Mahde Hasan (Filmmaker)
Being a participant of the first workshop of the first batch of Celebrating Life, Mahde Hasan has already made splashes in the international short film scene. This year, the young Bangladeshi filmmaker has won the first place prize in the “Movie of My Life” segment at Locarno Festival 2017, and had his films featured in other international film festivals as well.
Plans for New Year's Eve
I usually don't celebrate the New Year in any specific manner, so you could say I don't have any plans for now!
My Biggest Achievements of 2017
Of course, winning the first place prize in Locarno Festival 2017's “Movie of My Life” segment was a big achievement for me. I also attended the Ekadeshma Film Lab in Nepal with my feature film screenplay Sand City, which is produced by Khona Talkies. That lab was an intensive and fruitful experience and definitely taught me a lot. My film Death of a Reader was selected for feature at the Ekadeshma International Short Film Festival, which was another notable accomplishment for me. Furthermore, I took part in the Urban Lens Film Festival at Delhi, where another film of mine, Photographs of a School Teacher, was featured.
New Year's Resolution
Right now I am working on my feature film screenplay, so I want to spend the next year trying to turn that script into a film. I want to focus entirely on screenplay in 2018.
Something I'd like to change about myself in 2018
A personal desire of mine is to increase the number of publications related to filmmaking. We don't have enough Bangla books which provide sufficient knowledge to young filmmakers, so I want to work towards translation of film-related books to remedy this situation. And of course, I want to develop as a better filmmaker in 2018.
A memorable moment of 2017
A moment I will never forget was when I found out in Twitter that I had won the “Movie of My Life” segment! I couldn't believe my eyes at first, and I checked Locarno Film Festival's Facebook page and website for confirmation. Achievements aside, I fondly remember the little adventure I had when trying to find the house of my childhood idol Manisha Koirala in Kathmandu. She had invited a group of filmmakers attending the Ekadeshma International Short Film Festival and I truly felt privileged to be a part of that crowd.
What I plan to achieve in 2018
Mostly, just making my new script come to life. If I get the time in-between, perhaps a few new short films as well. 2017 brought in quite a few successes my way, and I want to continue working hard in 2018 as well.
Interviewed by Shams Rashid Tonmoy