Humaira Bilkis

Humaira Bilkis (Bengali: হুমায়রা বিলকিস) is a Bangladeshi filmmaker, documentarian. Known for her observational approach, Bilkis often explores personal and social themes, with a focus on memory, cultural identity, and intergenerational relationships. Her works have been featured in prestigious film festivals worldwide, including the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA), Berlinale Talents, Giffoni Film Festival, London Indian Film Festival and Visions du Réel. She also a faculty of Bangladesh Cinema and Television Institute.

Early life and education

Humaira Bilkis was born and raised in Dhaka, Bangladesh. After getting master's degree in mass communication and journalism at University of Dhaka, she pursued her passion for filmmaking at several institutions, including Sri Aurobindo Centre for Arts & Communication and the Berlinale Talents program. She has also been involved in initiatives such as the Bengal Cinema Development Forum, which supports independent Bangladeshi cinema, and the Dhaka DocLab, a platform fostering documentary film production in South Asia.

Career

Humaira Bilkis's directorial debut, the short documentary I Am Yet to See Delhi (2015), was screened at several international film festivals, including the Dharamshala International Film Festival and the Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival. In 2019, Bilkis directed the documentary film Baganiya (Garden of Memories), which documents the lives of tea workers in Bangladesh. The film was screened at the London Indian Film Festival and other international festivals. Her first feature-length documentary, Things I Could Never Tell My Mother, premiered at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) in 2022. The film was later screened at Visions du Réel and the Giffoni Film Festival. Bilkis co-directed Spiral of Silence with Shabnam Azim. The project was published as a chapter in a Routledge volume in 2023. She has also developed the documentary project Fair Home Fairy Tales through Film Independent's Sponsored Projects programme.

Bilkis has participated in initiatives, took filmmaking workshops related to independent filmmaking in Bangladesh, including the Bengal Cinema Development Forum and Dhaka DocLab.

Filmography