Cinepedia 7th Issue

Summer 2018

CineToon & Editors’ Choice

What makes

Popular films Popular

The unsung art in

cinema posters of Bangladesh

Let’s Begin with Water

SUMMER 2018

It is an honour presenting before you the seventh issue of Cinepedia, the mouthpiece of Cinemascope- ULAB MSJ department’s film apprenticeship program. This issue concentrates on the question- what makes popular films popular? In the recent years, misperceptions and contradictory discourses have been revolving around the popular genre in the context of Bangladesh. This era is often considered as a transitional period for Bangladeshi cinema as well. In the present issue, we have tried to shed light on this by analyzing the factors revolving around the “popular” films in Bangladesh.

Simultaneously, we have added elements related to alternative filmmaking in the country to provide the readers a scope to have an in-depth understanding of the central theme.

The CinePedia Hub is extremely thankful to the instructor Zahid Hasan and advisor Mohammad Shazzad Hossain for their tedious effort behind the development of this issue. We would like to thank the authors and the Research & Publication team of Cinemascope without whose effort putting together this magazine would not have been possible. Our special gratitude to the Advising Editor Dr Sarkar Barbaq Quarmal for his constant support. We would also thank the copy-editor Ms. Shanjida Afroj. And, above all, we are honored by the support and guidance of the Chief Advisor Dr Jude William Genilo, which has always motivated us towards the path of excellence.

We as a team have given our best efforts to bring this together and we would appreciate receiving constructive feedback from the readers. I, as the editor, would like to seek sincere apology in advance for any mistake noted. We aim for a generation of filmmakers and film enthusiasts who would work together and grab every opportunity to build a brighter future for Bangladeshi film industry.

CHIEF ADVISOR

Prof. Jude William R. Genilo, PhD ADVISORY EDITOR

Sarkar Barbaq Quarmal, PhD Mohammad Shazzad Hossain Md. Zahid Hasan

Shrabonti Suchandrima

EDITOR

Shrabonti Suchandrima

Editor, Cinepedia, Summer 2018 COPY EDITOR

Ms. Shanjida Afroj THE CINEPEDIA HUB

Arif Arman Badol Zareen Nawar Priyanka Chowdhury Sheikh Ahmed Niroz Bidhan Chandra Das Foysal Mahamood ILLUSTRATION

CinePedia Graphics Team

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COMPARATIVE STUDY: BLADE RUNNER Sheikh Ahmed Niroz

PAGE 3 Activities of CinemaScope

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WHAT MAKES POPULAR FILMS POPULAR Arif Arman Badol

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FILM FACTS

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EDITORS’ CHOICE

THE SUBSTANTIAL TASTE OF WALT DISNEY Zareen Nawar

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THE UNSUNG ART IN CINEMA POSTERS OF BANGLADESH Shrabonti Suchandrima

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DIMFF 2018 Foysal Mahamood

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LET’S BEGIN WITH WATER Priyanka Chowdhury

CINETOON

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CINEPERSON

CEO’S LIST

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PAGE 3

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A Film Aprenticeship Program of ULAB

Activities of

1 Mr. Sajjad Sharif (in white shirt, at the center), Managing Director, The Daily Prothom Alo, attended Cinemascope Film Reading Program on Akira Kurasawa as a guest speaker.

1 2 Cinemascope apprentices with prominent filmmaker Amitabh Reza Chowdhury (far left) during the Script Writing and Mis-en-scene Workshop conducted by him and another renowned filmmaker Zahid ur Rahim Anjan.

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3 Mr. Kabil Khan Jamil (in white T shirt, at the center), Specialist of Mobile Journalism, Prothom Alo, attended Cinemascope Masterclass on Mobile Filmmaking as the facilitator.

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4 Film Critic Zahid ur Rahman speaking during the Cinemascope Masterclass on Satyajit Ray’s Art of Adaptation.

4 Follow us on Facebook:

/CinemascopeULAB

COVER STORY

What makes Popular films Popular

“Though cinema will be found in the museum for some of the countries, Bangladesh will be one of them where it lasts.” – Alamgir Kabir (1979: 92) Veteran director Alamgir Kabir had realised the hunger of Bangladeshi audience towards popular culture after being discouraged by the producers for not making formula film. Henceforth, Kabir was obliged to make Mahanayak (1985) that followed the formula

(West Bengal). People all over the country went to cinema hall for watching social sentimental films coming from West Bengal.”

Although as a result of the Language Movement in 1952, Bangla became the state language of East Pakistan, the Pakistan authority put a ban on importing Bangla films

Arif Arman Badol

References: Kabir, A. (1979), Film in Bangladesh, Bangla Academy, Dhaka Atikuzzaman, M. K. A. & Paul, P. (2018), Chalachittra O Jatiyo Mukti, Agami publication, Dhaka Nasrin, A. G. & Huq, F. (2008), The Film Industry of Bangladesh: Popular Culture in Crisis, Shrabon publication, Dhaka Watson, J. & Hill, A. (2003), Dictionary of Media and Communication Studies (6th edition), Arnold, London Bandopadhyay, Sumonto (2001), Bangali Nagarik Sangskritir Utsho Sondhane, Swaswatir Itor Sontan, Onushtup, Kolkata Raju, H. Z. (2004), National Identity and Art Cinema Discourses in Bangladesh’, National cinema, Cultural Identity and Public sphere: Rewriting Bangladesh Film History, Unpublished PhD dissertation, Department of Cinema Studies, La Trobe University, Australia: 2005 Hoek, L. (2010), South Asian Media Cultures: Audiences, Representations, Contexts, Anthem press, UK

right and ran in the cinema halls quite successfully. It is important to realise that this scenario was not created overnight. According to Kabir (2018: 108), “The cinema scenario of Bangladesh was quite similar during the pre-partition period. Films were brought from both western countries and India

from West Bengal and took initiative to establish a film industry here. Kabir (2018: 108) thinks that was a conspiracy against Bangladeshi film because the newly made industry lacked experience and the market infrastructure was poor

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where Urdu films were nonpareil both in terms of quality and market situation.

The dictators from West Pakistan thought starless Bangla film would not run in the halls and Urdu film industry would still have a monopoly market in East Pakistan.

The scenario was shaping according to their plan, but Rupbaan, a 1965 Bangla Classic helped the young local industry to make its way out of the suppression of the Urdu film industry and established a new cine language in Bangladesh.

However, Kabir argues that Rupbaan made a historical change here and helped to create a new cine language combined with both reality and society. Which would attract the middle class audience. He also pointed out the emergence of Rupbaan as incommensurate or midget film industry. As a result, Bangladeshi films started losing ‘educated’ audience and lower class people were becoming the core audience, Raju (2004) on the other hand, notes this emergence as the establishment of social institution of Bangladeshi cinema.

This social institution then became a combination of socio-cultural, romantic, urban sentimental and action-based film.

