Prof Dr Zakir Hossain Raju, head of the Department of Media and Communication at Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB), has been appointed as a member of the newly formed Bangladesh Film Certification Board.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting announced the 15-member committee through a gazette notification on September 22, 2024, under the Bangladesh Film Certification Act 2023, which replaced the previous film censor board.
Dr Raju, an independent filmmaker and respected film researcher, is one of eight expert members on the board, which includes renowned filmmakers Kazi Hayat and Khijir Hayat Khan, actress Quazi Nawshaba Ahmed, and director Tasmiah Afrin Mou, among others. Six government officials serve in ex-officio capacities.
The certification board is responsible for evaluating films produced domestically and imported from abroad, issuing appropriate age-based ratings such as U, G, PG, M, and 18+. The board aims to preserve artistic integrity while ensuring films are suitable for their audiences.
Dr Raju, also director of the King Sejong Institute at IUB, is the author of Bangladesh Cinema and National Identity, the first research-based monograph on the Bangladeshi film industry.
In 2004, he became the first Bangladeshi to earn a PhD in film studies.
He has previously chaired the Netpac jury for the Asian Film Competition at the Venice International Film Festival and the International Film Festival Rotterdam.
Dr Raju currently serves as Vice President of the International Film Initiative of Bangladesh and is a former president of the Bangladesh Short Film Forum.
