Peers recall late filmmaker on 3rd death anniv
Tareque Masud was a free man in the truest sense of the term. ‘He was free from all sorts of narrowness and prejudices and we can see the reflection of his freedom in his films,’ said Zakir Hossain Raju in his speech at a commemorative programme organised by Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy and Federation of Film Societies of Bangladesh (FFSB) to mark noted filmmaker Tareque Masud’s 3rd death anniversary on Wednesday. The discussion session titled Tareque Masud-er Prasongikota: Bangladesh-er Chalachitra o Chalachitra Charcha (Relevance of Tareque Masud: Film of Bangladesh and Practice of Films) was held at the Music and Dance Centre of the academy.
The programme began with lighting up earthenware lamps in memory of Tareque Masud and others who died with him in the tragic road accident on August 13, 2011. Tareq Masud, along with four other members of a shooting team including noted cinematographer Mishuk Munier, died in a fatal road accident on the Dhaka-Aricha Highway while returning to Dhaka from Manikganj, where they had gone to scout locations for a film.
The discussion was attended by noted film director Zakir Hossain Raju; eminent film researcher Fahmidul Haque; Munira Morshed Munni and Belayet Hossain Mamun, the vice-president and general secretary of FFSB respectively; and others. ‘Tareque Masud’s films compel their viewers to think deeper about the socio-political–economical condition of the society,’ said Fahmidul Haque.
Munira Morshed Munni, in her speech, mentioned that the works of Tareque Masud will remain relevant even after hundreds of years. ‘Tareque Masud was a great visionary, a gentleman and a skilled filmmaker. His death is a great loss to the filmdom of our country,’ said Belayet Hossain Mamun.
Phera, a documentary on the life and works of Tareque Masud, directed by Prasun Rahman, was screened, following the discussion session.
Born on December 6 in 1956 in Faridpur, Tareq Masud got involved with the film society movement in the late 1970s. He made his first film Adam Surat, a documentary on the legendary artist SM Sultan, in 1982.
He, jointly with his wife Catherine Masud, made a feature length documentary on the war of independence titled Muktir Gaan in 1995, which brought a record audience to the cinemas and became a cult classic.
It was however his full length feature film Matir Moyna, which was produced by his wife Catherine Masud, which put him on the international stage. The film became the first ever Bangladeshi film to compete for the Academy Award in the Best Foreign Language Film category. It also won one of the top awards at a special event called the Directors’ Fortnight at the International Critics’ Week that had run alongside the main festival in the city of Cannes at Southern France.
Tareq Masud was also the co-founder of Alternative Filmmakers’ Forum in Dhaka and ultimately became the central figure of alternative cine movement in Bangladesh. Besides, Masud was also acclaimed for his other films like Runway and Antorjatra. He died while returning from location selection for his last project Kagojer Phul.
-With New Age input