After the immense success of Rupbaan, veteran directors like Zahir Raihan, Kazi Zahir and Khan Ataur Rahman directed films titled ‘Behula (1966)’, NoyonTara (1967), Saath Bhai Champa (1967). These films ran in the

Rupbaan was the first popular film in Bangladesh. It was performed as a folk theatre in the villages. Salahuddin, the director of Rupbaan took the theatrical approach from the local folklore and depicted it directly

halls successfully and folk theater-based cine approach became one of the formulae of Bangladeshi popular cinema. Popular cinema is one of the core contents of popular culture in Bangladesh.

Nasrin & Huq (2008) noted, “Popular culture is made on the basis of people’s choice. It is seen that popular culture contains contents which are cheap, fascinating and public oriented. If song, literature, paintings are aristocratic art, then popular culture will be cheap novel, funny magazine or Hindi serial.”

On the other hand, French philosopher Pierre Bourdieu (Watson & Hill, 2003) says, popular culture belongs to them who do not have any economic and cultural capital. So, it clearly identifies that the people of lower classes are the main consumers of popular culture. Mainstream cinema is an excellent example of popular culture because it is tasted by a large group of

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audience. The leading casts of Bengali cinema are always in the peak of people’s mind. Two decades have been passed since Salman Shah died, yet you’ll see Bangladeshi people to get involved in discussions and arguments regarding his career, success and death; you would even see fans to commit (or attempt) suicide in his grief. Similar kind of emotion was seen when another renowned actor Manna died; millions of Manna-fans had gathered to pay homage during his funeral.

It is important to understand why mainstream cinema is one of the core contents of popular culture. Popular culture is made upon following some formula which people would always love to grab. Mainstream cinema follows the same theory. It takes idea from folk culture and then applies it as formula. There are so many examples as such. If we take Beder Meye Josna (1989) as an example, we will see that it takes theatrical approach from the folk culture called Jatra Pala and implements it in cinematic form. Same formula was followed for films like Rupbaan, Saat Bhai Champa, Nabab Shirajuddoula etc.

According to Bandopadhay (2001), “Popular culture is easily acquired by the people but it is not affordable.” The audience essentially make the core difference between folk and popular culture.

According to Nasrin & Huq (2008), “audience has contribution of creating content in folk culture. This

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culture is made on the basis of its public need, taste and interest. On the other hand, audience cannot participate in the creation process of popular culture.

Popular culture is made by the industry. Creators of popular culture find the interests of their audience and include that as formula to their contents. The formulas that most of the popular films in Bangladesh follow could be categorised as below. Analysis of these would provide a better understanding of the issue in focus:

Formula 1

Local folklore-based film

Rupbaan was the first popular film in Bangladesh.

It was performed as a folk theatre in the villages.

Salahuddin, the director of Rupbaan took the theatrical approach from the local folklore and depicted it directly.

According to Kabir (1979: 28), Salahuddin did not apply any special cine language in his film. He replaced the eternal theatrical approach of folklore to his film. People of the rural areas of Bangladesh started going to the cinema hall to watch jatra-pala in film.

Bangladeshi film industry got a newly formed large audience.’

Beder Meye Josna (1989) followed the same formula of Rupbaan and got immense success in Dhallywood. It is the biggest blockbuster of all time in Bangladesh.

Tojammel Huq Bokul, the

director of this film applied the theatrical approach in the dialogue and also depicted the discrimination between upper and lower class through an anecdotal love story between a prince and a snake charmer’s daughter. Films of similar nature like Behula, Shiraj Uddoula, Noyon Tara, Saat Bhai Champa etc. achieved immense commercial success.

Formula 2

Socio-sentimental & romantic film

These films started entering the film industry when the popularity of folklore-based film started declining.

According to Nasrin & Huq (2008), “Audience started refusing the folklore-based films and enjoy watching social and romantic genre based film. Razzak-Kobori was a hit pair back then.”

This genre remained immortal because people of the sub-continent are still co-opting their lifestyle with the urban setting. Bollywood has also a great influence in our culture. Most of the Bollywood films follow this genre and gain popularity.

There are so many popular films in this genre; Narayan Ghosh Mita’s ‘Etotuku Asha (1968), Subhash Datt’s ‘Abirvab (1968),’ Nurul Haq’s ‘Moner Moto Bou (1969)’ are among the memorable romantic Bangla cinema from 60’s. Ehtesham’s Chanda (1962), Mustafiz’s Talash (1963), Zahir Raihan’s Sangam (1964) were among the romantic Urdu films which enjoyed success in the cinema hall during that

decade. Alamgir-Shabana pair also produced some successful social sentimental films in the 90’s. Bangladeshi film industry started experiencing the downfall at the beginning of twenty-first century. Sexually obscene and ‘cut piece’ films were made during that time (Hoek, 2010). After this “dark era,” the industry saw some good social sentimental films in the years 2006 and 2007 and they ran well in the cinema halls; Amar Praner Shami (2007), Koti Takar Kabin (2006), Chacchu (2006), Dadima (2006) are some to name among them.

Also, after a long break, the audience found a pair (Shakib Khan-Apu Biswas) that won their heart; Shakib Khan appeared to be a commercially successful hero.

Formula 3

Costume Epic

This filmy genre is often seen in various film industries. Actors and actresses wear absurd dress in this kind of films and the cinema plot is generally linked with historical and local myth. According to Nasrin & Huq (2008), these films were seen in Bangladeshi film industry in the late 70’s. These films do not have any epic application; however, actors wore miraculous dress here.

Nag-Nagin related films are part of this genre. Anju Ghosh acted as the leading cast of some of these films and the films ran successfully in the halls.

Most of the directors in the 80’s made this type of film

Surjo Dighal Bari (1979)

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such as Nagin (1980), Ek Soudagor (1982), Abey Hayat (1983), Padmaboti (1984), Zadumahal (1988) etc.

Formula 4

Action Film/ Martial Art/ Godfather-dishonest policeprotesting hero Rangbaaz (1973) brought the concept of complete action film in Bangladesh. Razzak, the star cast of this film, played as gangster and performed some experimental action techniques. People also experienced how an anti-hero becomes a lead role in a Bangladeshi film.

Following that, Sohel Rana and Rubel centered action films gained popularity in the 80’s. Films like Laraku (1986), Jony (1983) included martial art in action techniques and added a new dimension.

Director Mamtaz Ali also utilized Ujjal as an action hero and got success by making films like Nasib (1984), Usila (1986).

Kaji Hayat also introduced new kind of formula that may be titled “godfather-dishonest police-protesting hero.” This formula produced some successful films in the late 90’s (Nasrin & Huq, 2008:73); Danga (1992), Tras (1992), Ammajan (1999) are some of the example of this kind of formula film. Manna-Dipjol pair is the most successful so far in this genre and ruled the industry for quite some time.

According to Hoek (2010), ‘Manna factor’ worked well in the halls. However, this formula was misled by the obscene film directors and the

dark chapter of Bangladeshi film aroused.

Abdul Aziz, owner of Jaaz Multimedia began a new era in the industry. He, along with actor Shakib Khan, started doing joint production with India and produced some commercially successful films. However, all of these were action based one-man army type copycat films. Aziz took most of the concepts from the South Indian cinema and implemented it in his films; Shikari (2016) and Nabab (2017) are examples of such films.

