The long-awaited election of the Bangladesh Film Producers and Distributors Association has been postponed just days before voting was scheduled to take place.
The election was set for 8 August, marking the organisation’s first vote in seven years.
However, the process has now been suspended for two months following a court case filed by presidential candidate Ashraf Uddin Ahmed Uzzal .
The development was confirmed by Kamal Mohammod Kibria Lipu, a candidate for the post of general secretary from the same panel.
According to sources, the dispute centres on Article 18(4) of the 2025 regulations, which states that any person who has served two consecutive terms on the executive committee or board of directors must take a break of at least one term before contesting another election.
Under this provision, the Ministry of Commerce recently cancelled the nominations of Khorshed Alam Khosru and Shamsul Alam.
However, both candidates later regained their nominations after appealing to the election board.
Uzzal subsequently challenged that decision by filing a case against the reinstatement of the two candidates.
Following the case, the court ordered the election to be suspended for two months.
The Bangladesh Film Producers and Distributors Association last held its election on 27 July 2019.
Since then, legal disputes and disagreements over the voter list have prevented a fresh election from taking place.
As a result, the association has been run by an administrator rather than an elected committee for the past seven years.
The upcoming election was expected to end the prolonged administrative deadlock, with two panels fielding 42 candidates for 21 positions, including president and general secretary.
The latest court order has once again delayed the formation of a new elected leadership.
