Photo: Kazi Tahsin Agaz Apurbo

What is that one thing we all want in life? Of course, happiness. Not to mention, Bangladesh has ranked amongst the happiest nations in the world. With this idea in mind and passion in heart, a group of film and photography enthusiasts came together to form The Bengali Filmmakers (TBF). “We wanted a break away from the stereotypical subjects like politics or corruption and rather involve the common people. So we set out to make our first video project –'Are You Happy? Dhaka, Bangladesh',” said The Bengali Filmmakers.
The Bengali Filmmakers is a team of seven high-school friends with interests in street and art photography, multimedia visuals and documentaries. Their work is mostly based on citizen journalism that involves public citizens. “Not everyone has access to Facebook or blogs to express their viewpoints on a particular issue. Through this group, we are trying to create a platform where people can voice out their opinions,” said the group members.
The idea of forming this organisation emerged after the successful release of their first combined video project. “We were so overwhelmed by the acceptance and responses from people that we thought of forming a group, where like-minded creative people can share their knowledge of filmmaking, discuss art and films, and implement creativity on self-initiated projects," said the members.
So far The Bengali Filmmakers have produced two social visual surveys, 'Are You Happy? Dhaka, Bangladesh' and 'Bangladesh Cricket - A Message-ICC T20 World Cup 2014'.Recently, they won an award at Inter-University Short Film Competition for their first short film "The Letter". At present they are working on projects with One Degree Initiative and other NGOs. “In the future we want to produce significant works, like documentaries on the key issues of Bangladesh or a feature film,” the members shared.
On asking if they are happy with their work, they said, “It is extremely encouraging when people follow and appreciate our work. What would make us even happier is when people will get a glimpse of all the positives of Bangladesh through it.”