10 Short Films Produced Amid Busy Corporate Jobs
A collage of posters of 10 short films.
Even amid the demands of corporate jobs, a group of young professionals managed to keep their dream of making films alive. This aspiration led to the creation of an initiative called Friendly Neighborhood Filmmakers (FNF). As part of this project, 10 filmmakers independently directed 10 short films on a small scale and with minimal budgets.
The films were first screened on May 30 last year. To mark the anniversary of that screening, the short films have now been released on YouTube.
On May 27, a Facebook post on the FNF page read: “While you’ve enjoyed Kalabhuna, Mezbani, and Rezala to satisfy your physical hunger, now it’s time to satisfy your creative hunger!”
The 10 short films, covering different genres, are available on the FNF YouTube channel. The films are: Hudai Miss (5:45) by Zahidul Haque Opu, Humangulus (5:31) by Ibne Noor Rakib, Soulmate (4:26) by Adel Imam Anup, Cha Chai (6:05) by Sheikh Khorashani, Telapoka (5:54) by Al-Amin Hasan Nirjhar, Lok (3:36) a Bangladeshi folk horror film by Mahmudha Sultana Rima, In Another World (4:43) by Konok Khandaker, For Sale (8:24) by Fazle Rabbi featuring Rizvi Rizu, On the Contrary (13:29) by Imtiaz Hossain featuring singer Ahmed Hasan Sani, and Ispait (6:35), a romantic story by Abir Ferdous Mukhor.
Director Zahidul Haque Opu, who made Hudai Miss, a short film about a corporate employee encountering a jinn, said that around 20 members are part of the FNF platform, all sharing the same creative vision. Ten of them directed films, while the rest worked both in front of and behind the camera. “This was our first season. We are now preparing for the second season, where new filmmakers will join. We aim to make films by adding value from everyone’s respective roles,” he said.
Sheikh Khorashani added that their goal was to create films with low budgets, which they achieved in the first season. “We will continue this practice and also try to make our work more professional,” he said.
The filmmakers hope this initiative will inspire new creators to tell stories even within limited resources.
