Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday called for making quality movies to keep pace with global standards after taking proper training as Bangladeshi cinemas can earn global recognition.
“The film artistes, directors and technicians should make more quality movies by taking advanced training as our cinemas can compete global standard,” she said.
The Prime Minister was addressing as the chief guest the distribution ceremony of the National Film Awards-2022 among 32 recipients in 27 categories in recognition of their contributions to the film industry at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC) in capital Dhaka this evening.
She said, “We want our cinemas will earn foreign recognition crossing our country’s territory”.
The Premier said they don’t want Bangladesh will make any indecent movies or to carry out piracies. “We can make quality movies using the talents we have,” she said.
The Prime Minister asked all concerned to make cinemas for the children as entertainment.
PM’s younger sister Sheikh Rehana was present at the function.
Information and Broadcasting Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud chaired the function while Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting Hasanul Haq Inu spoke as a special guest.
Senior Secretary of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry Md Humayun Kabir Khandaker gave the welcome address.
Sheikh Hasina described the film as one of the strongest mediums that can make society aware alongside reforming it. “Films are very important for us as those can build the nation and inspire people to patriotism,” she said.
The Prime Minister asked all concerned to give more attention to making quality movies using modern technology to meet the demand for entertainment of the countrymen as they have earned economic solvency.
“Give more attention to making films to increase the scope for the people of being entertained watching movies,” she said.
In this connection, she said that her government has been able to reach electricity to every house and other civic facilities at the village level.
The Premier said there were cinema halls up to village level once upon a time and many of them ended their operation gradually. The situation had been worsened more during the Covid-19 pandemic, she said.
Against the backdrop of the situation, she said her government had raised a fund of Taka 1,000 crore from which one can take loan at lower interest rate to build cinema halls. “We have taken required measures to build modern and improved cinema halls as we can move forward our film industry,” she said.
She, however, thanked the artistes for performing from the hearts in the Bangladesh-India jointly produced movie “Mujib: The Making of a Nation,” which portrayed the life sketch of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Sheikh Hasina said after the 1975 carnage, the name of Father of the Nation was erased from history alongside imposing a ban on Joy Bangla Slogan and the historic 7th March of 1971 speech of Bangabandhu.
“One can know the real history of Bangladesh after seeing the “Mujib: The Making of a Nation”. The movie was first released in Bangladesh and then in India,” she said.
Sheikh Hasina, however, expressed her feelings of not being able to see movies going to cinema halls as she has to do a lot of works as the country’s Prime Minister.
But, she said, she watches Bangladeshi movies whenever she gets time, adding: “I had watched two Bangladeshi movies in Bangladesh Biman while I was going to official visit to South Africa. I have already watched almost all movies stored in the Bangladesh Biman’s archive”.
Source: BSS
