Fazlul Haque Memorial Award to honour Raihan Rafi and Alimuzzaman

Filmmaker Raihan Rafi and veteran journalist Alimuzzaman will be honoured with this year's Fazlul Haque Memorial Award, organisers announced on Saturday. The award, given annually in memory of pioneering film journalist Fazlul Haque, will be presented on October 26 to mark his death anniversary.

Fazlul Haque, often regarded as the father of film journalism in Bangladesh, was the editor of the country's first cinema magazine "Cinema" and the director of the landmark children's film "President". To preserve his legacy, the award was introduced in 2004 by noted author Rabeya Khatun. Each year, it recognises distinguished contributions in filmmaking and film journalism, accompanied by a cash prize, certificate and crest.

"The Fazlul Haque Memorial Award is more than an honour—it is a remembrance of the man who gave Bangladeshi cinema its first organised voice," said Amirul Islam, general secretary of the award committee.

Over the past two decades, the award has celebrated many leading figures in film and culture, including Saidul Anam Tutul, Chashi Nazrul Islam, Humayun Ahmed, Subhash Dutta, Amjad Hossain, Nasiruddin Yousuff, Razzak, Syed Salahuddin Zaki, Mostafa Sarwar Farooki, Kohinoor Akhtar Suchanda, Alamgir, Kazi Hayat, Gias Uddin Selim and Alauddin Majid.

This year, the honour goes to two contemporary voices—Raihan Rafi, whose films have drawn younger audiences back to theatres, and Alimuzzaman, whose career in film journalism spans decades.