Film Directors of Bangladesh

He is perhaps best known for his documentary Stop Genocide, made during the Bangladesh Liberation War.

Alamgir Kabir (December 26, 1938 – January 20, 1989) was a Bangladeshi film director and cultural activist.[3] Three of his feature films are featured in the "Top 10 Bangladeshi Films" list by British Film Institute.

Chashi Nazrul Islam (23 October 1941 – 11 January 2015) was a Bangladeshi film director and producer.

Khan Ataur Rahman (11 December 1928 – 1 December 1997; mostly known as Khan Ata) was a Bangladeshi film actor, director, producer, screenplay writer, music composer, and singer. He became renowned for his role in the film Jibon Theke Neya (1970). In this film, his rendition of the song "E Khancha Bhangbo Ami Kemon Kore" echoed the national psyche following the Bangladesh Liberation War.

Humayun Ahmed (pronounced: [ɦumae̯un aɦmed̪] 13 November 1948 – 19 July 2012) was a Bangladeshi author, dramatist, screenwriter, playwright and filmmaker.[4] Dawn referred to him as the cultural legend of Bangladesh.[5] Ahmed reached peak of his fame with the publication of his novel Nondito Noroke (In Blissful Hell) in 1972, which remains one of his most famous works,[6] winning admiration from literary critics, including Dr. Ahmed Sarif. He wrote over 200 fiction and non-fiction books, all of which were bestsellers in Bangladesh.[7][8] Ahmed's writing style was characterized as magic realism.[9] Sunil Gangopadhyay described him as the most popular writer in the Bengali language for a century[10] and according to him, Ahmed was even more popular than Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay.[11] Ahmed's books have been the top sellers at the Ekushey Book Fair during the 1990s and 2000s

Tareque Masud (6 December 1956 – 13 August 2011)[2] was a Bangladeshi independent film director, film producer, screenwriter and lyricist. He first found success with the films Muktir Gaan (1995)[3] and Matir Moina (2002),[4] for which he won three international awards, including the International Critics' FIPRESCI Prize, in the Directors' Fortnight section outside competition at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival.[5] The film became Bangladesh's first film to compete for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. He died in a road accident on 13 August 2011 while returning to Dhaka from Manikganj on the Dhaka-Aricha highway after visiting a filming location.[6] Masud was working on Kagojer Phool (The Paper Flower).[7][8] In 2012, he posthumously received Ekushey Padak, the highest civilian award of Bangladesh.[9] In 2013, New York University Asian/Pacific/American Institute, and South Asia Solidarity Initiative, hosted the first North American retrospective of his films.[10]

Tanvir Mokammel (born 8 March 1955) is a Bengali filmmaker[1] and author from Bangladesh.[2] He studied English literature at the University of Dhaka and worked as a left-wing journalist for landless peasants in rural areas.[3] As a filmmaker he has made six full-length features and fourteen documentaries and short films, some of which have received national and international awards.[4] His feature films are "Nadir Naam Modhumati" (The River Named Modhumati), "Chitra Nodir Pare" (Quiet Flows the River Chitra), "Lalsalu" (A Tree Without Roots), "Lalon" , "Rabeya" (The Sister), and "Jibondhuli" (The Drummer). Tanvir Mokammel’s prominent documentaries are "The Garment Girls of Bangladesh", "The Unknown Bird", "Teardrops of Karnaphuli", "Riders to the Sunderbans", "A Tale of the Jamuna River", "The Promised Land", "Tajuddin Ahmad :An Unsung Hero", "The Japanese Wife" and mega-documentary "1971".His movies "Nadir Naam Modhumati" (The River Named Modhumati) and "Chitra Nodir Pare" (Quiet Flows the River Chitra) ranked second and third respectively in the list of 10 best Bangladeshi films, in the audience and critics' polls conducted by the British Film Institute.[5] A prolific writer, Tanvir Mokammel has written poems, short stories, and newspaper articles on cinema and cultural issues. Tanvir Mokammel’s important books are "A Brief History of World Cinema", "The Art of Cinema", "Charlie Chaplin: Conquests by a Tramp", "Syed Waliullah, Sisyphus and Quest of Tradition in Novel" (a work of literary criticism), "Grundtvig and Folk Education" (a book on alternative educational ideas), and a translation of Maxim Gorky’s play "The Lower Depths".[6] Tanvir Mokammel is at present the director of the "Bangladesh Film Institute" and the "Bangladesh Film Centre".[7] His latest work is a fiction called "Jibondhuli".

