The Bangla Academy is the official regulatory body of the Bengali language in Bangladesh. It is an autonomous institution funded by the Government of Bangladesh that fosters the Bengali language, literature and culture, works to develop and implement national language policy and conducts original research in Bengali. Established in 1955, it is located in the Burdwan House in Shahbagh, Dhaka, within the grounds of the University of Dhaka and Suhrawardy Udyan. The Bangla Academy hosts the annual Ekushey Book Fair.
Manikganj is a district in central Bangladesh and part of the Dhaka Division. Established in 1845, it was a subdivision of Faridpur District until, in 1953, it was transferred to Dhaka District for administrative purposes. In 1984, Manikganj was declared a full district.
Sumita Devi was a Bangladeshi actress. In 45 years of her career, she acted in around 200 films and 150 radio and television dramas. She was an artist at the Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra in 1971.
Fazle Lohani was a Bangladeshi journalist, television host, songwriter and film producer. He was best known for his popular Bengali-language TV news magazine show Jodi Kichhu Mone Na Koren, which aired on Bangladesh Television from 1977 to 1985, he has been stated as the forerunner of quality TV programmes.
The Cinema of Bangladesh is a diverse and vibrant entity, consisting of films produced across various regions, each contributing its unique linguistic and cultural perspective. Beyond the dominant Dhaka based Bengali-language film industry Dhallywood', which is a portmanteau of "Dhaka" and "Hollywood", Bangladesh is home to cinema in several other languages and dialects. For instance, Chakma cinema from Bandarban, Garo cinema from Sherpur, Meitei and Sylheti cinema from Sylhet, Chatgaiya cinema from Chattogram. These regional cinemas play a crucial role in preserving and promoting the linguistic and cultural heritage of the country. The dominant style of Bangladeshi cinema is melodramatic cinema, which developed from 1947 to 1990 and characterizes most films to this day. Cinema was introduced in Bangladesh in 1898 by the Bradford Bioscope Company, credited to have arranged the first film release in Bangladesh. Between 1913 and 1914, the first production company, Picture House, was opened. A 1928 short silent film titled Sukumari was the first Bengali-produced film in the region. The first full-length film, The Last Kiss, was released in 1931.
Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra was the radio broadcasting centre of Bengali nationalist forces during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. This station played an important role in the liberation struggle, broadcasting the Declaration of Independence and increasing the morale of Bangladeshis during the genocide. In 1971, radio was the only media reaching the far ends of Bangladesh. The station ran a liberation campaign throughout the liberation war.
Chashi Nazrul Islam was a Bangladeshi film director and producer. He won Bangladesh National Film Award for Best Director twice for the films Shuvoda in 1986 and Hangor Nodi Grenade in 1997. He was awarded Ekushey Padak in 2004 by the Government of Bangladesh.
Akash Ar Mati is a 1959 black and white film directed by Fateh Lohani and produced by Film Development Corporation (FDC). It was the first sound feature produced in East Pakistan including post-production, though like Mukh O Mukhosh, the first Bengali-language film made in East Pakistan, it used some cast and crew from the West Bengal film industry.
Anupam Hayat is a Bangladeshi author and film critic. The author of the first textbook on film in Bangladesh titled Cholochitra Bidya, published by Bangladesh Film Study Centre in 2004, Hayat is also credited with another textbook on cinema as an art titled Chalachitra Kala, published by University Grants Commission in 2007.
Fateh Lohani was a Bangladeshi actor, film director, writer and journalist.
Husna Banu Khanam was a Bangladeshi educationist, writer and Nazrul singer. She was a pioneer of Bengali Muslim women journalism. In 1999, she received the Ekushey Padak Award for her contribution in music, and in 2004, she received the Begum Rokeya Medal for her contribution to the socio-economic development of women by the Government of Bangladesh.
Kazi Khalek (1915–1970) was a Bangladeshi film actor. He is known for his outstanding contribution to development of the film industry in Dhaka. In 1958, he entered the film industry starring in the film Asiya, directed by Fateh Lohani. The first movie released by him in Dhaka was Jago Hua Severa, directed by AJ Karadar. In his acting career, he played in 28 films. His notable films include Tomar Amar, Surja Snan, Sonar Kajol, Dharapat, Nadi o Nari, Bhawal Sanyasi, Chaoya Paoya, Nayantara, Natun Diganta, Etotuku Asha, Ballobandhu, Aban Chhita and Je Agune Puri.
Kancher Deyal is a 1963 Bengali-language Pakistani film. It was written and directed by Zahir Raihan. Anwar Hossain, Sumita Devi, Khan Ataur Rahman in the lead role and others supporting role were portrayed in the film.
Nazir Ahmed was a Bengali filmmaker. He served as the founding executive director of East Pakistan Film Development Corporation during 1957–1962.
Masud Rana is a Bangladeshi crime action film released in 1974. Masud Rana is a fictional character created by Qazi Anwar Hussain and published under the banner of Sheba Prokashoni. Since 1966, it has published over 400 books on this character. It was based on the story of Bismoron, a novel of Masud Rana series, which in turn is based on Strictly for Cash.. by James Hadley Chase. This is the debut film of Sohel Rana.
Sangram is a Bangladeshi war drama film that was released in 1974. The film was directed by Chashi Nazrul Islam and produced by Kazi Sobuz. Its story is based on true events Khaled Mosharraf wrote in a diary; it depicts the East Bengal Regiment's battles against the Pakistan army and the contribution of Bengali armies to Bangladesh's war of liberation.