Formula 5 Teenage love

Ehtesham’s Chandni (1991) brought a new formula in the industry. It replicated the ‘teenage love’ formula from Bollywood. Sohanur Rahman Sohan followed the same path and made Keyamat Theke Keyamat (1993) which was an official remake of the Bollywood Blockbuster Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988). The director bought the copyright of the original film and copied everything including dialogues, songs, settings from the beginning to the end. The film was a blockbuster and Salman Shah-Shabnur-Mousumi-Sh abnaz based formula film got success in the industry.

Afterwards, quite a few remarkable popular teenage love films were produced in the industry. The list includes Ehtesham‘s Chandni (1991), Mohammad Hannan’s Praner Cheye Priyo (1997), Bashu

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Chatterjee’s Hotath Brishti (1998), Motiur Rahman Panu’s Moner Majhe Tumi (2002), Gias Uddin Selim’s Monpura (2009) and many more.

Formula 6 Thriller

Psychological thriller is a popular genre in Korean film industry. Amitabh Reza Chowdhury introduced this formula in the Bangladeshi industry through Aynabaji (2016) and got immense popularity. The film ran well in the cinema halls. After that, Dipankar Dipan’s crime/thriller based Dhaka Attack (2017) added more hope to the industry as this film turned into a blockbuster. Both of the films took ideas from foreign films but the adaptation of the screenplay with the local context was extraordinary. Dipankar Dipan and Amitabh Reza Chowdhury, directors of the abovementioned two films, created a new language of storytelling by using their wide knowledge and experience in the visual medium.

One of the greatest challenges for the contemporary Bangladeshi directors is that cinema in here cannot be popular without the active participation of the urban middleclass audience because this group of audience have access to new media and watch all types of films from each and every corner of the globe. According to Nasrin & Huq (2008), audience segmentation is a must for flourishing Bangladeshi film industry because a single cinema cannot fulfill the Contd to Page 15

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Director Ritwik Ghatak wrote the screenplay for Titas Ekti Nadir Naam when he came to Bangladesh to make Padma Nadir Majhi

Shimana Periye by Director Alamgir Kabir is based on a true incident of a couple who were found in a distant island after a tsunami in 1970

Beder Meye Josna by Tojammel Haque Bokul is commercially the most successful Bangladeshi film till date

Aguner Poroshmoni is the first film directed by Humayun Ahmed. The film won National award in eight categories

Masihuddin Shaker and Sheikh Niamat Ali are the first Bangladeshi director to receive award in Mannheim-Heidel berg International Film festival for Surjo Dighol Bari

Keyamot Theke Keyamot directed by Sohanur Rahman Sohan is an official remake of Bollywood film Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak

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The lead actress in Megher Onek Rong is Nepali in origin

Ilias Kanchan made his debut through Bashundhara directed by Shubhash Dutta

Popular folk song ore nil doriya is from the film Shareng Bou directed by Abdullah Al Mamoon

Rupban by Salahuddin is the first blockbuster hit in Bangladeshi film industry

The plot of Dhire Bohe Meghna (1973) was originally planned by Zahir Raihan, after his death, Director Alamgir Kabir carried out the honour of filming it

Bhat De (1984) directed by Amjad Hossain was the first Bangladeshi film that took part in Cannes Film Festival

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Let’s talk about the popular Disney Princess Aurora from Sleeping Beauty for a bit. I’m choosing to go with her because a lot of people are not familiar with her story, and in my opinion- it is rather unfortunate. Technically, she is only thrown around the plot of the story according to the convenience of the more powerful characters.

For example, to begin with, Aurora was cursed by Maleficent solely because Maleficent was in a sour mood and poor Aurora ended up with the after-effect of infuriating an already raging evil being, not for a particular fault of her own.

Again, when her three guardian fairies chose to escape the palace to live out in the forest to evade the curse of the spindle, she was unaware of the underlying “reality” of her world. She simply lived there with the animals and birds and she was nice to them until she met Prince Philip. The decision of her later being brought back to the palace was made by her father because he missed her and gradually she had no role to play at all beside acting as the grand prize of the Prince that fought the evil and did all the heavy lifting.

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Now, my point is pretty simple, that is, she was objectified through and through because the plot required it.

Prince Philip as a character had more substance because of his ultimate purpose of defeating the evil. Maleficent was probably the strongest character because she did as she pleased and it was accepted for evil does as it pleases and one can’t possibly question the requirements of the antagonist, or at least it used to be the case. The three fairies had substance as well considering they were magical and hell bent on trying to save Aurora. The might of the King’s desire was also evidently greater than the purpose of Aurora. But would you take a look at the promotions, marketing and even the name of the story? Mention of The Sleeping Beauty is all it takes to remember the story, if at all.

Next stop: Ariel. The daughter of King Triton had the life, mere human mortals can only ever dream of. She was a

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princess, which might explain her boredom towards her privileged life.

So naturally she had to have anything and everything she desired. Hey, I’m definitely on board with wanting to discover the world and venturing out there on her own but tragically her real incentive arrived when she wanted to be with the guy she saved and barely knew. Seriously, what is up with Disney preppy Princesses wanting to spend the rest of their lives with men they barely knew, anyway?

The Little Mermaid was one of the few Disney movies I used to watch regularly as a puny child.

When I was finally old enough to analyze it, the movie took a back seat, probably one of the last seats on my list-to be precise. I just wish she had a greater, more purposeful incentive to create all the havoc she ended up creating. She could definitely take notes from Moana, just saying.

Now we will take a look at Snow White’s stepmother, I mean how deplorable was she? She just had to be the fairest of them all. Children

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were supposed to be taking it in but at the cost of what?

All in all the Princesses, in a way or another had the coveted duty of being the reward of the otherworldly charming Princes that save the said Princesses to exude the generalized and promulgated idea of masculinity. Take a look at Cinderella for example, she mostly cried and felt helpless while her Prince looked for her with the help of one

of her glass slippers (let’s all continue to still pretend that the magic kept the glass slippers intact for the two to end up together). I’m not about to take a leap at the “animal care” seen in almost every Disney movie because, honestly, they are one of very definitions of Disney and Disney wouldn’t be itself if there were a lack of undeniably ebullient animals. For the sake of ending things on a high note, I must mention my favorite Mulan for being the powerhouse that she was/is. Not

only was she motivated by righteousness, she prevailed and she obliterated the then prejudiced notion of what a woman can or cannot do.

Speaking of brilliant works, are you aware that The Lion King was inspired by Hamlet!? I only recently found that out and I felt deficient for not previously making the connection, then again can you blame me? The Lion King had a happy ending and everything did end in sunshine and rainbows unlike a certain misanthropic Prince; my point being, misanthropy does not help. Peter Pan ought to be appreciated for the story encourages wild dreams while successfully managing to engage the audience.

If you are an adult you’ve possibly have had times when you felt like going back to your golden days, so as to be able to live like a child forevermore. If you haven’t been there, then what are you doing?

