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Filmmakers on Wednesday demanded introduction of a rating system instead of banning any content.

They also demanded reforms of the film censor board.  

Filmmaker Khandaker Sumon, Khijir Hayat Khan and Muhammad Quayum said that the government should reform the film censor board to create a film-friendly environment in the country for the audience and filmmakers.

‘The laws on film screening are against the film industry. If any deputy commissioner decides to stop screening of a film in his district, he can do it even if the film has a sensor certificate from the Bangladesh Film Censor Board. Almost all laws on censorship were formulated by rulers who ruled this area as their colony. After independence of Bangladesh, no one reformed the laws on the censorship,’ said Khandaker Sumon.

‘Our government was not democratic. So they did not believe in people’s mandate. The censor board is also run by the government who work to suppress the voices. The censor board has a lot of observations about local films but they appreciate foreign films which forces our filmmakers to make self-censorship about contents,’ he added.

‘Instead of a film censor board, we need a team which can observe the contents and tag them with various grades which is now practised globally,’ said Sumon.

‘The film censor board is comprised of six government officials of different ministries creating administrative complications while other members of the board bias the government  creating a barrier to making good films,’ Khijir Hayat Khan said, adding, ‘We need an authority with fewer officials from the ministry on the board to simplify  the entire process of rating the films. We need members who can judge a film neutrally.’

‘Now a filmmaker plans to make a film to satisfy the censor board, even at a primary level such as scriptwriting, dialogues and other elements, which are not healthy for the independent film industry, but rather dangerous for developing the film culture. We have to reform the system of the censor board as the film rating system is being practiced globally,’ added Khijir Hayat Khan.

Echoing Khijir Hayat Khan, Muhammad Quayum stressed the need for introducing a rating system rather than banning any content.

‘In a modern country, anyone can watch any content from different platforms. So the authorities cannot ban any content through the censor board. They can guide the audience about the contents who they are appropriate for,’ said Muhammad Quayum.