Connecting people through stories
Team Bertho is a storytelling collective, initiated by a group of friends in 2016. "We present human experiences through creative mediums," shared Murshidul Alam Bhuiyan, the director of the collective.
They started out with short films, based on different social matters. Their film, ''Never Give Up'' aims to raise awareness about depression and other mental health issues. Similarly, ''Atmohotya'' addresses the increase in suicides, with the story of a boy who rediscovers himself by finding a reason to live.
Murshidul won the Meena Media Award 2019 for the short film ''Jibon'', which revolves around the importance of clean water for a healthy life. He also bagged the second prize at the BLAST Short Film Competition 2019. His film, "Responsibility", was declared as the Best Foreign Language Film at the Discovery Film Festival.
Team Bertho's book, ''Fueling Hope'' consists of stories by people from different walks of life. "We believe that these stories are capable of driving important changes," said AdibaJerin, Editor of the book.
Additionally, ''Berthodoler Caravan'' is their regular podcast. The first season featured life lessons from different people, while the second season focused on the lives of teachers.
Their project, ''Lockdown Blues: The Mind of a Teenager'' explores young people's mental health during the pandemic, through a documentary.
Through their project, ''A Letter to Yourself'' Team Bertho presented an anthology of hand-written letters by young people to themselves, as a milestone to acknowledge their personal growth and ambitions. Similarly, ''Letter to Our Parents'' and ''Letters to Our Teachers'' allowed these people to share tokens of love and gratitude with their elders.
Team Bertho recently gained popularity through their photo series. "This project, featuring well-known Bangla songs, narrates stories with emotive photography. Each picture recites the essence of the scenery and the people in the frame," added Tasnuva Tabassum Hridi, Art Director, Team Bertho.
The collective is currently working on the third season of their podcast. They are also planning to introduce "Lores For The Soul'', a project featuring retellings of folk tales, mythological stories and lesser known fables. The members of Team Bertho are empowered by the support they receive from their audience, and intend to continue using creativity as a medium to bring about positive changes.
The author is a freelance journalist who likes reading, planning and scribbling. Write to her at [email protected].
Comments