Jhantu, Zeyad get Fazlul Haque Memorial Award

Eminent Bangladeshi film director Delwar Jahan Jhantu and film journalist Abdullah Zeyad had been honoured with this year’s ‘Fazlul Haque Memorial Award’. The awards were handed over to them yesterday at the capital’s Channel-i Studio.

Playwright Ataur Rahman, Abdul Latif Bachchu, Sujata, Chef Keka Ferdousi, managing director of Channel i and Impress Telefilm Ltd Mukit Majumdar Babu and Zahir Uddin Mamun handed over the award and Tk 25,000 to Delwar Jahan Jhantu and Abdullah Zeyad.

Along with the prize-giving ceremony  Rezanur Rahman editor of Ananda Alo, writer Iftekhar Alam, Bangladesh Cholochitra Sangbadik Samity (Bangladesh Film-Journalists’ Association) president Raju Alim among others gave speeches at the event.

To remember the veteran, every year Fazlul Haque Smriti Committee distributes two awards in the categories of film journalism and film direction for the finest works. The award was introduced by renowned litterateur Rabeya Khatun, wife of Fazlul Haque, in 2004.

Fazlul Haque—the pioneer of Bangladesh’s film journalism, editor of the first film newspaper ‘Cinema’ and director of the first children’s film ‘President’, was born to an aristocratic family in Bogra on May 26 in 1930.

Noted litterateur Rabeya Khatun is the wife of Fazlul Haque and his elder son Faridur Reza Sagor is a renowned children’s litterateur, media personality and managing director of Impress Telefilm and Channel i. His younger son architect Farhadur Reza Prabal, once a popular anchor of Bangladesh Television (BTV), is currently living in Australia. Fazlul Haque’s elder daughter Keka Ferdousi is an eminent culinary expert and Farhana Mahmud Kakoli is his younger daughter.

Fazlul Haque died on October 26 in 1990.