A workshop titled Concept of Storytelling in Women-Centric Films, with an emphasis on women’s protection and indigenous culture, was jointly organised by the Bangladesh Cinema and Television Institute and Daffodil International University’s Department of Journalism, Media and Communication on Tuesday at the DIU campus in Savar, according to a press release.
The main objective of the workshop was to discuss the representation of women in film, the need to create stories centred on women’s protection, indigenous culture, and social reality at both academic and professional levels, and to raise awareness among future filmmakers on these issues.
The workshop’s keynote address was presented by Labib Nazmus Shakib, a faculty member of the film and television department at Jagannath University. Film director Nargis Akhter, screenwriter and researcher Sadia Khalid Riti, and the dean of the faculty of humanities and social sciences at DIU, professor Liza Sharmin, spoke on the topic.
Meanwhile, the chief executive officer of BFTI, Abul Kalam Mohammad Shamsuddin, attended as the special guest at the event, which was chaired by JMC department head Aftab Hossain.
Labib Nazmus Shakib highlighted examples of strong, combative, and humane characterisations of women in the history of Bangladeshi cinema, citing films like Roopban, Sareng Bou, Guerilla, and Rehana Maryam Noor. At the same time, he discussed prevalent cinematic stereotypes toward women and emphasised the urgent need to overcome them.
Film director Nargis Akhter said that it is necessary to present female characters in films in a more realistic, humane, and multidimensional way. She called for prioritising women’s safety and dignity in both the storytelling and the production processes of filmmaking.
Screenwriter and researcher Sadia Khalid Riti said that the foundation of a strong film is its story. She emphasised creating narratives that highlight local culture, social reality, and women’s experiences.
