A documentary celebrating the life and work of renowned Bangladeshi photographer Nasir Ali Mamun has added another international honour to its growing list of achievements.
‘Mamun: In Praise of Shadows’, directed by British-Bangladeshi filmmaker Makbul Chowdhury, has won the Best Biographical Documentary award at the MosDocFest Documentary Film Festival in Moscow, Russia.
The recognition follows two earlier international accolades for the film. It won Best Documentary at the UK Asian Film Festival in the United Kingdom and received a Special Jury Mention at the fifth World Film Festival in Kolkata.
The latest award further strengthens the documentary’s international profile while bringing renewed attention to Mamun’s contribution to photography in Bangladesh.
For decades, Mamun has built a distinctive body of work through portrait photography. His images go beyond recording appearances, often seeking to reveal the emotions, personalities and inner lives of the people in front of his camera.
He has photographed influential figures from different walks of life, creating an extensive visual archive of people who have shaped Bangladesh’s cultural, intellectual and artistic history.
His portraits reflect a personal artistic vision, capturing not only individual identities but also the social and cultural settings surrounding his subjects.
Through his sustained work, Mamun has become a significant figure in Bangladesh’s photographic tradition. His collection also serves as a visual record of the country’s changing society and successive generations.
‘Mamun: In Praise of Shadows’ follows this artistic journey, exploring his creative philosophy, photographic methods and role in shaping portrait photography in Bangladesh.
The documentary also examines how his photographs have become part of the country’s cultural memory, preserving the faces and stories of notable personalities across generations.
By bringing together Mamun’s personal journey, artistic practice and photographic archive, the film offers an intimate look at an artist whose work explores the connections between photography, identity and human expression, according to the director.
