By MWB Desk
Filmmakers demand freedom at FAB Fest 2022
Asking for the freedom to tell stories, film industry stakeholders, media, and lawmakers attended the FAB Fest 2022 held at the premises of Bangla Academy late last month.
The event was graced by such eminent figures such as Law Minister Anisul Huq, screenwriter, director, and producer Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, filmmaker Kamar Ahmad Simon, filmmaker and Applebox Ltd founder Piplu R Khan, and Alliance Laws co-head barrister Moin Ghani, among many others.
The daylong summit titled FAB Fest 2022, which featured 5-6 interactive panels, was organized by Film Alliance Bangladesh, a think-tank comprising stakeholders of film industry and media professionals of the country. The event was opened by Ferdousi Majumdar and Morshedul Islam.
‘It is being said that a film should be apolitical. No art form in the world is apolitical and any apolitical content is propaganda. As a filmmaker and artiste, it is our right and duty to voice that dissent that we must have our voice independently’
~ Kamar Ahmed Simon
Directors and artistes present at the Fest stated that the freedom to tell stories is the only way to ensure the production of more creative, original content, which will only aid the nation in economic and cultural development. The stakeholders of the industry affirmed the necessity of an official professional structure that will ensure their rights for this to happen.
‘Bangladesh has gradually created its own visual style, thanks to the efforts of the young generation. Besides, the audience is also our strength. However, we are facing such a situation that we need to talk about reformation’
~ Mostofa Sarwar Farooki
Noted director and actor Tariq Anam Khan proposed the eight demands of the film industry which calls for reform and review of acts such as the certification act, digital security act, pornography act, etc. The prevailing consensus is that the censor board illogically delays film releases, which restricts the freedom to tell stories. Films like Shonibar Bikel were cited as examples of productions stuck at the censor board for no justifiable reason.
Portraits of some 50 film industry greats have been planned for exhibition at a later date. “The next step is to consolidate the statements from the panels and make a presentation for the concerned authorities’ stated director Amitabh Reza Chowdhury.
