Bangladesh Film Archive and Getty Images ink MoU to preserve 1971 Liberation War footage
The Bangladesh Film Archive, operating under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, has inked a significant Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Getty Images, a prominent American visual media organisation, to collect and safeguard footage related to the historic Liberation War of Bangladesh and the revered Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
The MoU was formalised at the Getty Images office in New York on 5 April, reads a press release.
Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Humayun Kabir Khandakar, graced the occasion with his presence.
Md Mofakkharul Iqbal, director of the Bangladesh Film Archive's project for the "Collection and Preservation of Audiovisual Documents of the Liberation War from Domestic and Foreign Sources and Capacity Building of the Bangladesh Film Archive," and Getty Images Director of Sales (Production and Broadcast) Asia Pacific TV and Arran Birchenough signed the MoU on behalf of their respective organisations.
Officials from the Bangladesh Embassy in Washington, DC and the Bangladesh Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York were also present.
Before the signing ceremony, Senior Secretary Humayun Kabir Khandakar held talks with senior executives of Getty Images.
The Liberation War of Bangladesh, particularly the historic moment of 26 March when independence was declared by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, witnessed global media coverage. Throughout the nine-month-long struggle, various international news outlets extensively covered the events with photographs and news reports.
Through this MoU, Getty Images pledges to support the Bangladesh Film Archive in gathering and preserving these invaluable historical documents.
The Bangladesh Film Archive aims to present an accurate account of the 1971 Liberation War and the remarkable contributions and sacrifices of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to future generations.
On the same day, the senior secretary also visited the permanent mission of Bangladesh to the United Nations in New York.