Bangladesh Film Archive director general M Javed Iqbal.

In her keynote, Aktanin said that film played a vital role in women empowerment and the digital era expanded the film industry, which also created new hopes, including creative workplaces.

She stressed proper training facilities for women filmmakers and other professions related to the industry, saying that the modern technologies, including artificial intelligence, virtual reality, augmented reality and online platforms, created new challenges for filmmakers.

Filmmaker Nargis Akhter, joint secretary Nursia Komol and director of the Archive Farhana Rahman spoke on the topic and the seminar was moderated by the Women’s Film Society general secretary Syeda Farzana Zaman Rumpa.

Nargis shared her early experience as a female director on the shooting floor and her relationship with casts and crew members.

She also stressed the importance of technical skills for a director who wants to work in a domination-free environment as a director.

Nursia urged to promote the new perspective of women representation in films and avoid stereotypical exhibition of women, which depicted women as objects for male pleasure.

Aktanin also shared about the Women’s Film Society Bangladesh’s future plans, including organising workshops for women filmmakers in 64 districts and producing 1000 one-minute film productions to raise awareness on violence against women.

Jointly organised by the Bangladesh Film Archive and the Women’s Film Society, the event also screened a film titled Char Sotiner Ghar directed by Bangladeshi filmmaker Nargis Akter.