Entertainment Desk :
Prof Dr Zakir Hossain Raju, Head of the Department of Media and Communication at Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB), has been appointed as a member of the Expert Committee of the Bangladesh Film Archive.
His appointment for a two-year term was announced in a circular of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on November 5, 2024, said a press release.
The seven-member expert committee will function under the Bangladesh Film Archive Governance and Management Policy 2010 and is tasked with providing support, suggestions and recommendations to Film Archive.
Dr Raju, who was appointed a member of the Bangladesh Film Certification Board in September this year, is also the Director of the King Sejong Institute at IUB. He is the author of Bangladesh Cinema and National Identity, a widely acclaimed book published by Routledge, UK which is also the first ever research-based monograph on the Bangladeshi film industry. In 2004, he became the first Bangladeshi to earn a PhD in film studies.
He previously chaired the Netpac jury for the Asian Film Competition at the 80th Venice International Film Festival in 2023, and the International Film Festival Rotterdam in 2015 and 2020.
He is the current Vice President of International Film Initiative of Bangladesh and a former president of the Bangladesh Short Film Forum.
Expressing his enthusiasm, Dr Raju said, “It’s an honour to be part of the expert committee, a platform dedicated to preserving the rich legacy of our national cinema. I am excited to contribute to initiatives that will not only safeguard our cinematic heritage but also promote research and education in this field. My involvement in both the Archive and the Certification Board allows me to work towards a holistic approach in nurturing and preserving the diverse trends of Bangladeshi films.”