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The unsung art in cinema posters of Bangladesh

Shrabonti Suchandrima Cinema posters are undoubtedly the first visual appeal brought to the spectator before a film gets released. The purpose of cinema posters is rather economic and promotional but this does not rule them out from being attractive and/or creative. Film enthusiasts choose posters as the foremost ingredient to decorate their rooms. What does one see when one looks at it? Does the composition, lines, colors, space, forms matter at all or it's merely the attractive design? A film's aesthetic could be depicted well from the poster itself.

Bangladeshi cinema posters are as old as Bangladeshi cinema. Before the era of teasers and trailers, posters acted as the only medium to engage the audience before the release of a film. In fact, posters still create an interest among a vast audience over here. The idea is to creatively present the essence of a film in a comprised space with minimum elements which is apparently not a very simple task. There once existed a

profession called ‘poster artist’.

Director Subhash Dutta is a remarkable example who entered into the industry through this profession. The suspense brought out through Mukh o Mukhosh (1956)’s poster that added up to the hype it created during that time. Dutta’s amazing creations are still a celebrated chapter of Bangladeshi film history. At the same time in Europe, pop art was becoming a popular practice; the directors around the world adopted this style for their film posters and the wave didn’t take much long to reach this region. This has later developed its own identity in the form of ‘rickshaw painting’, which became popular among the poster artists and rickshaw painters.

The use of cutout images of characters and pasting them in the form of collage was the mannerism for poster making for decades which still exists through a changed medium.

Earlier, this was manually created and now it is done through software with the facility of larger and cheaper production. However, in the meantime, the trend of painting posters using the form of pop art died with the

advancement of graphics manipulation software like photoshop. Yet, popular film posters of Matir Pahaar (1959), Daku Monsur (1974), Awara (1985), Boro Barir Meye (1982), earned credits through the vibrance of colors and ornamentations.

This exuberance of color was correlated with the development of costume industry in Bangladeshi cinema.

Cinema posters bear the intention to pull audience towards cinema halls. The socio-political scenario and the target audience influence the elements in the posters, when a cinema depicts rural life, scenes of villages are present in the background; a character holding a chopper or a gun says a lot about what the audience is going to watch in the film. Color plays a huge role in creating an impression about the mood; black or red to create suspense, a green-masked character or a blue painted face in a poster speaks out who the villain is.

Degree of characterization with time became an important feature in cinema posters as well. The protagonist always covers a

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larger space while the other characters surround him/her.

A great example of this could be Rupban (1965) or Bhat De (1984). If it’s a romantic love story, the characters are present in action at the center. Degree of characterization doesn’t matter when a poster is meant to intrigue its audience through icons. Here, the idea of objectifying women comes ahead. Bangladesh’s general audience loves to see an iconic presentation of a woman in posters. This could be a mother, the leading actress or an item lady who only exists for few minutes in

DIMFF 2018 Foysal Mahamood The Mobile Film Festival (DIMFF) is the biggest annual event organized by CinemaScope. I have been a member of Cinemascope since

a full-length film. The alluring presence of a female cast doesn’t fail to bring in a major scale of audience in any country around the globe. This practice began when cinema production level rose in our industry during the 90’s. Such posters were used to grab audience’s attention while they selected a film to watch from a bunch of posters pasted in front of cinema halls.

A practice fighting against such films were the cinemas made by independent filmmakers. In Tareque Masud’s films, for example, the posters are directly

connected with the subject of the films and created by professional designers or artists with proficient visual understanding. This is the case for other independent filmmakers as well; Runway (2010), My Bicycle (2014), Muktir Gaan (1995), Chaka (1993) etc. adds up to the example of such posters.

These posters communicate as well but only to a group of audience willing to watch a film either for the director or for the sublimity of a poster.

This does not get along with a bigger branch of audience based on whose taste popular films are made.

my first semester. And, after joining the apprenticeship program, I have learned how this has been grown over the years. DIMFF was initially CinemaScope Mobile Film Competition which later grown as CinemaScope Mobile Film Festival; and this year, it was rebranded as the Dhaka International Mobile Film Festival (DIMFF). In this article, I am going to share my

experiences of the festival as a member of the organizing committee.

When I was approached to work in the committee, I was instantly overwhelmed. It felt like an achievement getting to work on such a grand stage despite being a junior. The festival was about to start in a few days, but we still had so much preparatory work left. This year’s festival had 116 submissions from 36 countries

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from all around the world.

The jury board comprised of Bidhan Rebiero, Motin Rahman and Proshun Rahman primarily selected Twelve films in the competition category, while 30 films were in the primary selection in screening category. From these, the lists were further narrowed down and shortlisted 8 films for the final competition and 20 films for screening.

On the promotional side, we had already started venturing out in the late hours of the night to put up posters of the festival all around the most vibrant locales and educational institutions in the Capital. The press release was being circulated around the renowned newspaper hubs of the city.

We had only 3 days left and had yet to send out the invitation cards, while the ULAB auditorium, the venue for the festival, was still to be decorated. We spent the next 2 days sending out the invitations, while showcasing the year’s selections for all the judges to arbitrate on. On the final day, the responsibilities were divided; as the judges were determining the winners, a group of us went out to the decorations; from Shabag to Nilkhet to New Market and back we travelled to adorn the festival. Strapped with a low-budget, we ventured to design the logo out of some cork-sheet we bought from a shop near Shahidullah Hall.

We had a budget limitation and learned how limitations teach us to find the best alternatives. It was afternoon by the time we had purchased everything. We started

working again as soon as we returned to campus and labored till 12 am to get everything finished. The auditorium was finally ready for the festival next day. We packed it up for the night, knowing we still had some finishing touch left for the big day. I strung up photographs of the film posters like leaves from a dried branch of a tree.

The tree was placed in front of the auditorium in the morning.

The doors opened at 9 am, and the audience started flowing in. They strolled around the venue and took photographs in front of the Festival Logo we had designed. We had even arranged for a photo booth. At 10 am sharp, the Festival was inaugurated.

Everyone was formally welcomed on behalf of the organizing body. Following the introductory session, the film screening began. First, we showcased the final selection of films from the Screening category. Thereafter, we took a break for an hour. We received and greeted guests and filmmakers during the break. The second session started on time. It began with the promotional video created for DIMFF 2018. Next, it was time for the main event: screening of the films in Competition category wherein 8 of the best film selections were exhibited.

Upon conclusion of the screening, we heard speeches from the ULAB Vice Chancellor, the Chief guest, and the judges respectively. I was waiting for Mir Wadud Islam to deliver his speech since he was the director of the Festival. Finally, it was time to announce the winner.

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The audience nervously started discussing among themselves about which film was going to win it all. To put an end to all the speculations, the judges finally stepped onto the stage and declared ‘Bhilmal’ as the winner. The film was a submission from India, directed by Senthamizhan Arunachalam Manjula. The winner of this year’s festival received a trophy and a cash prize of BDT 30,000. The winner was not present among us; hence, we spoke to him via Skype.

