A documentary film on eminent Bangladeshi Photographer Nasir Ali Mamun, renowned for his unique approach to portrait photography and known as the Poet of the Camera is waiting to be premiered in the capital on Friday, 10th May.
The 62-minute long film, Titled “Nasir Ali Mamun: In Praise of Shadows” (Chhayabandana), delves into life and legacy of Nasir Ali Mamun, is crafted by an expatriate British - Bangladeshi filmmaker Makbul Chowdhury under the banner of Kolakar Productions in Bengali language while British musician Jack Bloor framed music for the film. All set to premiere the film on 10 May at 4 pm at Chitroshala Auditorium of Bangladesh Shilpokala Academy.
The premiere will preceded by a grand opening ceremony and country’s prominent writer and historian Professor Badruddin Umar will inaugurate the event. In the meantime, Professor Emeritus of Dhaka University Serajul Islam Choudhury will be present as chief guest while thespian theatre director Nasir Uddin Yousuff Bachchu, noted filmmaker Morshedul Islam will join the programme as special guest in the inaugural ceremony.
This documentary film illustrates and explores various aspects of Nasir Ali Mamun’s creative work as well as glorious role in the development of portrait photography in Bangladesh. With the aesthetic clicks of shutter, Nasir Ali Mamun has been capturing rare moments of creatives and celebrities on camera for nearly five decades. He got an excellent opportunity to capture many photographs of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Mawlana Bhashani, Palli Kavi (folk poet) Jashim Uddin, artist SM Sultan, Kamrul Hasan, Mother Teresa, Les Walesa, Mikhail Gorbachev, Desmond Tutu, Bill Clinton, and many more.
In the eve of the seventies, (1972) Nasir Ali Mamun, is the very first photographer who started portrait photography as new genre in photography in Bangladesh. His investigative eyes of camera captures the rare and historical moments of the precious people in various fields. So far, he has captured millions of portrait photography of about eight thousand people. Over fifty of his solo photography exhibitions have been organized in both the country and overseas, garnering significant recognition and praise. In his artistic life, he has been awarded various awards including Shilpokala Award, Bangla Academy Fellowship, M A Beg Award, Jiboner Jayogan Award, Photo Mela Lifetime Achievement Award etc.
Regarding the film, director Makbul Chowdhury said, “For the last five years, I have been living with this film - and finally, all the arrangements for screening the film have been completed. This documentary is an illustrative work on the life and work of Nasir Ali Mamun, a photographer who captured my interest since I was a teenager.”
Earlier, Makbul Chowdhury’s documentary film “Not A Penny Not A Gun” won the Best Documentary Filmmaker Award at the Bangladesh Shilpokola Academy Documentary Festival 2016. Besides, it was included in the Bombay Film Festival screened on golden jubilee of the independence of Bangladesh. He also has received the Commonwealth Creative City Talent Award for making the film “Coffee Beans Grow in My Head” about the Eritrean and Ethiopian communities in Birmingham. In addition, a film named “Cyclist of War” by Makbul Chowdhury is under production, which has received Script and Development Fund Award from the Liberation War Museum.
