Cinema halls to be in hiatus

During a press conference held yesterday morning at Dhaka Reporters Unity, the authorities of Bangladesh Motion Picture Exhibitors Association stated that without the intervention of the government regarding the policies of importing foreign films and encouraging more local films, movie theatres across the country will remain closed from April 12. They also claimed at the press conference that despite several meetings with the concerned authorities about the problems, no effective measures have yet been taken.

According to the brief, the number of movie theatres have declined from a 1235 to a staggering 174. Around 50 thousand workers affiliated with cinema halls are jobless, along with an increase in the cost of renting halls and electric bills. The industry is in dire need of rebuilding as it continues to suffer the loss. Despite the assurance provided to the committee that the situation will improve, it remains tainted.

Advisers of the committee, Sudipta Kumar Das, Mia Alauddin along with the president Iftekharuddin Naushad, were present at the press conference. "We have our backs pinned against the wall," says Ifthekaruddin Naushad, “this is the only step that we could have taken."