Chobi Mela, the first festival of photography in Asia, is one of the most exciting ventures that Bangladesh has undertaken. Organised by Drik Picture Library Ltd., Pathshala - South Asian Institute of Photography, The Royal Netherlands Embassy, The British Council, The Alliance Française, The High Commission of India and the Goethe Institut, the festival was the single biggest media event in Asia and the first of a regular series of programmes that many consider to be one of the highlights of the Asian calendar. Over 18 international exhibitions as well as workshops, lectures, slide shows and films, throughout the month were held. The festival opened on the 15th December 2000, through the launch of the retrospective exhibition of the World Press Photo Foundation. The show featured the most significant press photographs taken over the last forty five years, many of which have become icons in world history.

The highlight of the festival was the exhibition "The War We Forgot". Thirty photographers from about ten different nationalities affiliated to a dozen international news organisations were represented in the exhibition. The exhibitions pooled the images of some of the greatest photojournalists like Don McCullin, Raymond Depardon, Marc Riboud, Mary Ellen Mark, David Burnett, Raghu Rai, Marylin Sylverstone, Abbas, Rashid Talukder and Kishore Parekh on the war of liberation of Bangladesh in 1971. It was the very first time ever that such a grouping of photographs by so many distinguished award-winning photographers were presented to the public anywhere in the world. Robert Pledge, the President of Contact Press Images and Shahidul Alam, the Director of Drik Picture Library Ltd. were the curators of "The War We Forgot". The exhibition was aimed at stimulating discussion as to the meaning of the war and the genocide that followed it, the meaning of photography and journalism, and their place in commemorating and rethinking history. The exhibition is going to annually enrich our national archives in their collection of materials related to Liberation War 1971.

There was a massive turnout at the festival. Bangladesh Television , Ekushey Television, and the leading dailies like The Daily Star and The Prothom Alo played a key role in promoting the exhibition.