The sixth episode of the podcast series of "Chobi Mela Shunno" was released online yesterday (February 15).  Speakers of the session were filmmakers Shaheen Dill-Riaz and Nurul Alam Atique. It was hosted by Munim Wasif.

Supported by Goethe-Institut Bangladesh, the segment, titled "Chronology, Disorder and Pause – An Incomplete Conversation" saw the speakers talk about their experiences, backgrounds and films.

Dill-Riaz is a Berlin-based filmmaker who specialises in documentaries. On the other hand, Nurul Alam Atique is a popular name in the country for his work on television and the silver screen.

The filmmakers began their careers nearly at the same time. Places like Shahbag and Bishwo Shahitto Kendro, along with the short film movement and poets in Dhaka, played an integral role in their journeys.

Dill-Riaz, at a certain point, had grown interest in the works of classic European filmmakers. He moved to Berlin and got admitted to a film school there. He spoke about his encounter with the spontaneity of a camera and the freedoms as a documentary film cinematographer, after he moved to Germany in the early 90s. This was reflected in his first film 'Jibon Jole-Bele (Sand and Water) in 2003.

"In Germany, there was a big market for documentary films," shares Dill-Riaz. "In every theatre before the beginning of a show, they previewed a ten-minute documentary."

Atique spoke  about his unfinished studies at FTII, Pune, and the subsequent formation of a commune, named 'Jol Chobi'.

"I was very shy, and had communication gaps, for which language became the greatest barrier for me," says Atique.

He analysed the process of visualising characters and portraying them in front of the camera. At the same time, he also appreciated Dill-Riaz's work in "Quran Kinder", where he found a vast image of religious perspectives and probable indication of the future.

Dill-Riaz appreciated Atique's improvised and characters based in magic realism "Dubshatar" (2010) and "Bikol Pakhir Gan" (2012).

He also highlighted that Atique's linear storytelling in some of his projects was powerful.  Atique differentiated his work as open ended, and explained how organised Dill-Riaz's films are.

The session ended with some discussions on creative freedom, and Atique's upcoming project.

On a different note, Dill-Riaz said that his projects made in Bangladesh which mainly highlighted the bright sides of the population were inspired by Europe's culturally associated bodies, which have documented Meghnachor and other places.

Shaheen Dill-Riaz and Nurul Alam Atique's films are available on Chobi Mela's official website, throughout the festival (February 12-21).