The goal is to push Asian cinema forward: Manoj Pramanik
"Being a student after a long time was quite interesting — that too when I am a teacher myself," shared actor Manoj Pramanik, who recently returned from Busan, South Korea, after seven months. The actor-turned-producer came back with a renewed and deeper understanding of the world of cinema. During his time there, he attended a film production course at the Busan Asian Film School (AFiS). Manoj has been teaching at the Department of Film and Media Studies at Jatiya Kabi Kazi Nazrul Islam University since 2016.
"What was the course all about?" – "The course offered a thorough understanding of film production, co-productions between Asian countries, and ways to create an avenue to expand the overall Asian film market," shared the actor. Everything about the programme left an impression on him — the teaching style, the mentors, and the content. "There were 20 students from 15 Asian countries, and I was the only participant from Bangladesh. We lived in the same building, cooked different cuisines in a shared kitchen, exchanged cultures, and attended classes together. Most importantly, I made some wonderful friends."
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He mentioned that producers from Bangladesh, such as Tanvir Hossain, Fazle Hasan Shishir, and Arifur Rahman, among others, previously took this training, and their productions are shining across the international film festivals. Manoj recently ventured into production, producing several short films, including "A Snail without Shell", directed by emerging filmmaker Mohin Rakhaine, which earned accolades at international film festivals.
When asked about when he plans to put this experience into practice, Manoj smiled, "I already have. As part of the course, I had to submit a project, and I'm continuing to work on it now. I'm looking at ways to further develop it and will soon apply for international funding. The goal of this course was to push Asian cinema forward in the global market. We discussed why we still can't compete with Hollywood – and how we can overcome those weaknesses to build one of the biggest film markets in the world."
But did he miss acting during his time away? "Very much," he admitted. "I was eagerly waiting to face the camera again. I returned home on October 22, and two days later, I shot a commercial. That should tell you how eager I was – I didn't want to waste a single moment."
Does that mean we'll now see him as a full-fledged producer? Manoj laughed, "I truly enjoy producing. But you know, in our country, the idea of a producer is quite different from what it is internationally. It's not just about investing money. A producer has to develop the project, find funding, and plan distribution. It's a long process, sometimes taking three to four years. I want to handle those responsibilities properly. In fact, I'm already producing a full-length film in collaboration with the Bangladesh government, and I have more plans for the future."
Manoj has also worn the director's hat. "That was just for learning," he said humbly about his short film "Hoite Surma", which has already travelled to film festivals.
His next big project is "Sheyana", a government-funded feature film. "If all goes well, we'll start shooting early next year," he revealed. "Right now, we're making a few script corrections. Once that's done, we'll finalise the casting," he said, adding that he won't be acting in this project.
For now, Manoj has just wrapped up a new commercial and is planning to shoot a short film soon. He also feels that the industry has slowed down a bit, though he hopes it will recover soon. "Due to a lack of audience attention or sponsors, the number of projects being made has decreased. But I want to believe that the situation will bounce back, as our audience has always shown eagerness for projects that are mindful and have merit," he concludes.
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