Article 1. Name
The association shall be called
"Bangladesh Federation of Film Societies".
Article 2. Status/ Nature of the Organization
The
association shall be a non-political federate body of perpetual succession with
a common seal.
Article 3. Head Quarter and Area of Operation
3.1. The head office
of the Federation shall be situated in Dhaka city.
3.2. The area of
operation of the Federation shall be the whole of Bangladesh.
Article 4. Aims and Objectives
4.1. To liaise with
member organization/ clubs/ societies and individuals involved/ interested in
film society activities and to plan and encourage film society campaigns all
over the country.
4.2. To liaise with
different diplomatic missions, national/ international organizations, and
government/ non-movement organizations for procuring films, ancillary
equipments, related printed materials and logistic, moral and any other
supports necessary to strengthen film society movement in Bangladesh.
4.3. To help generate
a healthy aesthetic sense among the members of the affiliated clubs/ societies/
associations and thus build an appreciative audience for better films in the
country.
4.4. To infuse the
member organizations with ideas for making films of artistic, cultural and
social merit.
4.5. To evaluate a
policy of mutual trust, friendship and cooperation between film societies clubs
and other organizations and individuals related to film culture.
4.6. To arrange film
shows, seminars, discussion meetings, workshops, appreciation courses on film
and its related aspects on behalf of the Federation as well as member
organizations.
4.7. To strongly
avoid and decline to accept the idea of making any film that can harm and hurt
the cultural, social and human values in general, and the people of Bangladesh
in particular, and use all possible means of protestation to resist it.
4.8. To organize and help organize film festivals seminars,
workshops, and study courses for promoting appreciation of films.
4.9. To set up/ help
set up film-library and film-archive if and when commissioned by government/
non-government /national /international organizations and diplomatic missions.
4.10. To mobilize efforts in establishing film projection
facilities to screen films exclusively for the member organizations with a view
to study the art of cinema.
4.11. To create a cell responsible for documentation,
publication, production, reproduction and dissemination of information on
films, filmmaking and filmliterature.
4.12. To create a congenial atmosphere for the formation of
more and more film societies/ clubs/ associations and help their smooth
functioning with a view to further strengthening film society movement in Bangladesh.
4.13. To establish
relationship with film societies of other countries and international film
societies federations/ organizations for mutual benefit.
4.14. To help and
liaise with the government towards taking decisions or formulating important
policies regarding film.
4.15. To initiate,
implement and execute any plan and programme that can help the aims and
objectives of Bangladesh Federation of Film Societies.
Article 5. Membership
The Federation shall have following categories of
memberships:
i. Permanent
ii. Provisional
iii. Associate
5.1. Any film
society/ club with a minimum membership of 50 is entitled to Permanent
membership provided:
i. it abides by
the rules and regulations of the Federation;
ii. it pays the
annual membership subscription fixed by the Executive Committee of the
Federation. The Executive Committee will grant the Permanent membership to a
society/ club that applies for it subject to the fulfillment of the provisions
laid down in this article.
5.2. Any new film society/ club with less than 50 members may
apply for Provisional membership and subsequently can qualify for Permanent
membership provided
i. it agrees to
abide by the rules and regulations of the Federation;
ii. it pays an
admission fee fixed by the Executive Committee of the Federation:
iii. it arranges
six (6) feature film shows and holds two (2,) seminars within a period of
twenty (20) weeks: failing which its Provisional membership status will be
withdrawn.
However, the same society/ club can apply for Provisional
membership once again after six months of its losing earlier membership and
after fulfilling the conditions laid down in this article can qualify to be a
Permanent member.
The decision of granting Permanent membership to a
Provisional member after the expire of such membership will rest with the
Executive Committee subject to the fulfillment of the provisions laid down in
this article.
5.3 Any branch unit
of any Permanent member organization may become an Associate member provided:
i. it agrees to
abide by the rules and regulations of the Federation;
ii. it pays an
annual admission fee fixed by the Executive Committee.
5.4 All member
organizations of any status are expected to send a quarterly report of their
activities to the Federation.
5.5 The member
organizations/clubs/associations will provide the Federation with the updated
list of their members every year.
5.6 Application for
membership should be made in prescribed form available from the office of the
Federation and submitted to the General Secretary with required admission fees/
subscription.
Article 6. Subscription
6.1 Admission fee
and annual subscription for membership shall be determined from time to time by
the Executive Committee of the Federation.
6.2 Admission fee is
Taka 300 (three hundred) for the Provisional members, and Taka 200 (two
hundred) for the Associate members.
