Frame anti-piracy act, new censorship code

Cinemas need modern code of censorship. PHOTO: Syed Zakir Hossain

Film producers, distributors, directors, artistes and 18 professional bodies of the Film Development Corporation formed the FIPC to reach a greater goal that they have long been fighting for.

"We have submitted a draft on a video piracy act to the information ministry and wrote to the censor board chairman on January 26, but we did not hear from them," said Chashi Nazrul Islam, president of the directors' association.

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The FIPC declared from a meeting on March 13 that it would stop submitting films to the censor board leading to suspension of film production from March 27 if the government did not comply with their demand by March 20.

After the declaration, President of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry Abdul Awal Mintoo met Information Minister Tariqul Islam and the secretary over the FIPC demand. The minister promised to discuss the issue with the FIPC today.

"The information ministry did not hold any meeting with cultural affairs and law ministries after we submitted the piracy act draft," said Ashrafuddin Ahmed Uzzal, general secretary of Bangladesh Film Producers and Distributors Association.

An information ministry official said the associations involved with the FDC submitted the draft as a suggestion that needs verification and feedback from cultural affairs and law ministries. "It is not possible to change the code of censorship and frame an anti-piracy act overnight," the official said, asking not to be named.

Experts think that any piracy act will have to conform to the copyright act. Film producers complain that the copyright act is not adequate, but the experts say none of the producers ever applied for copyright on their films, which is necessary to file an anti-piracy case. "Without copyright on films, no-one can file cases against violators," said a source close to the film industry.

Chashi Nazrul, also FIPC convenor and censor board member, said: "We need a modern code of censorship as the 1962 code is outmoded. The code is in English and it needs to be in Bangla. It should be available for directors."

"The code needs to be precise and should make clear which story should be treated as film. Producers and directors should know before they make films," he said.

The censorship code was revised in 1977 and again in 1985 through which today's movies are judged.

Meanwhile, addressing a press conference at the National Press Club yesterday Chashi Nazrul Islam alleged that the inflow of vulgar English films sometimes distracted local producers.

Those in the industry demanded a ban certain satellite television channels that air programmes contrary to social values.

The film producers also vowed to stop supply of films to the cinema halls from the second week of May if their demands were not met by the government.