Information and Broadcasting Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud exchanged views with hundreds of hall owners and entrepreneurs on the facilities and efficient use of the easy loan fund of Tk 1,000 crore announced by the government for the construction and renovation of new cinema halls.
Speaking as the chief guest after a discussion with hundreds of cinema hall owners from across the country at an information exchange meeting organized by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting at the Information Building auditorium in the capital's Kakrail on Thursday afternoon, the minister said “With this, it is possible to open hundreds of cinema halls across the country in the next one and a half to two years. We want our movie industry to take its place on the world stage.”
Describing film as a huge aspect of culture, the minister said that the development of film and cinema halls helps to protect the society from going astray. The film industry can also play a big role in protecting young people from drug addiction and militancy.
At the meeting, the owners of the cinema hall described the formation of a loan fund of the money on easy terms as a landmark step for the revival of the country's film industry. Sudipta Kumar Das, chief adviser of the Bangladesh Film Exhibitors Association, said that in the interest of managing the hall, besides improving and increasing the quality of cinema in the country, there is a special need to import at least 20 per cent Hindi films.
Additional Secretary Faruk Ahmed, General Secretary of Film Exhibitors Association Awlad Hossain, Managing Director of Film Development Corporation Nuzhat Yasmin, Vice Chairman of Film Censor Board Muhammad Saifullah, Bangladesh Bank and Sonali, Rupali, Agrani, Janata, UCB. , Meghna, BDBL and Union Bank representatives and hundreds of cinema hall owners and interested entrepreneurs from different parts of the country including the capital took part in the meeting.
At the beginning of the meeting, Sudipta Kumar Das, Chief Adviser of the Film Exhibitors' Association, greeted the Minister and the Secretary on behalf of the owners of the hall.
It may be mentioned that with the approval of the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting requested the Bangladesh Bank to set up a special fund of Tk 1000 crore for the revitalization of the country's film industry.
In this context, in February and March last year, Bangladesh Bank, through two circulars, arranged for a maximum loan of Tk 10 crore for construction of new cineplex or cinema hall and a maximum loan of Tk 5 crore for renovation from all scheduled banks. The loan facility has been kept for 8 years at an interest rate of 5 percent in metropolitan areas and 4.5 percent in outlying areas.
