The Innocence *

Md Ashraful Alam, widely acknowledged as Ashraf Shishir within the global filmmaking sphere, stands as an eminent filmmaker, scriptwriter, and impassioned advocate for human rights, dedicated to championing exceptional cinema and promoting awareness of human rights issues. His illustrious journey in filmmaking spans across numerous accolades and international recognition, including the honor of serving as a jury member in various esteemed international film festivals including International Emmy® Awards across the USA, Canada, United Kingdom, Italy, Denmark, Greece, Romania, Bangladesh, India, Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia, Iran, Azerbaijan.

As the visionary founder of the esteemed International Open Film Festival, Ashraf's astute comprehension of the intricacies inherent in organizing and evaluating film festivals remains unparalleled. In addition to his directorial and scriptwriting prowess, Ashraf is the acclaimed author of "Digital Film: Amra Jebhabe Shuru Korte Pari", a comprehensive testament to his expertise in the theoretical and practical facets of filmmaking. His commitment extends beyond cinematic realms, evident in his active engagement in social advocacy, using impactful multimedia content to raise awareness about human rights violations. These endeavors have garnered recognition, fueling his drive to contribute meaningfully to the global film community and catalyze societal change. With a prolific career spanning over a decade, Ashraf's creative portfolio spans a multitude of film genres, comprising feature films, documentaries, shorts, and television commercials.

He pioneered the "Free Length Film" style, challenging the conventional industry norms that restrict artists or directors to adhere strictly to standard time durations for films. His belief resonates with the idea that since film is an art form, it shouldn't be confined by arbitrary time constraints, allowing creators the liberty to explore narrative expansively, unbounded by time limits. This philosophy materialized in his groundbreaking creation, "THE INNOCENCE" (Amra Ekta Cinema Banabo), acknowledged by credible sources like Wikipedia and The Guardian as the longest fiction feature film in global film history.

Remarkably, the production of "THE INNOCENCE" spanned an astounding 200 shooting days across a decade, from May 15, 2009, to May 15, 2019. Over 4000 artists and crew members, driven by passion and dedication, volunteered their time and expertise for this project. The film's revolutionary concept drew attention and has since been showcased in 15 international film festivals across 11 countries, illustrating the director's avant-garde approach to storytelling, unconfined by temporal constraints.

Shishir's second feature film, "THE CART" (Gaariwala), which he wrote and directed, was released in 2015 and was the recipient of a prestigious grant from the government of Bangladesh. The film has been selected in over 100 international film festivals in 33 countries and has won 26 international awards from countries such as India, Chile, Italy, Spain and the USA, as well as the National Film Award.

His third feature film, "THE INNER SOUND" (Gopon), which he also wrote and directed, has received international awards from Russia and India and has been selected in over 25 international film festivals in 18 countries. The film is awaiting its worldwide release.

Shishir's mid-length feature film, "THE UNSUNG" (Judhdhata Chilo Shadhinotar), has been screened in over 17 international film festivals to date, including the Short Film Corner of the Cannes Film Festival in 2019.

He is also currently working on a short film titled "THE F.I.F.O" and a feature film titled "THE UNPARALLELED" (Adwaita), both of which are in the work-in-progress stage.

In addition to his feature films, Shishir has directed several documentaries, including "THE CAGE-BIRD" in 2012, which has been screened in 16 international film festivals in 12 countries and won an award from the USA. He has also directed television commercials and music videos, including five music videos for the popular Bangladeshi band "SHIRONAMHIN" which have received millions of views on YouTube.

His social advertisement titled "THE AGED" was nominated as a finalist in an event organized by the United Nations Office in Geneva, Switzerland, in 2018, and won the best award in two categories at the 15th Hero International Film Festival in California, USA.

Shishir is the writer and producer of the feature film titled "THE LOANEE," which is currently in the work-in-progress stage. He is not only the writer but also the producer of the short film titled "MY ADDRESS (Amar Thikana)," which received the Best Film award from the Ministry of ICT of Bangladesh in 2022.

He also worked as one of the scriptwriters and directors for "A BILLION TO ONE" (2017-18), an international TV and web-series produced by CollabFeature, an award-winning USA-based company comprising a record-breaking team of filmmakers and creators from around the world.

Furthermore, Shishir's first international feature film project as a scriptwriter is "SOHORER UPOKATHA" an Indian production, while his upcoming historical feature film based on Father of the Nation of Bangladesh Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, titled "570," which he scripted and directed, is set to be released on 15 August 2024.

A telefilm titled "OH CRICKET!" was recently aired on Channel I, the pioneering television station of Bangladesh. It was both written and directed by Ashraf Shishir.