Ashikul Islam

Sahiful's "AAMARA (WE ARE)" won the 2005 Best Children Film in the International Kids are Kids film festival held at Naples, Italy. The CIFEJ and ECTC organised of the Film Festival. Saiful is the Cameraman of the 2004 Awarded Film "Aami (I)". -- AAMARA was nominated in CICFF (Chicago International Children Film Festival).

About Aamara (We Are) The frame shows children's concern about the nature by human being. A child plants a sapling. The tree grows. Animals come out from their hideouts. They strike friendship. Later friendship extends to a crocodile. Trust grows. The crocodile crawls to the tree. Animals play around the crocodile. Then they percieve threat. Hunters come. Woodcutters follow. Together they make a grand plan. Human attack the sleeping crocodile. Animals chase hunters and woodcutters away.

Making of the movie
The kids at Muktoneer have many hobbies. One on them is to draw picture. Kids are encouraged to draw and paint. They also have a hobby of playing with toys win groups. There are many miniature toy animals. Once a small group started palying with miniature animal toys and as they were playing some commented that the animals will be shot dead. Thereafter, some said, if they are going to be killed then we shouls make sure that the animals stay and plan together to protect themselves. Discussions were encouraged and the kids spoke about the trees being cut and animals finding difficult to find shelter under the trees. In days to come, kids thought aloud about how hunters kill animals and woodcutters cut trees. The children were then asked to draw their thoughts. The graphic emerged. Thereafter the graphics and the chain of thoughts were put together and a script emerged. Based upon the script, Sahiful asked his fellow mates to select characters. Characters were selected and Sahiful directed them to frame their acting as per graphics drawn. Frame by frame, Sahiful directed and shot the film. They first named the script "Jungle" and later decided that most important thing is to be together and in togetherness security can be achieved. After the first editing, Sahiful and the scriptwriter Rinku Baba Mondal named the film "AAMRA" meaning "WE ARE" as if they achieved in driving out the destructive forces and emereged as WE.

About the Director
Today, no goat to rear, no worry for fodder collection, goes to school with school bag, enjoy life with other children at Muktaneer Sahiful (10).

Father died of Tuberculosis when he was only (3), mother is mentally disabled with two daughters and two sons. Sahiful is the youngest. His early childhood spent in the agricultural field, crashing the hard big size mud tilt by country tiller using brick as a hammer. Troublesome work from dawn to dusk, against Rupees 5/- per day, a seasonal work, altogether 30 days in a year.

Other risky work was available too through out the year, against no payment excepting one time food, rearing goats from Sun rise till Sun set. Served 6 families by rearing 19 goats everyday, alerted eyes with open eyelids and keeping eyeballs always on move. As missing of a goat means facing intolerable physical torture, loss of food, so family would be in starvation. Thus always alert, to make it sure 6 plates rice with pulses in the evening.

To satisfy the daylong hunger one plate he consumes by blink of eyes in some one family. Rest is collected from door to door without killing time. Hungry mother and elder brother are waiting for that.

Scorching Sun or chilled winter, no care, the boy is there by 7.30 in the morning, the animals have become very friendly with him, they feel his presence thus bleat. They run in the room and go on bleating till he pet them by his soft fingers. The summer is very tiring, no umbrella, the Sun above the head, sweating and sweating, no chance to take rest under a tree. Always vigil eyes on black, white, brown and multicolour ones. Cautious Sahiful, even if closes eyes by chance keep the ear alert on the sound of bleating of goats. The Earth, the trees feels his hardship, thus the wind blow with sound, the leaves start mild dancing, sweat disappear for some time, Sahiful gets his lost energy back and run after the un-disciplined goats, bring them together, tell them ‘be unite’ danger ahead.

The winter is good, though there is not a single thread on the skeleton, that excepting a short size torn napkin tied below the abdomen. Days during winter is not tiring for him, he feels comfort in this climate. From morning till Sun set he keeps him warm with natural heat, but in the evening when he returns home after collecting the hard earn rice with pulses he shivers and run for home.

In rainy season he need not to go to the field for grassing the goats every day. Because goats are not accustomed with rain, they suffer from various diseases in this season. Thus is the caution, goats will not go out for grassing. But Sahiful, who will take kind of protective measures for him? No umbrella, no rain coat, he walks on through the sleepy mud roads, collects fodder for all the goats.

Sahiful is free today, he has got the taste what childhood is. After long six years he is enjoying his childhood at Muktaneer, CCD Destitute Childrens Home. His mother and elder brother are in the village. Muktaneer uncle has provided two goats to the family. Now they are the owners of the goats. Mother and elder brother rear those, the family income has increased. He is a student of Class V now.