Hiralal Sen (2 August 1866 – 26 October 1917), an Indian photographer generally considered one of India's first filmmakers, will be remembered today. To mark the centenary death anniversary of the legend, Federation of Film Societies of Bangladesh (FFSB) and Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy have jointly organised a commemorative event today at 6pm at the National Music and Dance Centre Auditorium of BSA, Segun Bagicha in the capital.

In the beginning of the discussion, an essay titled ‘First filmmaker of the subcontinent, Hiralal Sen and our responsibility’ will be presented by film researcher-teacher Anupam Hayat. Paying tribute to Hiralal Sen on the occasion of his centenary death anniversary, veteran filmmakers Syed Hasan Imam, Masihuddin Shaker, Manzare Hasin Murad, Morshedul Islam, art critic Moiuddin Khaled, BSA director general Liaquat Ali Lucky, former director general of Bangladesh Film Archive and film exponent Dr Mohammad Jahangir Hossain, Bangladesh Films’ Director Association president Mushfiqur Rahman Gulzar and founder member of Manikganj-based Hiralal Sen Cholochitra Sangsad Iqbal Hossain Kochi, among others, will participate in the discussion at the commemorative event.

Presided over by FFSB president architect Lailun Nahar Swemi, the commemorative discussion will be moderated by FFSB general secretary filmmaker-writer Belayet Hossain Mamun.

The commemorative event in memory of Hiralal Sen is open to all.

To note, Hiralal Sen was born in Bogjudi village under the district of Manikganj in 1866. In 1896, while a student of I.Sc he watched a cinema, arranged by Star Theatre and from then he felt very much interest to cinema or film and in pursuing that he left academic study. He then started to exercise bioscope and in the year 1898, he started to exhibit cinema in the Classic Theatre in Kolkata. He set up Royal Bioscope Company along with his younger brother Motilal Sen. Since 1900, he had imported modern apparatus from overseas and was able to make the company globally standardized.

Afterwards, he grasped the technique of working with movie camera and special aspect. Later, he photographed dynamic movie clip of various social programmes.

Since 1900 to 1917, he made 40 short films. In 1904, he first made speechless movie entitled Ali Baba and forty thieves.  Furthermore, he made a great deal of documentary films, advertising films and news film. Hiralal Sen passed away on 26 October in 1917 in Kolkata. On his mark, Bangladesh Film Department has introduced ‘Hiralal Sen Memorial Award’.