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Tanvir Mokammel
Filmmaker & author from Bangladesh
At a Glance
Name | Tanvir Mokammel |
Gender | Male |
Date of Birth | March 8, 1955 in Khulna, East Pakistan (present day Bangladesh) |
Age | 69 as of 2024 |
Country of Birth | Bangladesh |
Grew up | Khulna |
Current City | Dhaka, Bangladesh |
Nationality | Bangladeshi |
Citizenship | Bangladesh |
Occupation | Filmmaker & Author (since 1984) |
Education | M.A. in English Literature |
School | St. Joseph’s High School, Khulna |
College | Dhaka College, Dhaka |
University | Dhaka University (B.A. Honours & M.A. in English) |
Personal Life | |
---|---|
Marital Status | Single |
Spouse | None |
Children | None |
Family | Mokammel Family |
Parents | |
Father | A. F. M. Mokammel |
Mother | Begum Sayida Mokammel |
Academic Duties | |
Faculty | International People’s College, Denmark (since 1995 to 1996), Stamford University, Bangladesh (since 2003 to 2005) |
Faculty | Bangladesh Film Institute (BFI) (since 2005 to 2024) |
Affiliations and Roles | |
Title | Founder & Director |
Company | Kino-Eye Films |
Founder, Director | Bangladesh Film Institute (BFI) |
Previous Role | |
President | Bangladesh Short Film Forum, 1985-1987, 1995-1997 |
Vice-President | Bangladesh Federation of Film Societies (1994-1997) |
Jury Member | 15th Rabat International Film Festival, Morocco, 2009 & 28th Kolkata International Film Festival, 2022 |
Jury Chairman | 2nd NEFVTA International Short Film Festival, 2023 |
Awards | Ten national awards, Chalachitram Award, Hiralal Sen Award, Bangla Academy Fellowship Award & Ekushey Padak (second highest civilian award in Bangladesh) |
Hobby | Reading books & travelling |
Writing | |
Books | Author of twenty-eight (28) books including novel, short story, poem, essay, and travelogue |
Filmography | |
Fiction Films | Eight (8) films |
Documentary Films | Seventeen (17) documentaries |
Early Life and Education
Tanvir Mokammel (Bangla: তানভীর মোকাম্মেল) grew up in Khulna. His father worked as a civil servant and his mother was a college teacher. He completed his Master’s in English literature at the University of Dhaka. He did a Film Appreciation Course from Bangladesh Film Archive in 1981.
Career
After his university days Tanvir Mokammel worked as a left-wing journalist and later joined the landless peasant movement in the rural areas of Bangladesh. Later he became involved with the Film Society Movement. He was the first president of Bangladesh Short Film Forum. He was one of the pioneers of the alternative cinema movement in Bangladesh. As an independent filmmaker he has made seven full length features, one short fiction and seventeen documentaries, some of which have received national and international awards. He also established Bangladesh Film Institute (BFI) in 2005 to promote film education in Bangladesh. Mr. Mokammel is also a prolific writer who has so far written twenty-eight books. The books include novels, short stories, poems, essays and travelogue.
Awards
- “The River Named Modhumati” (1995), received three national awards for best story, best dialogue and best story.
- “Quiet Flows the River Chitra” (1998), received seven national awards including best film, best story, best script, best art direction.
- “A Tree Without Roots” Lalsalu, received eight national awards including the best film, best script, best cinematography, best sound and best director.
- “Lalon” (2007), received one national award.
- Tanvir Mokammel in total received ten national awards for his films.
- “Garments Girls of Bangladesh” (2007), received the award for best documentary film of the year, Bangladesh Federation of Film Societies.
- “Tajuddin Ahmad: An Unsung Hero” (2007), received the best foreign language documentary film award by TVS Community Television Channel, Australia.
- “The Promised Land” (2007), received 2nd best film in the South Asian Film Festival, Kathmandu, Nepal.
- He received “Chalachitram Award” for his contribution to cinema.
- Tanvir Mokammel received Hiralal Sen Award for his achievement in 2022.
- Tanvir Mokammel has received an honorary “Fellowship Award” from Bangla Academy in 2023.
- For his contribution to the art of cinema, the government of Bangladesh has awarded Tanvir Mokammel with the prestigious “Ekushey Padak” award in 2017.
Tanvir Mokammel on the Internet
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FAQ
Where was Tanvir Mokammel born?
He was born in Khulna, Bangladesh.
How many films has Tanvir Mokammel made?
He has made seven full-length features and sixteen documentaries and short films, some of which have won national and international awards.
Does Tanvir Mokammel teach filmmaking?
Yes, he founded the Bangladesh Film Institute (BFI) in 2005 to offer filmmaking courses, and he regularly instructs his students there.
Is he also involved in writing?
Yes, he is a prolific writer with twenty-eight books to his name, including novels, short stories, poems, and articles.