Tareque Al Masud | |
|---|---|
তারেক মাসুদ | |
 Masud inSylhet, December 2010 | |
| Born | Tarequer Masud (1956-12-06)6 December 1956 |
| Died | 13 August 2011(2011-08-13) (aged 54) Ghior Upazila,Manikganj, Bangladesh |
| Resting place | Nurpur,Bhanga,Faridpur |
| Monuments | The Wreckage Microbus of Mishuk Munier and Tareque Masud |
| Nationality | Bangladeshi |
| Other names | Cinema Feriwalla |
| Education | MA |
| Alma mater | University of Dhaka |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1995–2011 |
| Known for | Matir Moina |
| Notable work | |
| Spouse | Catherine Masud |
| Children | 1 |
| Awards | Ekushey Padak (2012) |
| Website | tarequemasud |
| Signature | |
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Tareque Masud (6 December 1956 – 13 August 2011) was aBangladeshi independent film director, film producer, screenwriter and lyricist.[1] He first found success with the filmsMuktir Gaan (1995) andMatir Moina (2002), for which he won three international awards, including the International Critics'FIPRESCI Prize, in theDirectors' Fortnight at2002 Cannes Film Festival.[2] The film becameBangladesh's first film to compete for theAcademy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
Masud died in a road accident on 13 August 2011 while returning to Dhaka fromManikganj on the Dhaka-Aricha highway after visiting a filming location.[3] Masud was working onKagojer Phool (The Paper Flower).[4][5]
In 2012, he posthumously receivedEkushey Padak, the second highest civilian award ofBangladesh.[6] In 2013,New York University Asian/Pacific/American Institute, and South Asia Solidarity Initiative, hosted the first North American retrospective of his films.[7]
Masud was born on 6 December 1956 in Nurpur village,Bhanga Upazila,Faridpur District,East Pakistan (nowBangladesh).[8] He grew up in Nurpur village and started his education in an Islamic school (madrasah). He studied in the madrassa system for eight years, until the upheaval brought about by the 9-monthLiberation War interrupted his education in 1971. After the war, he entered general education, completing hisHSC fromNotre Dame College and completed his master's degree in history from theUniversity of Dhaka.[9][10][11]
Tareque was involved in the film society movement from his university days and started his first film,Adam Surat (The Inner Strength), a documentary on the Bangladeshi painterSM Sultan, in 1982. His 1995 feature-length documentary on the 1971 Liberation War,Muktir Gaan (Song of Freedom), brought record audiences and became a cult classic. He also made many other films on the war, includingMuktir Kotha (Words of Freedom, 1999),Narir Kotha (Women and War, 2000) andNaroshundor (The Barbershop, 2009). In 2002, he completed his feature filmMatir Moina (The Clay Bird), which was based on his childhood experience in the madrassa.
As a part of his filmmaking work, he was a pioneer of theindependent film movement in Bangladesh. In 1986, Tareque was a founding member ofBangladesh Short Film Forum, the leading platform for independent filmmakers in Bangladesh. In 1988, he organized the country's first International Short and Documentary Film Festival, which is held on a biannual basis to this day. He was also known as the "Cinema Feriwalla" for the way in which he showed his films, touring remote towns and villages throughout the country with his mobile projection unit.[12]
His wife, an American-born film editorCatherine Masud, was his creative partner. They met at the time he was completing work onAdam Surat and spent the next two decades making films together through their production houseAudiovision. Together they wrote scripts, often co-directed, and toured the country and the world with their films. Catherine also edited all of their work.[12]
Masud's first film was the documentaryAdam Surat (Inner Strength) on the Bangladeshi painterSM Sultan which he completed in 1989. His most famous film in the early age of his career was the documentaryMuktir Gaan (The Song of Freedom, 1995) where the camera follows a music troupe during the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971.[13] The members of the troupe sing songs to inspire freedom fighters.
His first full-length feature film,Matir Moina ("The Clay Bird", 2002) which debuted at theCannes Film Festival, derives inspiration from his own childhood experiences. He won the International Critic's Award at theCannes Film Festival in 2002 for this film,[2] as well as theFIPRESCI Prize forDirectors' Fortnight for "its authentic, moving and delicate portrayal of a country struggling for its democratic rights."[14]Matir Moina was received with critical praise and toured the international circuit. It was one of the firstBangladeshi films to be widely circulated and was greeted with enthusiasm for its realistic depiction of life without themelodrama that is prevalent in many otherSouth Asian films.
His film,Ontarjatra ("Homeland", 2006), featured two generations of Bangladeshi diaspora in London and their return to Bangladesh. His next feature film,Runway (2010) was about the influence of radical religious teachings on a young boy, caught between many modernistic. Masud's last unfinished project wasKagojer Phool ("The Paper Flower"), about thepartition of the Indian subcontinent. This film has become a prequel toMatir Moina (2002).