Finally, Mohammad Shazzad Hossain, the advisor of CinemaScope, delivered the closing remarks. At the end of his speech, he called on all aspiring filmmakers to submit their films for the following edition of the festival to be held next year.

What makes Popular films Contd from Page 7 expectations of all types of audiences. They suggest the government to build Cineplexes where different films will be shown simultaneously to fulfill the expectations of various audiences. According to Kabir (2018), government should patronise cinema movement and build film institutions to promote a second film wave in the country. He thinks that experimental filmmaking would bring back the lost audience. It is true that experimentation is costly but it could be the ultimate solution for reviving the film industry in Bangladesh.

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mveav‡b hvm| Av”Qv| iv‡Z †dvb w`e|

GKUv jqv hvb Avcy!

10 UvKv!

SUMMER 2018

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B nvwRi! ej‡Z ej‡Zmv| dviæK G‡mv gv e‡†Q‡j G‡m‡Q mv‡n‡ei ‡K...

KvbvWv †_

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(Pj‡e...)

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SUMMER 2018

In a world full of spin-offs, remakes and unnecessary money boosting sequels, we are offered with a sequel of probably one of the best if not the best sci-fi cinema of all time- ‘Blade Runner’; after a long wait of almost 35 years, we are welcomed to a dystopian world previously created by the amazing Ridley Scott. But, is Blade Runner 2049 a worthy successor? Is it a better film than its ancestor? Or, is it just another profit-making, unwanted continuation by the studio?

Blade Runner 2049 is an instant classic opening with a brilliant ambience of the dystopian world. As an audience, you will immediately emerge in the world created by auteur Denis Villeneuve who was previously nominated for an Oscar for another Sci-fi “Arrival”.

Clearly, he is very much familiar with the genre. But, before going any further, we should get one thing out of the way – The first Blade Runner released in 1982 is one of the most crucial films in cinematic history, but it was not at all a perfect movie.

During its

Sheikh Ahmed Niroz

initial release it received mixed reviews from both critics and audience although it grew in stature as time passed by and now enjoys a cult following. Ridley Scott himself said that he wishes, he would have added voice over by Harrison Ford for the latter protagonist character Rick Deckard, to help audience understand more. The studio interfered so much that until 2007 the movie had seven cuts from “Final Cut” to “Directors Cut”.

In simple words, the cinema is far from an ideal watch.

The pacing of the movie might feel sluggish unless one is in the right mood to watch it.

In contrast, the second installment is far tranquil, uncomplicated watch.

Although, Denis Villeneuve’s Magnum opus is considerably longer than Ridley Scott’s feature film. The story revolves around Agent K (played adroitly by Oscar-nominee Ryan Gosling) who follows down a mysterious figure and eventually gets in contact with a now aged Rick Deckard (played masterfully by Harrison Ford). The noir-esque story is sharp, well edited and lacks the drawn-out dialogue, that the first one had a lot. The making of the 1982 Blade Runner was very clumsy and lumbering.

SUMMER 2018

Undoubtedly, the higher production value and advancement of technology helped the second installment a lot. Taking the original idea of Ridley Scott and bringing it to its full potential helped the narratives to a great extent.

The futuristic cityscape looked bright in neon-drenched hologram making it believable and not at all farfetched.

Even though every actor from both the films gives brilliant performance, take it from Sean Young to Rutger Hauer to Edward James Olmos from the previous installment to Ana De Armas to Dave Bautista to Jared Leto from the second installment. The responsibility of carrying the whole film primarily lies on the shoulder of the two leading men (Harrison Ford and Ryan Gosling) from both the installments. Although, Harisson Ford is reprising the role of Rick Deckard for the second time, he does it effortlessly like he did it the first time around and he shows why he is considered a Hollywood legend.

Meanwhile, Ryan Gosling puts another feather in his cap for providing another stellar performance; makes it five movies in a row. His performance as Agent K is gripping, emotional and very relatable. But, the most interesting thing is the character development of both the lead characters.

Where Deckard was more arrogant, firm and stable in terms of his decision-making process he gets clouded as Contd to Page 28

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CinemaScope, the film apprentice program of Media Studies and Journalism Department of ULAB, is having its own Chief Executive Officer from it’s very beginning of journey. Lets explore the historical journey of CEOs of CinemaScope, who have performed their best to drag CinemaScope destined to a place where it twinkles

Didarul Karim

Ashraful Alam Rubel

Zahid Hasan

Fall 2012 & Spring 2013

Summer 2013

Fall 2013 to Fall 2014

Nafis F.Q Khan

Nazmul Hasan Shukorno

Mohim Ahmed Naim

Spring and Summer 2015

Fall 2015

Spring & Summer 2016

Mir Wadud Islam

Priyanka Chowdhury

Shrabonti Suchandrima

Fall 2016 & Spring 2017

Summer & Fall 2017

Spring & Summer 2018

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SUMMER 2018

Art direction gives a film its own visual identity. It is about the rhythm of colors in production design that enchants the viewer throughout a film. My chosen ones listed below will not fail to please your eyes.

The Fall

The Fall (2006) by Tarsem Singh earned its credit for best cinematography at the Austin Film Critics Association. The costumes and color management throughout the film attributes to its mesmerizing visual storytelling. The film is the portrayal of a story told to a child by the narrator. The visuals depict the listener’s imagination.

Pan’s Labyrinth

Story of a bookish girl lost into her fantasy supposedly controlled by her subconscious mind. Guillermo Del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth(2006) is an exquisite film in the genre of magical realism. Eugenio Caballero won the academy awards 2007 in the Art Direction category for this film.

Asha Jaoar Majhe Asha Jaoar Majhe (2014) is a Bangla film directed by Aditya Vikram Sengupta. The lyrical exploration of day to day life of an ordinary Kolkata dwelling couple is the significace of this film. There are no dialogues; thus, the color tone, costume and the use of objects in the film speak for the narrative.

SUMMER 2018

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The Grand Budapest Hotel

Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), directed by Wes Anderson, is based on a famous concierge Gustave H.’s visit to a European Hotel between the two World Wars. The hotel building itself is an attraction on the screen. The use of soft pink and yellows is a specification, which is quite rare on the screens. However, Wes Anderson himself is acclaimed as a brilliant visual stylist.

Masaan

Indian city of Banaras is famous for its magnificently beautiful temples.

Masaan (2015), directed by Neerasj Ghaywan, portrays the color of the city, the areas around the banks and brings out the beauty from the poverty-stricken areas.

Song of the sea

Song of The Sea (2014) is an Irish animation directed by Tomm Moore. The beauty of its imagery indulges the spectators into the story’s journey. The film revolves around the adventure of a brother and sister. Watching this film is peace to the eyes.

Captain Fantastic

Captain fantastic (2016) directed by Matt Ross is an exceptional film from the setting itself. It’s about a father with a different philosophy towards life and parenthood who happens to raise his children in the forests despite being an urban family. The contrast between this family and the rest living in the urban space is well depicted through the costumes and the materials used.

