BCTI hosts certificate ceremony, cultural programme under youth festival

The Bangladesh Cinema and Television Institute (BCTI) recently organised a certificate awarding ceremony for four short-term courses along with a cultural programme under the banner of ‘Youth Festival’. For the first time in 2025, four four-week short courses were conducted under the supervision of BCTI.

The chief guest at the certificate awarding ceremony was the Adviser to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Md Mahfuj Alam. Special guest was Secretary to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Mahbuba Farzana. Also present were Muhammad Hiruzzaman, Director General of the National Institute of Mass Communication, along with course mentors and governing body members Rafiqul Anwar, Md Arifur Rahman and Naila Azad Nupur. The event was chaired by BCTI’s Chief Executive, Abul Kalam Mohammad Shamsuddin.

The four courses included: 'Basic Film Course', '2nd Film Appreciation Course', '3rd Film Editing Training Programme', and '8th Film and Television Acting Training Course'. Certificates and gifts were handed over to participants following the screening of short films and documentaries produced by the trainees.

Addressing the gathering, Adviser Md Mahfuj Alam said that there is no alternative to technical education for the country’s progress. He urged trainees to apply their acquired knowledge in practice. Highlighting the significance of cinema, he said it is the largest canvas for conveying information and the medium through which the true image of Bangladesh can be presented to the world. He further noted that film is a universal language with global commercial demand, adding that Bengali films have a market not only in Bangladesh but across Bengali-speaking communities worldwide. If stories and production standards reach international quality, films can be dubbed and exported commercially to other countries. He also proposed that under Youth Festival 2025, BCTI should organise four short-term training courses dedicated to fighters injured during the 2024 student uprising.

Secretary Mahbuba Farzana also addressed the event as special guest, expressing optimism about BCTI’s new opportunities and future progress. Speeches were also delivered by Muhammad Hiruzzaman, Director General of NIMC, trainer Rafiqul Anwar, and BCTI’s Chief Executive, Abul Kalam Mohammad Shamsuddin.

Distinguished film personalities, journalists, filmmakers, guardians, and trainees attended the event held at the BCTI auditorium. Eminent figures including Nargis Akhter, Shakur Majid and Fazle Haque addressed the participants, calling on industry veterans to keep their doors open for newcomers.

The event concluded with a cultural performance staged by BCTI trainees as part of the Youth Festival.

Notably, productions of the four short-term courses included four documentaries and one short fiction film on the 36 July student movement, one green short film, and a documentary on the salt industry in Cox’s Bazar. A total of 27 trainees completed the Basic Film Course under the mentorship of Arifur Rahman, 11 trainees completed the 2nd Film Appreciation Course under Labib Nazmus Sakib and Rafiqul Anwar, 13 completed the 3rd Film Editing Course under Iqbal Kabir Jewel, and nine completed the 8th Film and Television Acting and Set Design Course under Naila Azad Nupur and Akhtanin Khair Tanin.