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In praise of the arts

Although, Bangladesh continues to be engulfed in political crises, cinema, which was born out of the impetus to represent reality in a more convincing manner, and photography, which depicts happiness, joy, leaping around, as well as degradation, despair and nihilism, need attention as they give life to our daily lives.

Ripan Kumar Biswas
THE other weekend 1 went to AMC theatre at times square, Manhattan. New York to watch a high-tension 3-D odyssey "A Journey to the Center of the Earth.’ Parents are encouraged to take their kids to the matinees because they think it will be fun
and have some action, but not be too violent. •
During the weekends, or even on the weekdays, average Americans go to theatres to relax. But very few people in Bangladesh are inclined towards Bengali movies, despite their rich and varied culture.
A national English daily news-
paper and a bank, in partnership with some other local print and electronic media, came forward to make people understand that passing time during the weekends or even hectic weekdays in a theatre or an art gallery will not only boost their energy but also encourage so many filmmakers, photographers, and lyricists to show their meaningful ideas and innovations in the field of art, culture, and literature.
"New talents from across the country will not only contribute sustainability in their fields, but also will make the nation proud," said Chief Adviser (CA) Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmed at the awardgiving ceremony of "Celebrating Life," a film, photograph and lyrics contest on August 22. He thanked The Daily Star and Standard Chartered Bank and their partners Radio Foorti, bangla-deshinfo.com, Channel i and Shaptahik 2000 for holding the contest, and hoped that more patronage and support would come to push forward the cultural advancement.
Though he encouraged the organisers to hold such contests in
different cultural fields to create a platform for filmmakers, photographers, lyricists, or other activists in cultural fields, it is the responsibility of everyone to encourage the creative sector.
With the' help Of a' talented ' writer, and experienced actors, riggers, grips, stagehands, set builders, and musicians, a good filmmaker can make grim material watchable. But to make competitive and commercially successful movies, many elements have to come together. Similarly, a good photographer, who measures like an engineer, thinks like a philosopher, and sees the world like a poet, can take good pictures. But to make a living out of taking stunning photographs needs more than photographic skills; one must also be a savvy businessperson. To succeed in this business, a photographer needs to know about financial, legal, management, and marketing aspects of starting and running a photographybusiness.
Art and literature fit well into the whole revolutionary machine as a component part, in that they operate as powerful weapons for uniting and educating the people and for attacking and destroying the enemy, and that they help the people fight the enemy with one heart and one mind. But can a piece of art be so productive
and commercially successful in the field of art and literature where nothing is left to coincidence? Many critics arc adamant that a good film means a good film, not a film that makes alp Cof money
Good cinema will always survive, but it has to have popular acceptance and support and become a people's movement. Or else it emerges as merely a trend, only to disappear. There has been a 95 percent decline in the quality of Bengali films since 1960. Although Zahir Raihan's Jibon Theke Ney a (Taken from Life) is a political satire based on the language movement, the film was commercially successful because it depicted life as it was, and had social values. Today, most of the movies in Bangladesh are unrealistic, pretentious and melodramatic.
Going to the movies is a pleasurable experience all over the world, not one that involves dealing with rats and cockroaches — as in most parts of Bangladesh. Cinema owners say they are not investing more because there is no audience; and the audience stays away because the owners are not providing them basic necessities like good viewing conditions and a healthy and clean environment. People have tagged Bengali movies as bad and they are adamant in their belief.
Filmmaking is a business and Hollywood has marketing genius,
which is why it has been able to run such a successful industry. Bui very few producers are willing tc sponsor good films today, as the audience is not large enough foi them to be commercially viable. Although Bangladesh does no! have a production house likt SONY Pictures, we appreciate some media groups and individu als for their effon to push forwarc the entertainment industries. We applaud Tareque Masud's debui narrative feature, Matir Moinc (The Clay Bird, 2002), which Catherine co-wrote and produced. It won the Internationa Critics' Prize at Cannes, and was Bangladesh's first ever Oscars entrant. Most countries have film institutes for training artists, but this is not so in Bangladesh. In addition, people in art and entertainment industries hardly care about technical aspects in their works due to lack of financial support or lack of technical knowledge.
Although Bangladesh continues to be engulfed in political crises, cinema, which was born out of the impetus to represent reality in a more convincing manner, and photography, which depicts happiness, joy, leaping around, as well as degradation, despair and nihilism, need attention as they give life to our daily lives.
Ripan Kumar Biswas is a freelance writer based in NewYoric e-maD:Ripan.Biswas@yahoo.com