The Other National Cinema in Bangladesh

Alternative Cinema aspires to represent National Cinema in Bangladesh. On the other hand, the problematic term “Art Cinema” is tagged on its forefront. How does this cinema of the margin balance the existence between these two paradoxical positions? It is more pertinent to ask if alternative cinema can be distinguished as a singular cinematic trait at this time of myriad possibilities in the film bazaar. It has been more than three decades now, that the alternative cinema began its formal journey here. The movement; initially in the form of collective activism and later more as a trend practiced by like-minded and not so like-minded individuals; strategized, wrangled, probed, provocated and survived. This book argues that alternative cinema indeed sows the seed of national cinema in Bangladesh. It portrays the collective dream of the people, explores pristine history of the land, nurtures experiment with local visual sensitivities and asks questions that are relevant to the society, politics and philosophy of this delta. The book is a chronicle of this saga.