Information Minister Hasanul Huq Inu said that films and film makers had a critical role in building the mindset for a secular, prosperous and creative nation.
“Cinema is the most powerful medium and it must play its due role in portraying the nation’s villains who tried to destroy us, repeatedly — first in 1971, later in 1975 and then on 21st August 2004.
“The process continues through the emergence of ‘Tetul Hujur’ and now the militants,” he said.
He said this on Tuesday while speaking at a meeting at the Shilpakala Academy to celebrate the third founding anniversary of Bangladesh Cinema and Television Institute (BCTI).
The meeting was chaired by the director general of the institute, Dr Mohammad Jahangir Hossain.
Inu said, “We are creating the ambience but you have to be creative, we cannot do that for you.”
Referring to piracy in the film industry, he said, “Very soon we will have a central projection unit at the Film Development Corporation (FDC), which will project movies directly to movie houses. That way no piracy can take place. The system will be functional from June 2017, “he said.
He also said the Bangabandhu Film City was being built at Kaliakoir which will have all modern amenities for modern film making.
He hoped the BCTI would help to build necessary human resources to place Bangladesh among the leading film and television producing countries of the world.
“A country’s development is gauged by the standard of its celluloid production,” he said.
Additional Information Secretary Md Manjurur Rahman said that a 4.4 acre land had been allocated for BCTI and a building was being built which would not only be accommodative but also aesthetic.
He also said that films must depict not only contemporary times but also the 4,000 year old culture of the land.
Prof. Dr Zakir Hossain said Hira Lal Sen of Manikganj was the first film maker of the subcontinent and not Dadasahed Phalke. His “Daring scenes of flowers of Persia” was produce in 1899 was the first film of the subcontinent.
Film makers, alumni and students of the FCTI also spoke on the occasion.