6.3 Admission fee
and annual subscription shall be payable in advance for each year, either by
crossed-cheque or bank draft or cash.
Article 7. Disqualification of Membership
7.1 Loss of
membership:
A member
organization will cease to be a member of the Federation if:
i. it acts
against the interest of the Federation;
ii. it seeks
affiliation or becomes a member of any other similar Federation within or
outside the country;
iii. it fails to
prove active for a period of three months at a stretch except during national
emergency;
iv. it
misappropriates the funds of the Federation;
v it fails to pay
the annual membership fees for two consecutive years;
vi. it designs its membership in writing
addressed to the President of the Federation.
However, all decisions regarding loss of membership of all
nature must have to be reviewed by the Executive Committee of the Federation
prior to their final execution and the decision of the Executive Committee
shall be regarded supreme.
7.2. Revival of
membership of Permanent members :
A disqualified Permanent member may apply for membership
after six (6) months from the date of its disqualification and the Executive
Committee will have the full and sovereign power to decide whether that
organization/ club/ society/ association can be given Permanent of Provisional
membership status after reviewing the activities of the organization/ club/
association during those six (6) months.
Article 8. General Meetings
The General Meetings of the Federation shall be of three
kinds
i. Annual General Meeting;
ii Special General Meeting
iii. Requisitioned General Meeting.
8.1. The Annual
General Meeting of the Federation shall generally be held by the month of
December every year. The Annual General Meeting shall be called by the
Secretary General in consultation with the President on at least three (3)
weeks notice.
8.2. The Special
General Meeting of the Federation shall be held when the President in
consultation with the Secretary General thinks it necessary to hold it under
certain special circumstances.
8.3 The
Requisitioned General Meeting of the Federation shall be held when at least
one-third of the total members of the Federation submit a written requisition
stating the reasons for it. Such a Meeting must be called by the Secretary
General within four (4) weeks after receiving the requisition, failing which
the members can approach the President for holding the Meeting. If the
President subsequently fails to hold the Meeting within one week, the members
can themselves call the meeting on two weeks notice.
Any decision in the Requisitioned General Meeting can be
taken on a simple majority of the members present in the meeting. However, any
major decision such as amendment of the constitution, must be taken on
two-thirds majority of the total members of the Federation.
8.4. The Annual
General Meeting will be the assembly of all Permanent, Provisional and
Associate Members but only Permanent Members shall have the right to vote.
However, the Associate Members can participate in deliberations.
8.5. Each member
organization/club/society/association shall send four member delegates to
represent at the Annual/Special/Requisitioned General Meetings and such members
shall be called Councilors and one of the Councilors shall act as the official
spokesman/ leader of such delegation; however, each permanent member
organization/ club/ society/ association will have only one voting right.
8.6. Quorum for
General Meetings :
i. The quorum for
the Annual General Meeting shall be formed by the presence of at least
one-third of the total members of the Federation.
ii. The quorum for
the Special General Meeting or Requisitioned General Meeting shall be formed by
the presence of at least half of the total members of the Federation.
Article 9. Function of Annual General Meeting
9.1. The Annual
General Meeting shall :
i. consider the
report of the Secretary General;
ii. consider the
audit report of the Finance Secretary;
iii. consider the
proposal budget for each working year;
iv. consider
proposal’s of the member organizations;
v . amend any
article/ part/ laws/ sub laws/ rules of the Constitution of the Federation, if
needed;
vi. consider any
other matter as may be felt necessary by the Executive Committee of the
Federation.
9.2. Elect office
bearers and members of the Executive Committee for two years term in its
biennial annual general meeting.
Article 10. Executive Committee
10-1. The management of
the affairs of the Federation shall be entrusted to an Executive Committee
composed of
i. President - One
ii. Vice-President - Two
iii. Secretary
General - One
iv. Joint Secretary - One
v. Finance
Secretary - One
vi. Organizing
Secretary - One
vii. Press and
Publication Secretary - One
viii. Office Secretary - One
ix. Executive
Members - Six
10.2. The
office-bearers (except the President) and the Members of the Executive
Committee shall be elected at the Biennial Annual General Meeting of the
Federation as per election rules to be framed by the Executive Committee.
10.3. The tenure of
the office-bearers and the members of the Executive Committee shall be of two
years unless:
i. The whole or
the majority of the Executive Committee (the office-bearers and the Executive
Members) resign;
ii. A non-confidence
motion is taken against the Executive Committee in the Annual / Special/ Requisitioned
General Meeting.
