European Film Festival masterclasses highlighted green movies, stark realities of film making!

Published : Sunday, 7 December, 2025 at 3:05 PM Count : 747

A biker moves across the vast plains of Sunamganj; the drone shot captures the pristine natural beauty.

The biker stops, the pillion rider, a person working for a courier company, asks about a man called Ripon for whom he has a large box, sent from one Surma.

The biker and the courier are directed to a small village where the receiver of the box lives.

In a small community, the arrival of the box for Ripon creates a stir.

People are excited, there’s a palpable air of curiosity and when Ripon says that he did not order anything, the suspense surrounding the sealed box deepens.

The local chairman asks Ripon to accept and open it.

All eyes are on the box, but it reveals several discarded items, one of which is a broken red suitcase.

That’s our wedding suitcase, says Ripon’s wife.

All becomes clear because Ripon had dumped these items into the river Surma and the river is now sending back the rubbish.

The message: it’s our thoughtless acts that degrade and pollute nature. If we are not cautious, nature will lash back at us!

The short film, titled, ‘Hoite Surma’ (From Surma) is a production from the International Academy of Film and Media, IAFM.

The film was shown at British Council during a masterclass on green movie making at the four-day European Film Festival which concludes on 7 December, 2025.

Photo: Bibesh Roy

Bibesh Roy, producer of ‘Hoite Surma’ and the Executive Director of IAFM, who has, in recent years, made a mark in holding several green film making workshops, says: “our objective is to promote movie making that will cause the minimum damage to environment, a trend which is now catching on.”

But fly tipping is still a major concern because, subconsciously, we throw items around us which pollute nature and are often non-degradable.

“But even if one is not aware of the environmental damage caused by such reckless action, we need to stop throwing items carelessly simply to keep our surrounding clean.”

In the film Hoite Surma, the biker stops his bike to pick up a discarded piece of plastic wrapping, lamenting with the lines: “people will never learn!”

The profound story of the film is by Manoj Pramanik.

At the masterclass, Akhtanin Khair Tanin, Green Manager for IAFM spoke at length about green filming.

“But it’s not just about going green in movies,” she said, pointing to a flamboyant scarf she was wearing: “this is actually made from recycled items, just as a snazzy as something which one may buy with the logo of a renowned brand.”

A producer present at the masterclass session, Shariful Anwar Shajjan, observed: “I feel that when making green films, people are often burdened by the thought as to what they will get out of it.”

I feel, instead of calculating green movie making from a mercenary angle, the overarching thought should be what we are leaving for others in the future, he added.

Understanding the ‘Shell’ to save the ‘Pearl’ within:

At the European Union Film Festival masterclass session two held at British Council on 6 December, acclaimed film maker Dipankar Dipon, better known for his police-terrorist thriller feature film Dhaka Attack, said: “Any film is a actually the pearl of creativity which is protected by a shell. If the shell is not firm, the pearl becomes flawed.”

While most talk about the pearl, I will focus on the shell because it’s just as or, at times, more important, observed Dipon.

So what is the shell?

It’s the finance, administration, management, marketing and sales of a film, including planning and following time-tested steps.

We all see the movie and often the movie making process, but that’s just one side of the film, because the major aspect is the planning, the securing of a producer and, most importantly, having a proper business plan.

Recounting a personal experience involving an illustrious actor, Dipon said: “once he (the actor) asked me what is needed to make a film, to which I responded saying a solid plot, a compelling script, proper equipment and well-crafted camera shots.”

However, when I finished, mentioning about six seven items, he simply said: “Dipon, to make a film, you need money.”

Deploring that many talented film makers simply slip into oblivion due to lack of funds or failure to secure a producer, Dipon added: “the money comes from four sources, established film producers, OTT platforms, state or other grants and crowd funding.”

When I failed to secure funding from all those tested and accepted sources, I decided to nurture and ‘make’ a producer by instilling interest in films in someone, Dipon added.

“Naturally, if someone is motivated to invest then s/he will certainly want a business plan.”

Dipon made it very clear that although a film may deal with creative impulses aiming to entertain the aesthetic senses, in the end, it’s also a business venture which must make profit for the producer or the investor.

“As a learning process it also dawned on me that if I secure four investors and also make an investment myself, the film does not have to be made following the whim and caprices of one producer” commented Dipon.

This means, the film maker also has to chip in with an amount.

Dipon bhai is a seasoned film maker and has honed his skills by making TV drama, documentaries and short/full length films; what he has said is hundred per cent fact, commented Rasul Anwar, a young film and media student.

Out of passion, one can make a few short films but if the desire is to take movie making seriously then the issues raised by Dipon bhai, under the rubric ‘Shell’ are vital.

In the end, movie making is about the livelihoods of a large number of people, including the director, said Rasul.

Alluding to the closure of cinema halls and a dwindling interest among producers to invest, one participant at the masterclass underlined the need for the relevant ministry and the government to allocate funds at several levels to encourage film making.

The government grant can be given on specified topics which can also include thriller, action and commercial films rather than limiting the grants to social drama, added the participant.

The masterclasses under the European Film Festival ended with most participants acknowledging the importance of reality that form the bedrock of film making.

When the lights go down, the screen becomes alive, we are transported to a world of magic and fantasy but beyond that glitter is the tale of grit and grounded realities.

The European Film Festival concludes on 7 December, 2025 at BRAC University.

Towheed Feroze is a former journalist!