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SUMMER 2018

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kÖvewšÍ myPw›`ªgv

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SUMMER 2018

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DcvR©‡bi †Póv K‡i _vwK| G RvqMvUvqAvwg cÖ_g †_‡KB weK‡í Ges Avwg KL‡bv Kgvwk©qvj KvR Kwi wb Avgvi wek¦v‡mi RvqMv †_‡K; Z‡e Avwg KL‡bv evwbwR¨K Qwei wec‡¶ bv, Avwg g‡b Kwi Pjw”PÎ †hgb gvbyl‡K ZvwoZ Ki‡Z cv‡i, fvweZ Ki‡Z cv‡i †Zgb my›`i we‡bv`bI w`‡Z cv‡i| Zvn‡j †Kb Avgiv Avgv‡`i `k©K‡K GKwU dig¨vU Gi gv‡S AvU‡K †i‡L †Kej UvKv DcvR©‡bi †Póv Kwi? eis Zv‡`i‡KI hw` Avgiv GwM‡q wb‡q AvmZvg, Zv‡`i iæwP‡K we¯ÍZ … Kivi †Póv KiZvg Zvn‡j Avgiv wb‡Ri e³e¨ cÖKv‡ki cvkvcvwk Zv‡`i we‡bv`‡bi Pvwn`vI †gUv‡Z cviZvg|

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SUMMER 2018

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evav-wecwËi †fZi w`‡q †h‡Z nq| Gi ‡Kvb mgvavb Av‡Q e‡j wK Avcbvi g‡b nq? †ZŠwKi: ¯^í ev‡R‡U, ¯^í mg‡q I ¯^í Av‡qvR‡b wm‡bgv evbv‡bv wKš‘ GKUv cix¶v| Ges Avwg eje AÁvZbvgv G‡¶‡Î DrK…ó GKwU D`vniY| GKwU gvK© w_ª K¨v‡giv w`‡q, eÜy-evÜe‡`i wb‡q b¨vPvivj †mwUs-G wm‡bgvUv ï¨U Kiv n‡q‡Q... cÖKw… Zi g‡a¨B wb‡Ri †mU‡K Ly‡u R wb‡qwQ; GKUv KK©k ev¯ÍeZvi Mí ejvi Rb¨, cÙvcv‡ii a~mi iO-†K e¨envi Kivi †Póv K‡iwQ| Ges †mUv Kv‡R w`‡q‡Q| G‡¶‡Î me‡PÕ ¸iæZ¡cY~ © e¨vcviUv n‡”Q evsjv‡`‡ki †ewkifvM `k©K hviv GUv †`‡L‡Qb Zvuiv GUv cQ›` K‡i‡Qb| Avwg KvD‡K cvBwb hviv e‡j‡Q GUv fv‡jv jv‡Mwb| wm‡bgv‡¯‹vc: wdj¥ ¯‹ywjs ‡K Avcwb AvMvgx K‡qK eQ‡ii ‡fZi ‡Kv_vq ‡`L‡Qb? †ZŠwKi: Avgvi g‡b nq G‡¶‡Î me‡P‡q eo P¨v‡jÄUv n‡jv wk¶‡Ki msKU| G ai‡Yi wµ‡qwUf wel‡q Ges Avgv‡`i c«vP¨ ms¯‹w… Z‡Z Avgiv g~jZ ¸iægyLx we`¨vi Ici wbf©i K‡iwQ nvRvi nvRvi eQi a‡i| ¸iæB hw` bv _v‡K Zvn‡j wk‡l¨i Rb¨ Lye wec¾bK e¨vcvi| Avevi, GKBm‡½ fv‡jv wk¶K cvIqv †hgb fv‡M¨i e¨vcvi, fv‡jv QvÎ cvIqvI gnv fv‡M¨i e¨vcvi| a‡iv Avwg hZUyKy wk‡LwQ, Avwg KvD‡K †kLve; Zv‡K †c‡Z †Zv n‡e Avgvi! †h AbyMZ n‡q KvRwU wkL‡e, Avwg †Zv ‡`LwQbv †h †Kvb QvÎ GZ¸‡jv Qwe †_‡K wKQy wb‡q‡Q| †dmey‡K GK cvZv wi-A¨vKkb †jLv Avi Zv‡K wiwfD g‡b K‡i AvZ¥cÖmv‡` †fvMv Lye fyj|

wm‡bgv‡¯‹vc: wdj¥ †mvmvBwU¸‡jvi Av‡Mi Ae¯’v Ges eZ©gv‡b Zv‡`i †PZbvi RvqMv‡K Zyjbv Ki‡j Avcwb Kx †`L‡Qb? †ZŠwKi: Avgvi g‡b nq G‡`‡ki wdj¥ †mvmvBwU¸‡jv Zv‡`i g‡Zv K‡i †Póv K‡iwQ‡jv, wKš‘ GKUv ch©v‡q wM‡q †m¸‡jv w¯ÍwgZ n‡q hvq KviY Avgv‡`i Rvjv‡ji Mí Qwei GKwU `„‡k¨

†ZŠwKi Avn‡g`

SUMMER 2018

mgvR e¨e¯’v cwiewZ©Z n‡”Q| gvby‡li ˆ`bw›`b Pvwn`v †hgb †e‡o‡Q, e¨¯ÍZv †hgb †e‡o‡Q, G ai‡Yi †¯^”QvkÖg-wfwËK (†hUv‡K ÔN‡ii †L‡q e‡bi †gvl Zvov‡bvÕi m‡½ Zyjbv Kiv nq) KvRI †Zgb K‡g‡Q| GB wdj¥ †mvmvBwU¸‡jv‡KB Avevi mwµq K‡i †Zvjv `iKvi Ges Av‡iv `iKvi wk¶v cÖwZôvb¸‡jv‡Z; KviY, Avgv‡`i bvMwi‡Kiv ˆZix n‡”Q †mLv‡b| Kv‡RB, GUv wk¶v Kvh©µ‡gi g‡a¨ wb‡q Avmv DwPZ †h GKwU †Q‡j K¬vm dvBf †_‡K w_‡qUv‡ii mv‡_ hy³ n‡e, Gici K¬vm GB‡U Zv‡K fv‡jv fv‡jv Qwe gv‡m GKUv K‡i †`Lv‡bvi †Póv Kie, hLb †m K‡j‡R hv‡e, †m wdj¥ †mvmvBwU‡Z wb‡R KvR Ki‡e Avi BDwbfvwm©wU‡Z D‡V †m ZZw`‡b wdj¥ wiwfD

