Webinar on animated film ‘Mujib Amar Pita’ held

"Mujib Amar Pita" (Mujib My Father) is the first feature-length animated film, made in Bangladesh. Under the Game and App project of the ICT Ministry, with support from BMIT Solution, the film was made by Prolancer Studio. The 2D animated film was made on the occasion of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's birth centenary. It is expected to be released later this year.

"Mujib Amar Pita" (My Father Mujib) is a 46-minute film directed by Sohel Mohammad Rana, with a screenplay by Chisty Kanon and Fahad Ibn Kabir. The original text is written by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, excerpted from an article written by the PM, "Sheikh Mujib Amar Pita" (Sheikh Mujib my father).

Hosted by Dhaka University Film Society (DUFS) and supported by ICT Ministry, a webinar, titled, "Mujib Amar Pita: Bangladeshe Animation Filmer Nobodiganta" was held recently. The webinar was live streamed on Facebook. Hosted by Tanjina Sultana, the webinar featured State Minister for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Zunaid Ahmed Palak, Sohel Mohammad Rana, director of the film, Rafiuzzaman Rhythom, character designer and animator, Prolancer Studio, Monia Alam Asha, Lead in Color and Tanmoy Ahmed, lead researcher.

The participants talked about their experiences of working in the film, the possibilities for young animators in Bangladesh and the impact of this film on the future of animation.

"We aimed to portray Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's life to the young generation as well as to introduce Bangladesh as an animation hub to the world," shares Zunaid Ahmed Palak. "The young generation will get to know Bangabandhu from a different perspective with this film."

"Working on this film has been a great experience; we got to learn more about the movements, the environment of that time and other details about Bangabandhu's life," says Rafiuzzaman Rhythom. "We had to experiment with colour, costume and background a lot. Though it was challenging at the time of production, it turned out to be a fun experience later," shares Monira Alam.

"The team behind this project was extremely talented, their respect for their work and talent has impressed me tremendously," shares Zunaid Ahmed Palak. "They got to learn and rediscover Bangabandhu through their work in this project and this has been an amazing experience."

"Films are weapons to change our society; to inspire and instill patriotism in the younger generation, films like this will play an important role," Zunaid Ahmed Palak adds. "Honourable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her younger sister Sheikh Rehana, both contributed significantly to the story of the film."

"There is a lot of potential among young animators in our country. A large number of young people are interested to explore this field further," shares Sohel M Rana. "If we can establish animation hubs or lab facilities in every district, we can do wonders with animation in the future."

"We are already working towards the goal to create world-class animators from our country and we are starting a training program with this goal in mind," shares the ICT state minister. "We are working on enhancing our lab facilities, so the younger generations can further enhance their skills as animators."