Dhaka film history/since 1971

The War of Liberation inspired producers to make films of a new type. The first film of the new series was produced by Zahir Raihan. During the liberation war, he made and produced Stop Genocide and some short films. Alamgir Kabir produced a short film titled Liberation Fighters. Based on the liberation war, Chashi Nazrul Islam made the first full-length film Ora Egaro Jan (The Eleven of Them) in 1972.

1970s
Films of the early 1970s contained scenes of combat, suspense, cheap romance and sex, as well as dances and songs, and farcical humour. Many local films imitated ideas and episodes from foreign films, all with commercial purposes. The trend continued till 1990s, when the film industry started facing competition from movies offered by satellite TV channels.

Organisations of film industries in Bangladesh include private sector institutions like the Chalachitra Sangsad created in 1963, and the Dhaka Film Institute (1969), and public sector establishments such as the Bangladesh Film Institute (1978), the Film Archive (1978), the National Film Awards and Grant Fund (1975).

Current scenario
Although the film industry of the country is now producing more films per year than it did in the past, there has been little qualitative improvement. The country produced only one film in 1956. In the 1960s, the number of films released per year averaged 20, which rose to 90 in the 1990s. The condition of the industry in the country, however, is far from satisfactory. Use of VCR and VCD and increased access to satellite TV channels, home screening, and computer CDs are making films available at home.

People, especially educated ones, now avoid going to cinema halls. To draw general public to cinema halls, many film producers are now making films with outrageous stories and scenes of violence, sexuality, and tomfoolery. Films with good plots and artistic excellence suitable for export to foreign market have become very rare.

The cost of producing films has increased manifold at present. Due to technical reasons, black and white films are not produced now. The money required in making an average quality colour film of 14 thousand feet is about Tk 6.5 million. Nevertheless, viewing film is still the most accessible and a cheap form of recreation for many.

Source

 * Banglapedia
 * The New Nation: Fifty years of Dhaka films