Sergei Bondarchuk Film Club marks 30 years with ‘Jago Hua Savera’ special screening

Sergei Bondarchuk Film Club will mark its 30th anniversary with a two-day festival, "Celebrating Cinema", at the Russian House (former Russian Cultural Centre) in Dhanmondi on September 20–21. 

The club opens the programme on September 20 at 4pm with a screening of AJ Kardar's landmark film "Jago Hua Savera", the 1959 neo-realist classic that won a gold medal at the inaugural Moscow International Film Festival. 

Organisers say the screenings will be presented in DCP with a 7.1 sound setup to recreate a modern cinematic experience; the occasion also celebrates the club's return to large-scale programming at the Russian House. 

The festival lineup spans seven countries and contemporary cinema alongside restorations, including Bangladesh's short "From Surma" (2024) by Manoj Pramanik and Subrata Sarker—recently screened at international festivals—and the recent Bangladeshi feature "Peyarar Subhash" (2023) directed by Nurul Alam Atique, which features actors such as Jaya Ahsan and Tariq Anam. 

Other titles include the Bengali feature "Aam Kathaler Chhuti" (2023), China's "Yuan Shang" (2017), Miguel Salgado's Mexico-led "Vergüenza" (2024), and Russia's wartime drama "A Siege Diary" (2020). 

Complementing the screenings are three masterclasses: filmmaker Nurul Alam Atique will discuss Russian classics, Professor Abdus Selim will lecture on Russian literature, and Professor Syed Jamal Ahmed will lead a session on Stanislavski and method acting—programming that underscores the club's educational remit as much as its archival impulse.

Founded on September 20, 1995 by filmmaker and cinematographer MA Samad, the Sergei Bondarchuk Film Club has long been a gathering place for students, film enthusiasts and cultural practitioners. The current festival, presented with Enigma TV, aims to honour that legacy while offering younger audiences a cinematic curriculum that marries restored classics with contemporary global work.