Cinema of Bangladesh

Cinema of Bangladesh
No. of screens	210 theaters (2024)[1] (Including single screen theaters and multiplex screen theaters.)
• Per capita	0.2 per 100,000 (2016)[2]
Main distributors	Impress Telefilm Tiger Media Jaaz Multimedia Monsoon Films Alpha-i Studios Chorki Bongo Versatile Media Live Technologies The Abhi Kathachitra
Produced feature films (2023)[3]
Total	51+
Gross box office (2023)[4]
Total	৳110 crore (US$9.2 million)

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The Cinema of Bangladesh, also known as Bangla cinema, is a diverse and vibrant entity, consisting of films produced across various regions in Bangladesh, each contributing its unique linguistic and cultural perspective. Beyond the dominant Dhaka based Bengali-language film industry Dhallywood (Bengali: ঢালিউড), which is a portmanteau of "Dhaka" and "Hollywood", Bangladesh is home to cinema in several other languages and dialects. For instance, Chakma cinema from Bandarban, Garo cinema from Sherpur, Meitei and Sylheti cinema from Sylhet, Chatgaiya cinema from Chattogram. These regional cinemas play a crucial role in preserving and promoting the linguistic and cultural heritage of the country. The dominant style of Bangladeshi cinema is melodramatic cinema, which developed from 1947 to 1990 and characterizes most films to this day. Cinema was introduced in Bangladesh in 1898 by the Bradford Bioscope Company, credited to have arranged the first film release in Bangladesh. Between 1913 and 1914, the first production company, Picture House, was opened. A 1928 short silent film titled Sukumari (lit. 'The Good Girl') was the first Bengali-produced film in the region. The first full-length film, The Last Kiss, was released in 1931.^[5]

Following the separation of Bangladesh from Pakistan, Dhaka became the center of the Bangladeshi film industry, and has generated the majority share of revenue, production and audiences for Dhallywood films. Mukh O Mukhosh, the first Bengali-language full-length feature film, was produced in 1956.^[6][7] During the 1970s, many Dhallywood films were inspired by Indian films, with some of the films being unofficial remakes of those films. The industry continued to grow, and many successful Bangladeshi films were produced throughout the 1970s, 1980s and the first half of the 1990s.

Directors such as Fateh Lohani, Zahir Raihan, Alamgir Kabir, Khan Ataur Rahman, Subhash Dutta, Ehtesham, Chashi Nazrul Islam, Kazi Hayat, Sheikh Niamat Ali, Tauquir Ahmed, Tanvir Mokammel, Tareque Masud, Morshedul Islam, Humayun Ahmed, Kamar Ahmad Simon, Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, Rezwan Shahriar Sumit, Abdullah Mohammad Saad Himel Ashraf, Raihan Rafi, and others have made significant contributions to Bangladeshi mainstream cinema, parallel cinema, and art films. Some have also won global acclaim.