Revisiting films and recounting their history
Subrata Kumar Das is all praise for a movie journal
Apart from a preservation of 2169 films in its vaults and 3053 books, 14575 photographs, 6677 posters, 1986 screenplays, 9950 film journals and other film related objects and documents in its library, Bangladesh Film Archive (BFA) has scaled new horizons by publishing an annual journal focusing on film and film-related issues on its 30th anniversary. BFA journal has already brought out two of its noteworthy issues for which its editor and the director general of BFA deserve appreciation from various segments of society. The first issue published in 2008 enlisted eight articles, one interview and one film script. The second issue published very recently encompasses eleven articles, one interview and one film script. Both the issues have been able to include one write-up each from West Bengal, India. The Indian contributors are Someshwar Bhowmick, research scientist of St. Xavier's College, Kolkata, and Partha Raha, curator of Cinema Centenary Bhaban, West Bengal. Such inclusion will surely make the magazine rich in content and a collector's item from the multiculturalism point of view. Most of the essays included in the volumes are by people who are surely authorities in this field. Essays on the films of Satyajit Ray by Nadir Zunayed and on background music by Syed Babab Ali Arzu in the first issue draw much attention as do the essays on censorship in films by Jamil Osman and on Zahir Raihan's films by Ahmed Aminul Islam in the second issue. Saibal Chowdhury has written elaborately on Dhrupodi, the cine magazine of the country. Four films that have been meticulously reviewed in the issues are Antorjatra, Nirontor, Suryokonya and Chitra Nodir Pare. These highly acclaimed films have been focused on in detail from various aspects. These articles here will surely help the general film watchers understand them in a more detailed and academic way. These reviews from Khondakar Shakhawat Ali, Prof Shaheen Kabir, Bidhan Ribero and Ashrafi Binte Akram will particularly remain worth mentioning in the history of film review in Bangladesh. The English language articles included in the second issue are 'Initiation into Film Making in Bangladesh: From Past to Present' by Muhammad Sajjad Ahsan and 'Reading Colours in Krzysztof Kieslowski's Three Colours Trilogy' by Humayun Farid. The two writers should be given special thanks as their insightful write-ups will pave the way for more writing in English on films in this country. There can be little doubt that such writings will help us place our knowledge of films in a broader perspective. Dr. Sajedul Awwal, the executive editor of the journal, has, no doubt, enriched the issues by his interview of Baby Islam, the camera artist, and Subhash Datta, the film director. The tête-à-tête has brought to light many of the unseen or less seen facets of the film domain in Bangladesh. The issues have also incorporated articles from the editor, Dr. Mohammad Jahangir Hossain. 'Jatiyo Smriti Shongrokkhone Cholochitro Sangrahashalar Bhumika' (The Role of Film Archive in Preserving National Memorials) and 'Bangladesh Film Archiver Samprotik Karjokrom' (The Recent Activities of Bangladesh Film Archive) are well written with a plethora of information on related issues. In this context, the question comes up as to whether it is possible for the BFA authorities to encourage more people who are connected with the technical aspects of film to write for this national publication. Write-ups covering technical aspects will help our cine-interested and cinema buffs in future to go for a better understanding of cinema. One may note that most of the books on cinema and its various aspects are written in English and are more expensive as well. Moreover, in the editorial of the first issue, Dr. Mohammad Jahangir Hossain has written about the BFA's expectation of creating a readership for serious films and developing a genre of film-critiquing in Bangladesh. For the last 37 years there has been a vacuum in this arena, though better films are not that much unavailable in our country. We believe BFA journal will satiate the demands of serious readership as well as common readers of film literature. We are hopeful that film researchers and all professionals involved in filmdom from Bangladesh and outside the country will feel interested in contributing to these journals and so disseminate their ideas and thoughts, experiments and experiences to readers. The two English language articles included in the second issue will open up a wider horizon in so far as international readership of the journal is concerned. While trying to browse the online editions of the journal, this reviewer experienced some unexpected impediments, statements like 'This site may harm your computer'. May we request the BFA authorities to take initiatives for making the digital pages safe for readers from home and abroad? The price of the second issue being double than that of the first one will, no doubt, be a damper for the literati as taka fifty of the first issue was more reasonable and within the purchasing capacity of the common reading people.
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