10.4. Same persons
cannot be elected for the posts of President, Vice President and Secretary
General for more than two successive tenures. However, after a recess of one
tenure they will be eligible once again.
Article 11 Powers and Functions of the Executive
Committee
The Executive
Committee of the Federation shall have the power:
i. To elect the
President in its first meeting;
ii. To co-opt members to fill in all
casual vacancies in the Executive Committee;
iii. To elect
office-bearers from within the Executive Committee if any post falls vacant;
iv. To set up
committees, subcommittees, etc. for any specific business as may require
comprising members of the Executive Committee or of the members of
organizations/ clubs/ societies;
v. To appoint
auditors for annual audit of the accounts.
vi. The
Executive Committee will form an Advisory Committee in their first Executive
Committee meeting from among the film personalities, past presidents of the
Federation and patrons of the Federation.
Article 12. Meetings of the Executive Committee
The meetings
of the Executive Committee shall be held when the Secretary General, in
consultation with the President, thinks it necessary or when one-third of the
total Executive Committee members requisition such meetings in an emergency
situation. All meetings of the Executive Committee needed to be notified at
least a week ahead, but Requisitioned/Emergency Meetings can be called with a
short notice of twenty four hours only.
12.1. The quorum of the Executive Committee meetings shall be
formed by the presence of one-third of the total members of the Executive
Committee.
12.2. All decisions to be taken by the Executive Committee
shall require simple majority of the members of the Executive Committee present
in the meeting. Each member shall have one vote and in case of a tie, the
President will have a casting vote.
12.3. At least 9 (nine) Executive Committee
meetings should be held in a year. However, the Executive Committee may Meet as
many times as it feels necessary.
12.4. Nominated Advisory Members can attend Executive
Committee Meetings by invitation of the Secretary General in consultation with
the President. : In that case, Advisory Members can advise to the Executive
Committee, but cannot participate in voting for any matter.
Article 13. Requisitioned Executive Committee Meeting
If the Secretary General fails to call a requisitioned
meeting indented for by onethird members of the Executive Committee within two
(2) weeks from the date of receipt of the requisition for the meeting the
signatories therein themselves may call the requisitioned meeting and deal with
the business for which the meeting has been convened. However, a prior notice
of one week for holding such meeting will be required.
Article 14. Powers and
Functions of the Office-Bearers of the Executive Committee
a. President
i. To lead the
Federation and to preside over its Executive Committee as per rules and
regulations of the Constitution of the Federation.
ii. To preside at
all the meetings of the Federation and of the Executive Committee (except the
first meeting of the Executive Committee).
iii. To uphold the
image and the ideals of the Federation at home and abroad.
b. Vice - President
i. To preside at
the General or Executive Meetings in absence of the President.
ii. To perform all
the duties and undertake all the responsibilities of the Federation in the
absence of the President.
iii. The seniority
of the Vice-Presidents shall be determined by the number of votes they receive
in their election or seniority of the Federation Activity.
c. Secretary General
i. To run the
administrative activities of the Federation, and to carry the responsibilities
imposed on him by the Federation.
ii. To convene all
the Executive Committee Meetings and General Meetings in consultation with the
President or Vice president in any emergency purpose.
iii. To prepare
and place the budget of the working year of the Federation to the Executive
Committee before putting it up at the Annual General Meeting for approval.
iv. To organize and
preserve all the files and documents of the Federation.
v To prepare the
Annual Report of the Federation and present it at the Annual General Meetings
of the Federation with prior approval of the Executive Committee.
vi. To keep a
maximum amount of Tk. 1,000.00 ( One Thousand) from the Federation fund at his
disposal for any incidental expenses.
vii. The
Joint-Secretary will carry out the functions and responsibilities of the
Secretary General as may be delegated by the President in the absence of the
General Secretary for two or more months.
viii. To perform any
other functions as entrusted to him by the Executive Committee.
ix. In consultation
with the President, the Secretary General will, spend money from the Federation
fund for carrying out activities of the Federation. However, this shall have to
be approved by the next Executive Committee meeting.
d. Joint - Secretary
i. To help the
Secretary General in the latter's discharge of duties and responsibilities.
ii. To perform the
duties entrusted to him by the Secretary General as per the Constitution.
iii. To perform
the duties and carry out the responsibilities in the absence of the Secretary
General.
e. Finance Secretary
i. To maintain
the accounts of income and expenditure of the Federation and to preserve all
necessary documents regarding accounts.
