Bangladesh Film Censor Board

The Bangladesh Film Certification Board is a regulatory agency that is responsible for the censorship of films and is located in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Predecessor

The Bangladesh Film Censor Board board was set up in 1977 following the framing of Bangladesh Censorship of Film Rules. The agency is responsible for the censorship of locally produced movies and foreign imports, and acts as the registrar of film clubs in Bangladesh. Martuza Ahmed, the secretary of the Ministry of Information, is the ex-officio chairman of the board.

In 2015, the board blocked '' My Bicycle'' directed by Aung Rakhine, the first film in the Chakma language (a minority language) in Bangladesh. It also blocked a movie about the Rana Plaza building collapse in which more than a thousand garment workers died. Another movie was banned in which the villain wore a Mujib coat, a style associated with the founding president of Bangladesh, Sheikh Mujib.

Administratively, the Film Censor Board operated under the supervision of a chairman, who oversaw a vice-chairman, a secretary, and six directors.

In 2024, the Film Censor Board was abolished based on demands from filmmakers, and in its place, the Certification Board was established. It consists of 15 members chaired by the Secretary of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

Amendment

The Bangladesh Film Censorship Board was established through advertisements under Section 3 of the Censorship of Films Act, 1963 (Amendment up to 2006), and Rule 4 of The Bangladesh Censorship of Films Rules, 1977.

''The Bangladesh Film Certification Act 2023'' was published as a significant change, establishing methods and conditions for film certification for Bangladesh's film and television institutions. The law was gazetted by the Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, Dhaka, on 13 November 2023, according to the President's approval.

In 2023, Act No. 52, the Censorship of Films Act, 1963, was repealed and replaced by a timely revision, reissued under the name ''Bangladesh Film Certification Act, 2023''.

Establishment

On September 22, 2024, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting of Bangladesh issued a notification establishing the "Bangladesh Film Certification Board" by dissolving the Censor Board and forming a committee of 15 distinguished members. The board will be chaired by the Secretary of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

Among its founding members are the President of the Bangladesh Film Directors' Association,Film Professors of the Independent University, Bangladesh and filmmakers/researchers Dr. Zakir Hossain Raju, producer ''Rafiqul Anwar Russell'', filmmaker ''Zahid Hossen'', film editor ''Ikbal Ehsanul Kabir'',Actor Quazi Nawshaba Ahmed, filmmaker Khijir Hayat Khan, and filmmaker ''Tasmiya Afrin Mau''.
Additional members include the Senior Secretary/Secretary of the Ministry of Law and Justice, Press Secretary of the Principal Adviser's Office, Additional Secretary (Film) of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, a representative from the Department of Public Safety, and the Managing Director of the Bangladesh Film Development Corporation.

Notably, on September 17, the positions of the Censor Board were withdrawn by Actor Shabnam, filmmaker Ashfaque Nipun and writer Mohammad Nazim Uddin.

References

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1977 establishments in Bangladesh
Organisations based in Dhaka
Government agencies of Bangladesh
Film censorship by country
Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (Bangladesh)
Regulators of Bangladesh