Shahidul Alam is a Bangladeshi photojournalist, teacher, and social activist. A TIME “Person of the Year”, he is celebrated for his commitment to using his craft to preserve democracy in his country–at all costs. He started early in his career creating opportunities for photographers from the “Majority World” (i.e. the Global South) to document events in their own countries as a means of fostering democracy and equity. He subsequently created two institutes of photography in Bangladesh and the world’s largest photography festival outside of Europe and North America. He has always taken risks to show the threats facing Bangladeshi society and human rights, but it all came to a head on August 5, 2018; when he was arrested by the government and held for some three months  for speaking to Al Jazeera about student protests. Shahidul Alam is now a free man but he, at the time of this film’s release, is awaiting trial. He is being honored as the epitome of what Cornell Capa described as the concerned photographer.

Since 1985, the International Center of Photography has recognized outstanding achievements in photography with its prestigious Infinity Awards. Since 2013, MediaStorm has been honored to partner with ICP and Harbers Studio to produce films that honor each awardee’s contribution to the field of photography and visual culture. This year’s winners are: Lifetime Achievement: Rosalind Fox Solomon; Critical Writing and Research: Zadie Smith, “Deana Lawson’s Kingdom of Restored Glory” for the New Yorker; excerpted from Deana Lawson: an Aperture Monograph (September 2018); Art: Dawoud Bey; Emerging Photographer: Jess T. Dugan; and Special Presentation: Shahidul Alam.

Shahidul Alam is a Bangladeshi photojournalist, teacher, and social activist. A TIME “Person of the Year”, he is celebrated for his commitment to using his craft to preserve democracy in his country–at all costs. He started early in his career creating opportunities for photographers from the “Majority World” (i.e. the Global South) to document events in their own countries as a means of fostering democracy and equity. He subsequently created two institutes of photography in Bangladesh and the world’s largest photography festival outside of Europe and North America. He has always taken risks to show the threats facing Bangladeshi society and human rights, but it all came to a head on August 5, 2018; when he was arrested by the government and held for some three months for speaking to Al Jazeera about student protests. Shahidul Alam is now a free man but he at the time of this film’s release, is awaiting a final court trial. He is being honored as the epitome of what Cornell Capa described as the concerned photographer.

The International Center of Photography’s Infinity Awards celebrates the outstanding achievements of individuals in photography. These films premiered at the Infinity Awards gala on April 2nd in New York City, and are subsequently used by the organization for promotion and fundraising.

Having recently been granted bail, Shahidul Alam’s movements are likely monitored, and he fears that he could always be at risk of re-arrest. We had to interview him at a time and place that was completely at his discretion, most likely in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Time was of the essence, so we knew we had to take the first date available to us for the interview.

MediaStorm producer Samia Khan contacted her network of South Asian producers and lucked upon Dina Hossein, an anthropologist and producer who also happened to have a connection to Alam. Dina worked with Alam to arrange a shoot within a day of being contacted and the result was an extensive interview that provided the narrative for this film.

The film premiered on April 2, 2019 at the ICP Infinity Awards Gala in New York City. The film was a special feature of the evening, and a critical fundraising tool.

This film was a collaboration with Harbers Studio and the International Center of Photography.

Harbers Studios turbocharges the efforts of charitable entrepreneurs by helping them tell their stories. Our goal is to help them articulate and share the value of the work they do so they can inspire others to help them do it. Working with some of the best filmmaking talent in the world, Harbers Studios creates compelling visual narratives that enhance the endeavors of organizations working to make the world a better place.

The International Center of Photography (ICP) is the world’s leading institution dedicated to the practice and understanding of photography and the reproduced image in all its forms. Through exhibitions, educational programs, and community outreach, ICP offers an open forum for dialogue about the role images play in our culture. Since ICP’s founding, they have presented more than 500 exhibitions and offered thousands of classes, providing instruction at every level. ICP is a center where photographers and artists, students and scholars can create and interpret the world of the image within our comprehensive educational facilities and archive.

As a privately funded nonprofit arts and education organization, ICP depends in large part on friends such as you for support. Your generosity is vital to ICP as it continues to grow and succeed in its mission: to present photography's extraordinary power to the public.

There are many ways to give to ICP: Donate to the Annual Fund, create a scholarship, sponsor exhibitions and education programs, contribute to the Collection, or make a planned gift.

Since 1985, the International Center of Photography has recognized outstanding achievements in photography with its prestigious Infinity Awards. The awards ceremony is also ICP’s primary fundraising benefit, with its revenues assisting the center's various programs.

Harbers Studios commissioned MediaStorm, on behalf of ICP, to create a short film about each of the recipients to screen at the awards ceremony and to display online. The films pay tribute to the contributions of each artist to the craft and field of photography and demonstrate ICP's commitment to them.