Director’s Guild claims censorship clearance of ‘Saturday Afternoon’

Director's Guild has protested for not giving censor clearance to Mostofa Sarwar Farooki's "Saturday Afternoon", as of yet. In an official statement given on Sunday by the Executive Council of the guild, they have claimed that for more than three years the film has been locked under the jail room of censor board, and no authority are even caring to provide a reason behind this. It is the biggest obstacle to free thought.

The statement also claims that, Farooki is one of the few directors who can enlighten an industry, which is still struggling to regain its charm. Also, Farooki is an internationally acclaimed filmmaker, who has been able to introduce Bengali films in the international arena.

The press release also stated that his works are screened prominently, in international film festivals. Most of his project have won international awards, which is a matter of pride for Bangladesh.

In 2019, "Saturday Afternoon" impressed at the 41st Moscow International Film Festival, bagging the Russian Federation of Film Critics Jury Award, and the Kommersant jury prize in Moscow. In addition, "Saturday Afternoon" was featured in the official selection of many other festivals, including Busan and Sydney.

The Director's Guild of Bangladesh wants Bangladeshi audience to watch "Saturday Afternoon" in the big screens. In their statement, they wrote that the film needs to get the clearance certificate from the censor board for the sake of the flourishing industry. Besides, they have also demanded to introduce a censor gradation system instead of the current sensor law.