weavb P›`ª `vm A‡bK Ríbv-Kíbvi Aemvb NwU‡q, MZ 6 GwcÖj †`‡ki †cÖ¶vM„n¸‡jv‡Z gyw³ cvq †e½j wµ‡qkbm cÖ‡hvwRZ wMqvm DwÏb †mwjg cwiPvwjZ wØZxq Pjw”PÎ ¯^cR œ vj| cÖ_g Qwe gbcyivÕi ci cÖvq bq eQ‡ii `xN© weiwZ‡Z ¯^cR œ vjÕi LÛwPÎ gvby‡li g‡b Avkvi mÂvi K‡i| `yÕwU evuabnviv Ziæb ü`‡qi †cÖ‡gi Mí wn‡m‡e Pjw”PÎwU Av‡jvwPZ nq| Pjw”P‡Îi g~j As‡k XvwjD‡Wi Av‡jvwPZ Awf‡bÎx cwigwb, Zvui wecix‡Z bevMZ Awf‡bZv Bqvk †ivnvb| wPÎMÖn‡b wQ‡jb Kvgiæj nvmvb Lmiæ| †hŠ_ cÖ‡hvRbvq wbwg©Z Pjw”PÎwU‡Z evsjv‡`‡ki Pvu`cyi kn‡ii cyivb evRvi GjvKvq WvKvwZqv b`xi cv‡i GKwU evwo‡Z Ges KjKvZvq evwK `„k¨vqb m¤úbœ nq| Pjw”PÎwU‡Z g~L¨PwiÎ wfbœ ag©vej¤^x ïåv I Acyi evuabnviv †cÖg `k©‡Ki g‡b Mfxi Avkvi mÂvi K‡i| Zv‡`i `yÕR‡bi

Gw±wf÷ n‡q †h‡Z cvi‡e| Gi g‡a¨ Avgiv fv‡jv `k©K, fv‡jv mgv‡jvPK, GgbwK fv‡jv wbg©vZv cve| Avwg Gfv‡eB wPšÍv Kwi| Avgvi K¬v‡m †Q‡j‡g‡qiv wKš‘ Lye B›Uv‡i÷ wb‡qB K¬vm Ki‡Q Ges Avm‡Q| Rvbvi AvMÖnUv wKš‘ Av‡Q, ïay GKRb gvbyl‡K wb‡Ri `vwqZ¡ †R‡b KvR Ki‡Z n‡e|

wm‡bgv‡¯‹vc: Avgv‡`i cieZ©x cÖR‡b¥i Pjw”PÎKvi‡`i wb‡q hw` wKQy ej‡Zb... †ZŠwKi: Pjw”PÎKvi cÖwZw`b Avm‡e bv| fviZe‡l© hw` Avgiv awi... mZ¨wRZ ivq, FwZ¡K Kygvi NUK, g„bvj †mb Ges Gici `xN© mgq cvi K‡i Avgiv cvB eyׇ`e `vm¸ß... Gici aiv hvK †MŠZg †Nvl ev FZycY© †mb¸ß †KD-B IB ch©v‡q †cŠuQvbwb| Avi, Aeva †cÖg ax‡i ax‡i w¯ÍwgZ n‡q Av‡m ïåvi evevi ¸g n‡q hvIqvi ga¨ w`‡q| WvKvwZ wKsev ¸g n‡q hvevi mv‡_ †cÖg‡K †U‡b Avbv wKsev we‡”Q‡`i myi n‡Z cv‡i bv| †hLv‡b †`LvB hv‡”Q Acy Ges ïåv `yRbB hyeK-hyewZ †mLv‡b ïaygvÎ cÖ‡hvRbvi LvwZ‡i wKsev `yB †`‡ki Askx`vwiZ¡ †evSv‡Z `yÕwU ag©‡K †U‡b Avbvi †Kvb gv‡b nq bv| mgv‡Ri †bwZevPK Kg©Kv‡ÛI †h `k©K Avb›` jvf K‡i, Zvui ev¯Íe D`vniY dRjyi ingvb eveyi AmvaviY Awfbq †KŠkj| cÖwZg~û‡Z© Zvui Awfbq †cÖ¶vM„‡n _vKv

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Avgv‡`i GLv‡b Rwni ivqnv‡bi c‡i †miKg cÖMwZkxj Qwe Avi †KDB †`Lv‡Z cv‡ibwb| GKUv `yÕUv †h nqwb Zv bq, wKš‘ †mUv wew”Qbœfv‡e; Gi gv‡S AvjgMxi Kwe‡ii wKQy fv‡jv KvR i‡q‡Q, gwmnDwÏb kv‡Ki GKUv K‡i Avi K‡ibwb... Zv‡iK gvmy`, Zvbwfi †gvKv‡¤§j ev †gvi‡k`yj Bmjv‡gi GKUv `yÕUv KvR fv‡jv| Zvn‡j K_v †Zv wVKB, Pjw”PÎKvi cÖwZw`b Avm‡e bv| wKš‘ A‡bK w`b c‡i Avmvi Rb¨I †h cwi‡ek ev cwiw¯’wZ Avgv‡`i `iKvi †mUvI Avgv‡`i bvB| GKRb wm‡bgv evbv‡Z Pv‡”Q wKš‘ †m wkL‡e †Kv_v †_‡K, †m hw` wdj¥ wb‡q c‡o ev wdj¥ †`‡L, †m nqZ wµwUK n‡Z cvi‡e, wKš‘ GKRb Pjw”PÎ wbg©vZv n‡Z †M‡j wdj¥ BDwb‡Ui mv‡_ gv‡V Nvg‡Z n‡e, Gi ‡Kvb weKí ‡bB| `k©K‡`i gb †K‡o‡Q| cy‡iv QwewU‡Z `k©K‡K a‡i ivLvi GKwU fv‡jv cÖ‡Póv j¶¨ Kiv hvq| cwiPvj‡Ki e³‡e¨ Rvbv hvq, Zvui wPÎMÖvnK Z‡ZvUyKBy wPÎ aviY K‡ib h‡ZvUyKy cÖ‡qvRb ZvuiB ev¯ÍeZv Avgiv Pjw”PÎwU‡Z †`L‡Z cvB| b`xgvZ…K evsjvi cÖvK…wZK †mŠ›`h© Pjw”PÎwUi ci‡Z ci‡Z, Ab¨w`‡K evsjv‡`‡ki ev½vjx‡`i ev½vj e‡j †nq cÖwZcbœ Kiv n‡q‡Q Pjw”PÎwU‡Z| Amr e¨w³i Rxe‡bi Zvobv Avi mvgvwRK †Mvovwgi Kv‡Q cybivq †n‡i hvIqvi wPÎ ïåvi we‡qi gva¨‡g †`Lv †M‡Q| mewKQy‡K †cQ‡b †d‡j hyeK Acy Rxe‡b GwM‡q hvIqv c‡_ evieviB ¯§iY K‡i Zvui fvjevmvi gvbyl ïåv‡K| Zv‡`i fvjevmvi cwimgvwß N‡U AcyÕi AvZ¥vûwZi ga¨ w`‡q, hv mvavib `k©‡Ki g‡b `vM Kv‡U| cvkvcvwk, Ziæb wkíx‡`i Mvb¸‡jv `k©‡Ki g‡b fv‡jv Avkvi mÂvi K‡i‡Q| cwiPvj‡Ki cÖ_g Pjw”PÎ gbcyivÕi mv‡_ mvgćm¨i K_v ev` †i‡LI ejv hvq †h, Ô¯^cR œ vjÕi Mí hw` wfbœ MíB nq, Zvn‡j e¨_©Zvq ch©ewmZ n‡q g„Z‡y KB †Kb evisevi eiY Ki‡Z n‡e? G-wK †mB dg©j~ v Pjw”P‡Îi c‡_B nvuUv bq! ¯^cR œ vj Qwei GKwU `„k¨

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SUMMER 2018

Let’s Begin with Water

Priyanka Chowdhury

The HSBC- WaterAid Project came to us through our university. Our team leader Arif Arman Badol joined the meeting which was held to orient students about their work and the project. The project required a team which had a balance of genders.

