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The Bangladeshi film industry is based in Dhaka As of 2004, it produced approximately 100 movies a year. The average movie's budget was about 6,500,000 Bangladeshi taka.^[1]

On April 24, 1898, the Bengali weekly Dhaka Prokash reported that films were shown in Dhaka by the Bredford Bioscope Company, at the Crown Theatre, in Patuatuli, near Sadarghat. The show included news items and other short features. The first permanent cinema in Dhaka, named Picture House, began operation during 1913–1914. This cinema was renamed to New Picture House and then again to Shabistan. By 1947 there were around 80 cinemas in what is now Bangladesh.^[2],[3]

The first Bengali organization for producing and exhibiting films was the Royal Bioscope Company, established in 1898 in Calcutta by Hira Lal Sen. Although feature films were made in Bengali as early as 1919 (Bilwa Mangal), most production was done in Calcutta. The Nawab family of Dhaka produced Sukumari (1928–1929) and The Last Kiss (1931).^{[4],[3],[5],[6]}

The Bangladeshi film industry has often been criticized for producing low-quality films whose only appeal is that of sex, violence, or melodrama.

After the partition of India in 1947, the first film made in East Pakistan was a newsreel about the visit of Mohammad Ali Jinnah, produced in 1948 by the radio broadcaster Nazir Ahmed. The first full-length feature film with sound made in East Pakistan was Mukh O Mukhosh, which was produced by Abdul Jabbar Khan and released on August 3, 1956. Editing, printing and all other film processing for this movie was done in Lahore, Pakistan.^[7],[8],[9]

The East Bengal Provincial Assembly established the East Pakistan Film Development Corporation (EPFDC) on April 3, 1957. The first film produced by this organization was Asiya (The Life of a Village Girl, 1960), directed by Fateh Lohani. During the late 1960s, between 20 and 35 films were produced each year. Production quantity continued to increase after Bangladesh gained its independence on December 16, 1971; in 1979, for example, 51 films were released, and in the 1990s over 90 films per year were released.^{[10],[11],[12],[13],[14]}

Recently, the Bangladeshi film industry has faced increased competition from foreign films, satellite TV, home video, and other sources. Viewership of Bangladeshi films has dropped, and the industry has been criticized for producing low-quality films whose only appeal is that of sex, violence, or melodrama.^[14],[1]

Matir Moina is the first film from Bangladesh that received official submission for academy award.

Although the majority of the films made in Bangladesh are strictly commercial in nature, a handful of directors from Bangladesh have attained critical acclamation for their outstanding work. Zahir Raihan, Alamgir Kabir, Humayun Ahmed, Tanvir Mokammel, Tareque Masud are among those prominent directors. Bangladesh has been officially submitting nominations for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film from 2003. The following films have so far been nominated:

• Matir Moina, directed by Tareque Masud in 2003;
• Shyamol Chaya, directed by Humayun Ahmed in 2006;
• Nirontor, directed by Abu Sayeed in 2007.

• Moko Mokdose 1956
• Asiya (1957)
• Stop Genocide
• Jibon Theke neya
• Shimana Periya
• Ekatturer Jishu
• Titash Ekti Nodir naam
• Padma Nadir Maji
• Agami (1989)
• Muktir Gaan
• Aguner Poroshmoni (1995)
• Matir Moina (2002)
• Antarjatra (2005)
• Shyamol Chaya
• Bidrohi Padma (2006)
• Mohanayok
• Joyjatra (2005)
• Daruchini Dip (2007)
• Nirontor (2007)
• Shopno Danay
• Khelaghor

• Bengali cinema

1. ^ ^{a b} Bangladeshis reject "smutty" Bengali films, AFP/Helen Rowe, accessed 27-VII-2006
2. ^ A Brief History of Bangladesh Cinema (p. 1), accessed 27-VII-2006
3. ^ ^{a b} A Brief History of Bangladesh Cinema (p. 3), accessed 27-VII-2006
4. ^ A Brief History of Bangladesh Cinema (p. 2), accessed 27-VII-2006
5. ^ A Brief History of Bangladesh Cinema (p. 4), accessed 27-VII-2006
6. ^ A Brief History of Bangladesh Cinema (p. 5), accessed 27-VII-2006
7. ^ A Brief History of Bangladesh Cinema (p. 7), accessed 27-VII-2006
8. ^ A Brief History of Bangladesh Cinema (p. 9), accessed 27-VII-2006
9. ^ Celebrating 50 years of our cinema, Karim Waheed, The Daily Star (web edition), vol. 5, num. 431, accessed 27-VII-2006
10. ^ A Brief History of Bangladesh Cinema (p. 10), accessed 27-VII-2006
11. ^ A Brief History of Bangladesh Cinema (p. 11), accessed 27-VII-2006
12. ^ A Brief History of Bangladesh Cinema (p. 12), accessed 27-VII-2006
13. ^ A Brief History of Bangladesh Cinema (p. 13), accessed 27-VII-2006
14. ^ ^{a b} BANGLAPEDIA: Film, Feature, accessed 27-VII-2006

• BANGLAPEDIA: Film, Feature
• Dallywood site
• A Brief History of Bangladesh Cinema, by Anupam Hayat