Morshedul Islam (Born: December 1, 1958) is a film director from Bangladesh. Morshedul Islam was born on 1 December 1958 in Dhaka. He made his filmmaking debut in 1984 with the short film “Agami” while he was a student.

Kazi Hayat is a National and International Award winning renowned Bangladeshi film director, film producer, screenwriter, script writer, story writer, dialogue writer and actor. In a career of more than three decades his films have covered many themes and genres-political and social crisis. He always wants to create awareness in the society through his films. He is considered one of the most popular and influential commercial filmmakers in the history of Bengali cinema. Hayat's performances in films in a variety of genres have generally earned him praise and awards, which include a record of the National Film Award for best director (two times), best story and dialogue writer (six times) and several international honors. He participated in the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. Kazi Hayat started his film career as an assistant director in 1973 while he was studying for master's degree in Commerce. In 1981 he directed a feature film entitled "THE FATHER"."THE FATHER" was sent by Bangladesh Government for Exhibition in Indonesian Film Festival. From 1982 to 1987, he made half a dozen movies. But all of his films were of different and uncommon thoughts and ideas. In 1987 he joined Karlovyvary Film Festival with his film "THE LAST KICK" (DAYEE KE). In 1989, he joined Moscow Film Festival with one of his film "THE TORMENTED" (JONTRONA). 'Nattyasabhha' the renowned cultural dramatic organization gave him three prizes for his work as the best film producer, best film director and as the best screenplay and dialogue writer. In 1991, he made "THE STRIFE" (DANGA). In 1992, he attended with this film in the third Pyang Yang Film Festival, "THE STRIFE" (DANGA) was bestowed with Afro Asian Solidarity Committee Award. In 1993, he got three awards as the best film makers from three different socio cultural organizations of Bangladesh. It can be remembered that the people and film goers along with all the critics of Bangladesh called him as one of the best film makers who cares social problems of Bangladesh and almost all of his films remind about the freedom fights of 1971. He also attended Tehran Film Festival with his films "TOLL COLLECTOR" (CHADABAJ) and "THE STRIFE" (DANGA). He gained International Indo-Bengali Kala Music Award as a best director for his excellent work in the movie "ANDHOKAR" (April 17, 2004 at Manhattan, New York). He made a film which was based on a poor blind child and the message of the movie was- blind and visual impaired children can also get education and they can lead an ordinary life. Still today he is working as director, film actor and film producer. He directed 43(forty four) full-length feature film and produced nine full-length feature film. Kazi Hayat has been involved with so many social welfare issues. He donated his land in his village to build a school in the year 1985.

Mostofa Sarwar Farooki (Bengali: মোস্তফা সরয়ার ফারুকী; born 2 May 1973) is a Bangladeshi film director, screenwriter and film producer.[3] Farooki is considered one of the leading figures to bring modernism/realism in Bangladeshi Cinema. His works often switch between a real and quasi-real world. Mostofa Sarwar Farooki could be the next South-east Asian filmmaker to break out", The Hollywood Reporter wrote in the review of his film Television. Variety's Jay Weissberg wrote. "Mostofa Sarwar Farooki is a key exemplar of Bangladeshi new wave cinema movement". He is also the pioneer of an avant-garde filmmakers' movement called "Chabial". His 2012 feature Television was the closing film of Busan festival and won Grand Jury Prize in Asia Pacific Screen Award 2013 in addition to 5 more international awards from Dubai, Jogja-Indonesia, Asiatica-Roma, and Kolkata. He has just completed his fifth feature titled Ant Story.