Madurai is a place of great historical and cultural importance. Well known as a seat of learning since the Sangam periods dating back to 4th century B.C, it is famous for its cultural and scholarly pursuits. The city had an academy consisting of critics, poets and savants highly esteemed both by kings and commoners. It was in Madurai that three successful conferences of Tamil scholars called Sangams
flourished.

In keeping with this tradition, Development Film Festival is envisioned to be a creative platform for the film makers to showcase their works. The Centre for Development Communication of DHAN Foundation organises this Festival. The centre feels raising the public awareness and political will is imperative to promote and sustain any development action. It requires multi - media strategies for promoting participation, creating ownership, involving in decision making and management of resources that could impact their livelihoods. The Festival organised every year on a selected theme in development intends to create a platform for the development film makers to screen their products
and to make the public view, debate and enter into meaningful action around the issues.

Film Festival on Culture & Heritage

The Fourth Development Film Festival focuses on Culture & Heritage. The Centre strongly feels that Heritage is very much a living idea - it is about the present and the future as much as the past. The past, gives us in some way a lesson for the present and future. Each community possesses a collective heritage which it wants to preserve traditions.

While some heritages are natural, which should be preserved for their beauty or their uniqueness; endangered species representative of an area, built heritages may then consist of buildings or structures of architectural, engineering or historical significance. Living persons may also be considered as heritage because they possess special skills or talents such as artisans and craftsmen. Traditions, songs,
sayings, ways of life, etc. can also be considered as heritage though they are non-tangible.