Arafat for ensuring transparency in disbursing grants for films

The government is committed to ensuring transparency and accountability in disbursement of government grants for film production, State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Mohammad Ali Arafat said today (4 March).

"More transparency and professionalism will be ensured in disbursement of government grants for filmmaking," he said at a view-exchange meeting with members of the 'Script Selection Committee' and 'Grant Disbursement Committee' for full length feature films at his ministry's conference room in Bangladesh Secretariat, per an official release.

Noting that the government wants to involve skilled and experienced film personalities in the film selection process for grants, Arafat said the government's aim is to ensure production of good and quality films with public grants.

In the meeting, he gave directives to the committee's members on selecting scripts and finalising the films for grants.

Describing the process for selecting scripts, the state minister said, based on the quality, the committee for script selection will initially shortlist the package proposals submitted for grants.

Then, the shortlisted grant aspirants will make presentations in front of expert members in the respective fields of the selection committee, he categorically said, adding, based on the presentation, the selection committee members will give marks to each script and send those to the Information and Broadcasting Ministry for further shortlisting as per the marks obtained in the presentation.

Members of the Grant Disbursement Committee will observe the process.

Later, the grant aspirants recommended by the selection committee will have to make presentations before members of the grant disbursement committee.

Based on the presentation, the grant disbursement committee will give marks to the proposals and send those to the ministry for taking the final decision over the grant disbursement, while the members of the script selection committee will observe the activities of the grant disbursement committee.

Joint Secretary of Information and Broadcasting Ministry Md Kawser Ahammed and Deputy Secretary Md Saiful Islam, script selection committee members Dhaka University (DU) Television, Film and Photography Department Assistant Professor Riffat Ferdous, filmmaker Md Mushfiqur Rahman Gulzar and actresses Falguni Hamid and Afsana Mimi, and grant disbursement committee members DU Theatre and Performance Department professor and actress Wahida Mallik Jolly, Stamford University's Film and Media Department associate professor and filmmaker Matin Rahman, Bangladesh Film Directors Association President Kazi Hayat and Rainbow Chalachchitra Sangsad president Ahmed Mujtaba Jamal were present at the meeting.