Independent film-maker Humaira Bilkis and cinematographer Barkat Hossain Polash have been selected for “Berlinale Talents Programme 2019”.
Berlinale Talents is an initiative of the Berlin International Film Festival in Germany which aims to create a platform for emerging filmmakers from all over the world. The project is divided into four categories:Doc Station, Script Station, Short Film Station and Talent Project Market.
Dhaka-based director Humaira applied for Doc Station with her feature length documentary, “Bilkis and Bilkis”.
Humaira told the Dhaka Tribune’s Showtime: “I am very excited about the program since it is a huge platform, and I will get to explore the diverse world of cinema.”
“Since my focus area is documentary, I applied for the program with my documentary which is a creative documentary and a personal story.”
“Luckily,I got selected,” added an ecstatic Humaira.
Talking about her project,Humaira said: “It is a creative documentary which is a reflection of my life.”
“My career began with non-fiction from the very beginning,” she added.
Humaira has been working in the industry as an independent film-maker for the last five years. Her favourite medium is non-fiction as she describes herself as an experimental story teller.
Recently, she finished filming another documentary on the migrate tea planters of Bangladesh. The film was produced under Bengal Creations' banner.
Her short film “I am yet to see Delhi” received special mention by the jury at the Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival, Japan, in 2015.
Another Bangladeshi participant of the program, Polash, joined the BBC as an assistant camera operator a few years ago.
Polash’s first feature film as a cinematographer was “Jalal's Story”,directed by Abu Shahed Emon which won the Asian Cinema Fund 2014 for post-production at the Busan International Film Festival and competed in the “New Current Cinema” section of the festival in South Korea.