Masud and Catherine Shapere have a son, Nishad Bingham Putra Masud.[15]
On 13 August 2011, Masud died in a road accident at Joka underGhior Upazila while returning to Dhaka fromManikganj on the Dhaka-Aricha highway after visiting a shooting location.[16] His microbus collided head-on with an oncoming passenger bus.[3] He along with the other passengers were travelling to choose shooting locations for his new filmKagojer Phool (The Paper Flower), filming of which was supposed to begin after shooting locations were finalized.[4]
Masud was travelling with long-time co-workerMishuk Munier, a cinematographer, journalist and CEO ofATN News. Munier also died in the accident.[16]
Masud's wife, Catherine, along with four others, survived the accident. Since his death, Catherine has established theTareque Masud Memorial Trust, which is dedicated to the task of archiving and memorializing Masud's work through publications, educational projects, screening programs, and the completion of their unfinished works.[12]
On 6 December 2018, aGoogle Doodle was displayed on Google Bangladesh page to celebrate his 62nd birthday.[17]
Masud was received many international and national awards for his notable works. He received Best Film Award fromBengal Film Journalists' Association Awards in 1996 and aSpecial Jury Prize from Festival of South Asian Documentaries in 1997 and a National Award for Documentary filmMuktir Gaan.
He received an International Critics'FIPRESCI Prize, in theDirectors' Fortnight section outside competition at the2002 Cannes Film Festival.[2] Best Screenplay Award fromInternational Film Festival of Marrakech in 2002. Best Film Award fromBengal Film Journalists' Association Awards,Kara Film Festival and Channel I Film Awards in 2003 from the filmMatir Moina (2002).
After Masud received Jury Prize from International Video Festival of India in 2003, Best Direction award from International Film Festival Bangladesh in 2006, Special Jury Award, Osian's Cinefan Festival Delhi in 2006,Meril Prothom Alo Awards in 2010 etc.
In 2012, he receivedEkushey Padak, the highest civilian award ofBangladesh posthumously.[6] In 2013,New York University Asian/Pacific/American Institute, and South Asia Solidarity Initiative, hosted the first North American retrospective of his films.[7]
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Muktir Gaan | Director | Special Mention – Festival of southasian documentaries at Film South Asia, 1997 Best Film —Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards, 1996 National Award for Documentary, 1996 |
| 2002 | Muktir Kotha | Director | Best Narrative Documentary —Three Continents Festival, 2002 |
| 2002 | Matir Moina | Director | FIPRESCI Prize in sectionDirectors' Fortnight,2002 Cannes Film Festival[18] |
| 2002 | A Kind of Childhood | Director | Jury Prize – International Video Festival of India, 2003 |
| 2006 | Ontarjatra | Director | Best Direction – International Film Festival Bangladesh, 2006 Special Jury Award —Osian's Cinefan Festival of Asian and Arab Cinema, 2006 |
| 2010 | Runway | Director | Best Film —Meril Prothom Alo Awards, 2010 2004 Nominated – Directors Guild of Great Britain, Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Foreign Language Film |
Masud has frequently cast the same actors more than once in films that he has directed.
| Actor | Adam Surat (1989) | Matir Moina (2002) | Ontarjatra (2006) | Runway (2010) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jayanta Chattopadhyay1 |  Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Md. Moslemuddin | Y | Y | ||
| Rokeya Prachy | Y | Y | Y |
Masud's films have recurring themes with subtexts. These include the religious conflicts between humanity and society, strong female characters, and a strong patriot movement.
| Year | Title | Credited as | Notes | Ref(s) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director | Writer | Producer | Other | ||||
| 1985 | Shonar Beri | Yes | Yes | No | No | Documentary film | |
| 1989 | Adam Surat | Yes | No | Yes | No | Biogralhical documentary onSM Sultan | |
| 1992 | Unison | Yes | Yes | No | No | Animated documentary film | |
| 1993 | Shey | Yes | Yes | No | No | Documentary film Co-directed by Shameem Akhter | |
| 1995 | Muktir Gaan | Yes | No | No | No | Documentary film footage filmed byLear Levin | |
| 1997 | Shishu Kantha | Yes | Yes | No | No | Documentary film | |
| 1999 | Nirapotter Namey | Yes | Yes | No | No | Documentary film | |
| 1999 | Muktir Kotha | Yes | No | No | No | Documentary film | |
| 2000 | Narir Kotha | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Documentary film | |
| 2002 | Matir Moina | Yes | Yes | No | No | Co-written withCatherine Masud | |
| 2002 | A Kind of Childhood | Yes | Yes | No | No | Documentary film Co-directed with Catherine Masud | |
| 2006 | Ontarjatra | Yes | Yes | No | No | Co-directed with Catherine Masud | |
| 2008 | Kansater Pothay | Yes | Yes | No | No | Documentary film Co-directed with Catherine Masud | |
| 2009 | Noroshundor | Yes | Yes | No | No | Co-directed with Catherine Masud | |
| 2010 | Runway | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Music director Co-directed with Catherine Masud | |
| TBA | Kagojer Phul | No | Yes | No | No | an unfinished feature | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
