DEADLINE: How much of the film happened in real life and how much is fiction?
Nowadays I only post about my work.
This strange cultural situation pushed me towards this story.
Something Like An AutobiographyChabial, Chorki
DEADLINE: The film talks about the impact of social media, especially on celebrities lives.
Do you think social media has made Bangladeshi society less tolerant?
But the algorithm is driving us all crazy the more negative the content is, the bigger the reach.
Mostofa Sarwar Farooki
Theyd have a heated argument, but after five minutes theyd be hugging.
The problem with social media is that you never have to look anyone in the eye.
But I dont want to sound completely negative.
Its mostly in the middle class but positive changes are happening.
DL: Why did you and Tisha decide to team up with Chorki?
MSF:Theyve become the flagship service among Bengali-speaking digital platforms and their programming is really unique.
We were asking where is all the great drama like theyre producing in America?
The idea behind Ministry of Love is a series of films that take an intelligent look at male-female relationships.
Last Defenders Of Monogamy, which just wrapped, is a combination of offbeat humour and poignant emotion.
I guess, Chorki is really trying to make a difference with their programming.
Theyve already seen some strong Bangladeshi dramas work on their platform.
DL: Bangladeshi films are punching above their weight on the international film festival circuit.
What is encouraging the new wave?
So we have interesting times ahead.
What we lack is government policy we dont want money, we just dont want the government blocking us.
They need to open up the environment so people can make films on any subject they want.
Its about the fact that when one film gets blocked all the other filmmakers start self-censoring.
We need to be able to flourish and take advantage of all those great young filmmakers coming out.
DL: So streaming isnt negatively affecting indie filmmaking in Bangladesh like it is in some other territories?
MSF:People are still going to cinemas as well as watching the streaming services.
Netflix is popular but streamers with Bengali-language content like Chorki and Hoichoi seem to be more popular.
The big global streamers like Netflix and Amazon Prime say they need local content.
Perhaps its time for them to start looking at some different language groups.
