The historic shooting sets of the Bangladesh Film Development Corporation (BFDC), located in the capital of Bangladeş, Dakka, and known as the heart of the country's cinema, are on the verge of ruin due to years of ongoing neglect. Out of the nine shooting studios in this state institution, which was once one of the production centers of the country's cinema, only five can be actively used today. The moment it rains, the roofs of these studios leak, the floors become submerged in water, and some equipment literally swims in the water. Employees state that rainfall is not a romance for them, but rather a nightmare and a disaster that will lead to the destruction of their equipment. This deplorable situation reveals how grave a crisis one of the region's most deep-rooted cinema institutions is facing.
Although institution officials have requested emergency funds to solve these massive roof and infrastructure problems, no serious concrete step has been taken yet. Masuma Rahman, the Managing Director of BFDC, sent an official letter to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on 5 Nisan, stating that 1,57,26,400 takas (approximately 1,57 million) are urgently needed to repair the roofs and drainage systems. Although the official stated that a general promise was made by the ministry, there has been no official notification regarding the allocation of funds or the initiation of physical repair work. These bureaucratic delays cause the institution to suffer more damage day by day and disrupt shooting activities.
Looking at the historical context, it is seen that BFDC was established in 1957, during the then Pakistan administration, and was a giant step for the region's cinema sector. However, with the sector's transition from analog to digital, the institution has fallen far behind in competition with private studios and has failed to catch up with modern technological infrastructure. Furthermore, while 11 state institutions such as Bangladeş Televizyonu and Bangladeş Radyosu receive shares from the annual state budget, no regular budget is allocated to BFDC. Initially planned to stand on its own revenues, the institution has become entirely dependent on government donations and grants to survive since 2014.
Active studios currently generate an income of about 2 million takas per month, constituting one of the institution's most important financial resources. Various advertising agencies, television channels, and independent film producers continue to prefer these spaces because they are more affordable compared to costly alternatives outside the city. For example, the film 'Banalata Express', which was released last Ramazan Bayramı, was shot in these facilities because indoor shooting sets could be built thanks to the wide studio areas. Director Tanim Noor explicitly stated that without BFDC's massive indoor spaces, the production of this film would have been completely impossible. However, the things that challenge producers the most today are the outdated equipment inside, the inadequate and dirty toilets, and the extreme heat intensely felt in the environment.
The delay in the buildings' repair processes and budget cuts not only put the institution in a financial impasse but also make its infrastructure security questionable. Even though it has been designated by the state as a strategically important and protected area (KPI), BFDC's internal operations and security are also questioned from time to time, and it is seen that unauthorized persons cannot be prevented from entering the institution. If officials do not immediately launch a permanent restoration and modernization project, this deep-rooted institution that has left its mark on Bangladeş cinema history faces the risk of becoming completely dysfunctional. This situation has also reignited debates on the necessity of preserving and sustaining state-supported cultural heritage and artistic production in the country.
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