Tanvir Mokammel

Tanvir Mokammel grew up in Khulna.^[7] His father worked as a magistrate in Narail and his mother was a teacher in a local college.^[7] He completed his master's in English literature at the University of Dhaka.^[6]

Since he was a university student, Mokammel worked as a left-wing journalist for landless peasants in rural areas.^[8] As a filmmaker he has made six full-length features and fifteen documentaries and short films, some of which have received national and international awards.^[9]

His feature films are "Nodir Naam Modhumoti" (The River Named Modhumati), "Chitra Nodir Pare" (Quiet Flows the River Chitra), "Lalsalu" (A Tree Without Roots), "Lalon" , "Rabeya" (The Sister), and "Jibondhuli" (The Drummer). Tanvir Mokammel's prominent documentaries are "The Garment Girls of Bangladesh", "The Unknown Bard", "Teardrops of Karnaphuli", "Riders to the Sunderbans", "A Tale of the Jamuna River", "The Promised Land", "Tajuddin Ahmad :An Unsung Hero", "The Japanese Wife", "Swapnabhumi" and mega-documentary "1971". His movies "Nadir Naam Modhumati" (The River Named Modhumati) and "Chitra Nodir Pare" (Quiet Flows the River Chitra) ranked second and third respectively in the list of 10 best Bangladeshi films, in the audience and critics' polls conducted by the British Film Institute.^[10]

Mokammel has written poems, short stories, and newspaper articles on cinema and cultural issues. Tanvir Mokammel's important books are "A Brief History of World Cinema", "The Art of Cinema", "Charlie Chaplin: Conquests by a Tramp", "Syed Waliullah, Sisyphus and Quest of Tradition in Novel" (a work of literary criticism), "Grundtvig and Folk Education" (a book on alternative educational ideas), and a translation of Maxim Gorky's play "The Lower Depths".^[8]

Mokammel established a film institute called Bangladesh Film Centre.^[6]

Mokammel received Ekushey Padak, the second highest civilian award in 2017 for notable contribution in Bengali film.^[14]