The film society was formed at a time when Asian films started making their mark in the global arena. Iran, China, Taiwan and Hong Kong started to carve a niche in a world dominated by Hollywood and European cinema. Asian countries were producing films that had the potential to survive creatively and artistically.

"Our focus has been on Asian cinema from the get go. Our endeavours have been directed to build a collective confidence in ourselves against the domination of western cinema. We also hope to keep ourselves updated on the latest theoretical developments in the field of global cinema. We are concerned about the issues our film practice faces," says Zahirul Islam Kochi, president of Dhaka Film Society.

To expand film theory and practice, Dhaka Film Society is working to make the changing phase of world cinema more comprehensible.

"Our endeavours are directed to highlight our achievements and our distinctive features. We are not narrow-minded Asians. We want to accept the west critically," says Kochi.

According to him, when Dhaka Film Society was formed, other organisations were predominantly screening European and Latin American films. The major setback was the availability of VHS tapes. And because of the overwhelming presence of satellite channels and CD and DVD players, film societies have lost their appeal as independent exhibitors.

Kochi believes that film society activists have to rethink their strategy to cope with the current situation. They have to organise film screenings on their own rather than depending on foreign cultural centres. Web-based discussion can work as a publication tool. He believes that film societies should initiate making films as well. Establishing film department in universities has been one of the main demands from the film societies. The film enthusiast also believes that film societies have to turn themselves into film institutes or help establish film institutes to creative a booming cine arena.