Rowshon Ara Nipa

Rowshon Ara Rukhshana Sarker Professional Name: Rowshon Ara Nipa Cell:+1 347-744-5771 BIO: Award-winning Film Director and Writer Rowshon Ara Nipa was born on 5th February 1974 in Sirajgonj, Bangladesh. Nipa is a fighter and revolutionary who has committed her life to struggle alongside her community. Before coming to organizing, Nipa was a filmmaker and theater worker. Coming from a society in Bangladesh where working class women were restricted in the types of professions they could choose, Nipa faced the familial and social challenges of an oppressive and patriarchal society. While confronting these challenges, she struggled to forge her own path and be true to herself and her commitments. In 2004, she won an international Emmy for her journalistic work with unprivileged, working class children and traveled abroad for the first time. In 2017 Nipa came to the US again as an Extra Ordinary immigrant and became a DRUM member. At first she was excited and nervous about engaging in mass organizing work, but has since gained a deep love and commitment for this work. In recent years, she has been committed to the development and sustainability of working class women's leadership. She dreams of a movement full of leaders struggling together towards revolutionary change. Besides Organizing She is doing film making and writing based on her community organizing experiences which are the reflections of the truly working class. In 2022 She was proclaimed by City Councilor Amanda Farias dist-18 NY and assembly member Karines Reyes Dist-87 for the work of development and sustainability of the leadership of working class and immigrant women. In her journalist and film career she achieved a few notable recognition nationally and internationally : 32nd International Emmy Award in 2004 ( Documentary - Amrao pari - We can) Anannay Top Ten Achievers - 2005 Meena Media Award - 2005 BACSAS Award -2008 Festival Screening and recognition International Emmy -2004, USA Unesco Open Frame festival- 2005, India International peace Festival -2005 France International film Festival - 2015 , Urisha , India Her current productions are : "Can you Please listen to me" : Short film, post- production stage The Paper Wife : Feature film , Pre -Production stage She is a graduate of Rajshahi College and Rajshahi University, where she grew interested in stage plays and performances. As a student, she worked on and off stage in theater. After completing university, Nipa completed a basic course on audio-visual program-making at Worldview International Foundation (1999). Following the successful completion of this course, she began directing documentaries focused on social issues. Her first documentary was a partnership with UNICEF titled, "Modhur Amar Mayer Hashi," (1999) which details the high risks of death during pregnancy across Bangladesh. During the same year, Nipa joined Ekushey Television as a producer for the program Mukta Khobor, Bangladesh's first children's news program. In 2004, she received the International Emmy Award from International Children's Day of Broadcasting (ICDB) in the Documentary Category for "Amrao Pari". "Amrao Pari" traces the lives of underprivileged children. In 2005, she released a Docu-fiction film "Children in the Hidden World" which tells the story of Pory, a sex worker's daughter and her own path to sex work. In the same year, she received the Meena Media Award & Anonna Top Ten Achievers for her contribution in media. She was also recognized at the Unesco Open Frame Festival in New Delhi, India for her children's show "Tepantorer Mathey" (In the Mysterious Land). Nipa has produced and directed many TV shows including, "Jhinge Phuler Deshe", "Nari O Nakhatra," and "Jibone Jibon Ano". "Jibone Jibon Ano'' was Bangladesh's first live talk show on drug addiction and mental health issues. The show aired on a weekly basis on RTV from 2007-2008 and contained approximately 80 episodes. She was awarded the Bachsas Award for this show in 2008. She worked in popular Bangladeshi television channels such as ETV, RTV, ATN Bangla, and NTV between 2000-2010 and later started her own production house named "Master Opera" in 2008, where she led as Creative Head and Managing Director. She produced many fictional dramas, short films & documentaries and a full length feature film. She's produced many documentaries in collaboration with national and international organizations like UNICEF Bangladesh, International Labor Organization (ILO), Action Aid Bangladesh, Care Bangladesh, Bangladesh Centre for Communication Services Programs (BCCP), Plan International Bangladesh.