Usually, among students, film projects are done in haste and often with known faces; however, the requirements threw a different challenge and an opportunity along the way.

Each team could have a maximum of six members who were current students of the university so the team building had to be done very carefully.

Simultaneously, the research for the project also had to be carried out.

Badol and I sat down to discuss if we really wanted to do it. After a long discussion, we decided we will do it. Our first step was

to read through the instructions carefully and note them down. We sorted out the desired outcome of the project and placed it on a timeline.

Time was the most critical part of this project for we had a very tight schedule to follow. Essentially, we had three days to come up with a proposal to submit it to the authority along with a recommendation letter from our faculty. At this stage, we had already decided upon the team; the line-up was- Ahmed Shezan, Bidhan Chandra Das, Fabliha Nawar, Assaduzzaman Shahed, Priyanka Chowdhury and Arif Arman Badol.

I have already mentioned that research was a crucial part of the project. The area we had to cover was Dacope, Khulna. So, we read thoroughly about the area, the geographical location, the crisis and the

SUMMER 2018

WASH project impact in and around that area. Two stories were decided to deal with. Professor Sumon Rahman was generous enough to listen to our stories, give his feedback and provide us with a recommendation letter.

We incorporated his suggestions and we were ready to send in our project to WaterAid. The first news came to us sharp at five on date. Our team lead Badol received a text message that we had been shortlisted for our idea presentation. The team was excited. We only had the night to prepare.

Next day, with our hope high and fingers crossed, we faced the judges. The panel had three members from WaterAid, our Head of the Department Professor Jude William Genilo and one of our Assistant Professors and

CinemaScope advisor Mohammad Shazzad Hossain. As they say, “All’s well that ends well”; the verdict that was given two days later came our way.

Didarul Karim and Badol went through a hectic journey to Dacope, Khulna for the location reccee. Since the story was set in Badol’s mind, with the help of Mr. Momtaz, a representative of the local NGO Rupantor, they found Nitu Roptan- the protagonist of our film.

From the very beginning, we knew this would not be a regular interview based documentary. We planned for a docu-fiction, a film between fiction and non-fiction. The team was set to go. It is noteworthy here that we received immense support from our aquintances from CinemaScope Mirza Inty, Santua Tripura, Nazmul Hasan and our instructor

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Zahid Hasan. Another name must be mentioned here, Nazmul bhai who trusted us with his wide lens.

As we reached in Khulna main city, we got off the bus. Exhausted from the 12-hour journey from Dhaka, we ate some local sweets to get our energy up.

We hired an easy bike which took about 2 hours to reach the nearest river ghat (river bank that is used for getting on and off the boat). We had to cross a river with our equipment bags on a boat. I wouldn’t lie being born and brought up in the city center, I was a bit shaken by the idea but that soon came to an end.

We took a Rickshaw-van from the other side to reach our guest house in Heed Bangladesh.

The two-day shoot at Nitu’s Contd to Page 28

SUMMER 2018

FALL 2017

CinePerson

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Cineperson award is the most prestigious award given to the most active CinemaScope member. In Fall 2017, Priyanka Chowdhury, a student of ULAB MSJ department has won the award. As a child, she had an immense passion for music which in turn led her interest in filmmaking as a language that collaborates different forms of arts into one. Becoming the editor of Cinepedia and designing this cinema-centric magazine has been her initial goal for joining CinemaScope along with her love for films and learning new activities regarding filmmaking. She later won the CinemaScope Mobile Film Competition Award, which she believes was the best experience she had being here having experienced the production process. She particularly fell in love with a workshop on location sound that she had immediately after joining CinemaScope; it was conducted by Nahid Masud. Along her journey, Priyanka has participated and taken initiatives for the betterment of the program and also set an ideal example for the younger members.

She has been looking up to Satyajit Ray as her favorite director since childhood. She also loves films of Shubhash Dutta, Won Kar-Wai, and Ritwik Ghatak. The quote she lives by is “Keep Swimming” from Finding Nemo. She says the same addressing the younger ones, “Instead of judging what is good or bad, keep swimming, because all sort of experiences matter. At some point or the other it helps you.”

Blade Runner Let’s Begin Contd from Page 21 the film reaches more towards its climax whereas Agent K seemed more naïve and fragile at the beginning but as the movie progresses, he gets more confident and clear; For me, as an audience, Agent K was more relatable and gripping than Rick Deckard.

Now answering to the first question– is Blade Runner 2049 a better film- a worthy sequel? Yes, it is a better film than Blade Runner except for the fact that Blade Runner 2049 is not Blade Runner. Blade Runner was groundbreaking in terms of technology and thought provocation. It was open for multiple interpretations. I am not saying the second one spoon-feeds the narration to its audience. But, the first Blade Runner pushes the envelope, sets up a world, shoves the audience into it and asks them questions; that is the beauty of coming first, demanding for attention. In short, the first Blade Runner might not be a better film in terms of cinematic terminology but it was a better work.

Blade Runner is a better film with a consciousness of being grand. And, for being the box-office failure- it is. The only thing that I have to say is- Blade runner 2049 is not the film we deserve, but the film we need right now.

with Water Contd from Page 19

school, house and neighborhood was an experience of a lifetime. All of them were very helpful and proactive. Our protagonist Nitu was not camera shy at all. She is an asset of her school and we soon realised that as she delivered her professional performance for our film.

The credit would also go to her parents. It is unimaginable how brilliantly progressive and open minded they are despite living in such a remote area of the country.

Although we were given sufficient support from WaterAid for our food and lodging, Nitu’s mother offered us lunch during the shoot. We were humbled by her approach. On our last day at Nitu’s house, her family members and neighbors organised a cultural program for us. We sang and danced together before we waved them goodbye with heavy hearts but smile on our faces.

We won prize money, we got certificates and recommendation letters by doing this project, but above all, we made human relationships. I’m sure my teammates will agree that this experience was worthwhile for us not only to grow as filmmakers but also to grow as responsible human beings.

NEW GENERATION

NEW TOOL

NEW COMMUNICATION

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AWARDs CINEMASCOPE BEST FILM ULAB YOUNG FILM MAKER

different categories

Screening (open for all)

Competition

(for university students)

one minute film

SUPPORTED BY

ORGANIZED BY

Regular Submission: September 16, 2018 Late Submission: October 14, 2018 Submission Link: goo.gl/kUX9ct

SCAN TO SUBMIT

(for grade 1 - 12 students)