My Story

I believe in what Steve Jobs said in his Stanford commencement address: our whole life is about connecting the dots. He added, when he looks back now, everything he had done over the years eventually brought him to where he is now. I am also working to add and connect my own dots. It is a journey.

My name is Monjur Kibriya Bhuiyan. I am 27 years old, born in Feni and raised in Khagrachari, situated in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh, home to many indigenous and tribal communities. Growing up in a region where people of different ethnicities, cultures, and religions coexist harmoniously, I developed a deep appreciation for culture, heritage, and human diversity.

I remember when I was in sixth grade, the film Avatar was released. I watched it in a theatre, and after that evening, I was never quite the same. The power of imagination and creativity sparked something deep within me. I asked my father what it takes to become a film director. My father, a simple middle-class man, replied that I would have to study at a film school. Since Bangladesh had none at the time, he promised to send me to India if I did well in my SSC and HSC examinations. For the first time in my life, I had a goal and a purpose.

I completed my Secondary School Certificate in 2014 at Khagrachari Cantonment Public School and College, then moved to Dhaka to complete my Higher Secondary Certificate in 2016. By that time, the University of Dhaka opened its Department of Television, Film, and Photography, the first film department in the country. In 2017, I sat for the country's highly competitive admission examination and enrolled in the program.

My university years were marked by strong academic performance. I graduated with First Class First positions in both my Honors (2022) and Master's (2023) programs, achieving a CGPA above 3.60. It was during this period that I realised I had potential not only in filmmaking but also in academia.

From my sophomore year, however, a tension began to grow within me. Studying film is one thing; making films is another. Film academia in Bangladesh was far removed from industry practice. Institutionally, I had very few opportunities to connect with the industry, so I found my own way. I remember messaging almost every established director in the country, asking for an opportunity to work as an assistant director. Some said yes.

I eventually worked as an assistant director on several productions, mostly in the advertising industry, moving from project to project. Alongside this, I began making my own independent films, some for personal projects and some for coursework. Looking back now, I notice something I did not realise then: almost all of my films were about isolation, about giving voice to the voiceless, and about inner dilemmas.

One thing I struggled with most was working in groups, especially during productions. The effort required to translate one's vision to others can be exhausting, and even then, people rarely understand it fully. Perhaps that is why I gradually shifted more toward academia. The collaborative chaos of filmmaking often felt too costly compared to what I could achieve independently.

In 2024, just three months after graduating, I began my career as a university lecturer. Since then, I have taught at multiple institutions, mentoring students in film, journalism, and digital media.

Now, I plan to study AI filmmaking and finally create films with fewer logistical barriers, less waste, and greater creative independence. Eventually, I hope to pursue a PhD focusing on AI and filmmaking. My dots are gradually connecting, and perhaps one day, they will complete the chain.