In Bangladesh’s film industry, producers are often seen as its backbone. Yet, the very organisation that represents them – the Bangladesh Film Producers and Distributors Association – has been under administrative control for the past three years. An additional secretary from the Ministry of Commerce currently oversees the body’s activities.
This isn’t new. For most of the past decade, the association has been run by administrators rather than an elected committee. A string of court cases, writ petitions, and internal disputes have repeatedly delayed elections.
According to the association, the trouble began in 2016 when producer Nasir Hossain filed a writ petition challenging the validity of the election process. He argued that the organisation violated FBCCI rules, which prohibit anyone from contesting more than two consecutive terms. The High Court subsequently issued a three-month stay order, halting the election.
The next election was scheduled for May 21, 2022, for the 2022–24 term. However, just two days before the vote, on May 19, 2022, the High Court issued an order (Writ No. 6046/2022) suspending the election. Following the court’s directive, the Ministry of Commerce officially canceled the election through its memorandum No. 26.00.000.157-33(Part-4)97-197.
The Election Commission then revised the voter list as per the court order. This revision led to several candidates – including popular producers Dipjol and Selim Khan – losing eligibility to contest due to disqualification of their proposers and supporters. Meanwhile, previously disqualified candidates, such as Khorshed Alam and Shamsul Alam, regained their candidacy. Despite these adjustments, the election never took place.
The association has around 175 full members and 600 associate members, all waiting to know when the next election will be held.
Producer and leader Shamsul Alam explained, “For most of the past decade, our association has been run by administrators. Only for about 14 months – from 2019 – did an elected committee function. After that, it went back under administration.”
Recently, members met with the current administrator, Dr Razzak Hossain, to discuss the matter. Around 80 members attended the meeting, held on Saturday, 1 November.
Member Khorshed Alam Khosru said, “The administrator assured us he’ll take steps to organise the election as soon as possible. We emphasised how the lack of an elected committee is affecting film releases, revenue collection from theatres, and overall film production.”
Shamsul Alam added, “It’s unfortunate that our elections keep getting stalled because of legal actions filed by our own members. We plan to sit together and resolve this issue internally.”
Beyond the election, the meeting also produced several other resolutions. A Tk1 crore fund will be created under the association’s name, with contributions already pledged by members. A committee will also be formed to support veteran actress Sujata, who is unwell, and the family of the late association staff member Zainal.
