129 cultural activists worry because “Saturday afternoon” is still blocked

129 cultural activists nationwide have expressed concern as Mustafa Saryar Faruqi’s film “Saturday Afternoon” has been stuck in the Censorship Bureau for more than three and a half years.

Filmmakers, actors, painters, cultural organizers and people from different branches of culture united in this statement around this film.

The statement also alleged that the Bangladesh Film Censor Board was acting “unfairly” in withholding the film. Apart from this, the cultists also demanded the quick release of the film.

Actor Nasir Uddin Yusuf’s statement said, “Film-drama-music, in various fields of art and culture, multi-faceted obstacles arise from time to time, which worries us. This concern increases when we see that the film “Saturday Afternoon” by our filmmaker friend Suhrid Mustafa Saryar Faruqi has been stuck on the Censor Board for over three and a half years for no reason.”

The film ‘Saturday Afternoon’ was made by director Farooqui against the backdrop of the terrorist attack on Holy Artisan Bakery. Even though the film was screened overseas, audiences in the country still haven’t had a chance to see the film due to the lack of permission from the Bangladesh Film Censor Board. Farooqi previously alleged that his film was suspended for “an unknown reason”. He also announced to go to court to release the film.

The depositors of this movie are Mamunur Rashid, Syed Salauddin Zaki, Nasir Uddin Yusuf, Raisul Islam Asad, Sara Zaker, Syed Jamil Ahmed, Shimul Yusuf, Afzal Hossain, Chatku Ahmed, Morshedul Islam, Tariq Anam Khan, Dhali Al Mamun, Shamim Akhtar , Munira Morshed Munni, Anisul Haque. Also, Shahiduzzaman Salim, Fazlur Rahman Babu, Zahid Hasan, Tauqeer Ahmed, Catherine Masud, Ghiyas Uddin Salim, Nurul Alam Atiq, Tripa Majumder, Amitabh Reza Chowdhury, Qamar Ahmed Simon, Rubaiyat Hossain, Shahin Sumon, Ahsan Habib Nasim, Rawonak Hasan , Chanchal Chowdhury, Jaya Ahsan, Mezbaur Rahman Sumon, Zakia Bari Mom, Nusrat Imroz Tisha, Ajmeri Haque Bandhan, Ashutosh Sujan, Adnan Al Rajeev, Raihan Rafi etc.