ii. To disburse
money according to the budget approval by the Executive Committee meetings.
iii. To present
audited accounts of income and expenditure of the Federation at the Annual
General Meeting.
f. Organizing Secretary
i. To look after
all organizing matters, such as arranging seminars, workshops, discussion
meetings, film-shows, etc., on behalf of the Federation.
ii. To keep track
of the activities of the member organizations. To initiate membership drive if
and when necessary.
g. Press and Publication Secretary
i. To take
necessary measures to publicize all activities of the Federation, and to
maintain public relations.
ii. To take all
responsibilities of publication and documentation of the Federation and act
also as Public Relations Secretary of the Federation. To liaise with the member
organizations/ clubs/ associations.
h. Office Secretary
i. To run office
activities and be present in the office of the Federation to attend to daily
queries.
ii. To maintain
files including filing of incoming and outgoing letters, etc.
iii. To write the
minutes of every meeting and place it to the next meeting for approval.
i. Executive Members
Executive Committee Members will remain present at the
Executive Committee Meetings participate in discussions to help the Executive
Committee take decisions, assist the office bearers in the discharge of their
duties, disseminate and propagate ideals, aims and objectives of the Federation
among the members and perform duties and responsibilities as and when entrusted
with by the Executive Committee.
Article 15. Sources and Operations of Funds
15.1. Other than usual
membership fees financial assistance or grants from any source will be received
in the interest of the Federation. But such grant or assistance should have no
conditions attached to it.
15.2. The funds of the
Federation should be deposited in a savings account of a scheduled bank of Bangladesh in the letterhead name of the
Federation.
15.3. The bank account
will be operated by the Finance Secretary and the President or the Secretary
General of the Federation.
15-4. The Finance
Secretary will keep all accounts of expenditure for auditing at the end of each
financial year.
Article 16. Election and Rules and Regulations for
Election
16-1. The election of
the Executive Committee except the post of the President shall be held at the
Annual General Meeting on a two-year term basis.
16-2. A four week
notice from the date of its issuance will be required for holding the election
and the notice will be by the Secretary General in consultation with the
President.
16.3. A three member
Election Commission shall be constituted by the Executive Committee at least a
month before the election. There will be one Chief Election Commissioner and
two Assistant Election Commissioners.
16.4 Nomination
papers shall be obtained from the Election Commission office within the date
fixed by the Commission and the election shall be held exactly after seven (7)
days from the date of submission of the nomination papers to the Election
Commission.
16 5 The election
will be by secret ballot.
16.6. The decision of
the Election commission regarding election will be final.
16.7 The president
shall be elected by the newly elected Executive Committee members in their
first Executive Committee Meeting which will be presided by The Chief Election
Commissioner.
16.8 Any member
Organization possessing the voting right can nominate Two candidates for any
two posts (except the post of the President) in the election of the Federation.
16.9 The candidate
must be nominated by the organization/ club/ society concerned. 16.10 Prescribed forms obtainable from the
Election Commission must be filled in Properly for the submission of nomination
of the candidates. Incomplete nomination papers will be cancelled by the
Election Commisioner.
16.11 member
organization/ club/ society can nominate only two candidates for the election
to the Federation Executive Committee. However,
if the number of members falls short of the total number of the Executive
Committee Members to be the same member organization/club/society can
nominate more than two for the
Executive Committee membership.
16.12 Each- member
organization/ club/ society will nominate one member from among their
Delegates Councilors to cast vote in the
election of the Federation.
16.13 To be eligible to
vote the member organization/ club/ society must pay its membership fees up to
the year of election.
16.14 fee shall be
fixed by the Election Commission before the Election.
Article 17. Amendment of the Constitution
17.1 The Constitution
can be amended by two-thirds majority of the members of the Federation present
at the Annual General Meeting. The proposal for such amendment shall be
supported by at least five (5) members of the Federation and submitted to the
Executive Committee at least sixty (60) days before the Annual General Meeting
17.2. Any amendment so
adopted will form integral part of the Constitution immediately.
Article 18. Dissolution of the Federation
18.1. If three-fourths
of the total member organizations/ clubs/ societies vote in favor of
dissolution, the Federation shall be dissolved. In such case the assets and
liabilities of the Federation shall have to be assessed by a registered
accounting farm, and if after meeting all liabilities there is any balance, it
should be equally shared by the member organizations/ clubs/societies.
This Constitution came into operation from October 09, 1975 and after some amendments came into effect from December
1983. It was revised thoroughly and was approved on and came into effect from
August 08. 1998.
