A boost for young filmmakers

Speakers at the press conference.

Bengal Cinema Development Forum (Bengal Cholochittro Unnayan Forum) was launched on June 1 at the Bengal Café of Bengal Gallery, Dhanmondi. The forum also unveiled its website www.bengalcinema.com. Appreciating the need for positive contribution to the Bangladesh film industry, the forum has undertaken a project, “Young Cinema Directors' Project” to produce movies of young and talented filmmakers.

New and upcoming directors can, within the next three months, submit their scripts to the Forum for appraisal. The processing for investment and movie making will hopefully start by November this year. The project aims to produce at least 20 movies a year and will invest a maximum of Taka Sixty Lacs for each movie.

On the occasion of the launch, Bengal Cinema Development Forum (BCDF) organised a press conference. Abul Khair, chairman of Bengal Foundation and convener of BCDF; Luva Nahid Choudhury, director general of Bengal Foundation and chairperson of the executive committee of BCDF; Nobonita Chowdhury, general secretary of BCDF; media personality Asaduzzaman Noor MP; filmmakers Morshedul Islam, Manzare Hasin Murad, Shameem Akhtar and others spoke at the conference.

Abul Khair said, “There are young talented filmmakers in the country who are not making much of a head way due to inadequate funds. The foundation will support such filmmakers. On the one hand, Bengal aims to invest in movies and on the other hand under the banner of Bengal Entertainment, the Forum has already initiated the project of building 400 cultural centres throughout the country with screening facilities.”

Luva Nahid Choudhury said, “At present, the industry needs more directors and skilled technicians. Our objective is to invest in promising directors and movie makers.”

Manzare Hasin Murad said, “In order to make standard movies, we need quality scripts, technical  skills and a sense of aesthetic.” He also stressed the need for good movie theatres.

Filmmaker Shahidul Islam Khokan said, “We need quality movie theatres. It is good news that BFDF is seriously thinking about the development of our film industry.”

Under this project, full length Bengali films (full length feature film or full length documentary) of 90 minutes -120 minutes will be produced. The executive and the advisory committees of the BFDF will decide on the final selection of the scripts.

Asaduzzaman Noor MP is the chairman of the advisory committee of the BCDF. The members of advisory council are Syed Shamsul Haque, Morshedul Islam, Luva Nahid Choudhury, Sajjad Sharif, Manzare Hasin Murad, Shameem Akhtar, Shahidul Islam Khokan, Robin Davies, Catherine Masud and Afsana Mimi.

Nobonita Chowdhury is the general secretary of the project. N Rashed Chowdhury is the project coordinator. Nurul Alam Atik is the communications coordinator. Abul Hasnat, Abrar Khair and Tanvir Hossain Probal are the members.