STORIES. VOICES. IMPACT. CHANGE.
ROHINGYA-LED. COMMUNITY-ROOTED.
Our stories. Through our own lens.
THE SCHOOL
Stories from within. Told by our community.
Rohingya Film School is a community-rooted initiative founded by Rohingya storytellers in Kutupalong, Cox’s Bazar, in February 2020. Through photography, filmmaking, and practical creative learning, the school creates space for Rohingya people to document their own lives, share their perspectives, and preserve the stories and traditions that matter to them.
Our work brings together storytelling, community awareness, cultural memory, and youth empowerment. We believe people should have the opportunity to represent their own experiences and help shape how their community is understood.
01
Our Beginning
Founded in February 2020
02
Our home
Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh
03
Our approach
By Rohingya, for Rohingya
04
Our purpose
Hope. Health. Heritage.
We Featured
SELECTED WORK
Every story deserves to be heard.
From community awareness films to photographs documenting everyday life, our work shares experiences, preserves memories, and brings Rohingya perspectives to wider audiences.
Our films and photographs reflect the people, places, challenges, and hopes that shape our community.
01
Featured project — Community awareness
2020 · ROHINGYA LANGUAGE
A song that carried a message.
Osman Goni and Omar’s Film School used music to share COVID-19 prevention information in Rohingya. The film was selected among the winning works in Oxfam’s 2020 art competition.
02
Featured project — Learning through photography
2021 · RTVE / REUTERS
Learning to frame our future.
A news report on how the school helps Rohingya refugees learn photography and document life in the camps.
BEHIND THE LENS
A place. A people. A thousand perspectives.
A glimpse inside our school: the people, the practice, and the moments that shape a community of storytellers.
LEARN. CREATE. SHARE.
The next story could be yours.
Creative skills open a way to be seen and heard. We support young Rohingya people as they learn to tell stories with care, confidence, and purpose.
Through practical learning and creative mentorship, young people can develop the skills to document their experiences, share community knowledge, and create meaningful visual stories.
Four learning areas
COMPOSITION · CAMERA PRACTICE · PHOTO STORIES
Photography
Learn to observe, compose, and capture the moments that matter. Develop camera skills through hands-on practice and field assignments.
VISUAL NARRATIVE · INTERVIEWS · FILMING
Film and videography
Explore how moving images and sound work together. Build a visual narrative, plan interviews, and develop documentary stories.
SEQUENCING · EDITING · STORY DEVELOPMENT
Editing and storytelling
Turn photographs and footage into meaningful stories. Practice selecting, sequencing, and shaping material for an audience.
CULTURAL MEMORY · EDUCATION · AWARENESS
Community media
Create educational and awareness content in a language our community understands. Document traditions, local knowledge, and everyday experiences.
WORK WITH US
Local knowledge. Professional storytelling.
Leverage our on-the-ground expertise and visual storytelling skills for your media, humanitarian, or community needs.
Our work connects creative production with local knowledge and community perspectives. We welcome enquiries from NGOs, journalists, media organizations, researchers, and other collaborators looking for support with storytelling and communication projects.
Stock media and editorial licensing
High-quality photo and video archives of camp life, culture, and humanitarian efforts available for NGOs, journalists, and researchers.
Custom documentary production
End-to-end documentary filmmaking tailored to humanitarian, cultural, or organizational needs.
Fixing and field journalism support
Highly skilled local fixers, guides, and interpreters to assist international news agencies and journalists covering stories inside the camps.
Professional translation
Accurate written and verbal translation services across Rohingya, English, Burmese, and Bengali languages.
Promotional and awareness campaigns
Engaging promotional videos and educational media designed to highlight ongoing NGO projects and public health campaigns.
Multilingual audio dubbing
Professional voiceover and audio dubbing services in Rohingya, Burmese, Bengali, and English for multimedia content.
Training and empowerment
Practical training and mentorship for Rohingya youth and community members in photography, videography, documentary filmmaking, storytelling, basic journalism, and digital media, helping develop local creative skills and strengthen community-led media initiatives.
Have a project in mind?
Tell us about your media, translation, field support, or community storytelling needs. Let’s explore how we can work together.
OUR BEGINNING
Born in a refugee camp. Built on a shared belief.
The right to tell our own story.
Our school began with a simple belief: Rohingya people should have the tools to tell their own stories. In February 2020, Omar Faruk, his brother Mohammed Faruque, and fellow Rohingya storytellers brought that belief to life in Kutupalong Camp. The founding collective also included Saidul Huq, Mohammed Kasim, and Mohammed Zonaid.
Through film, photography, and practical training, we document the everyday, protect cultural memory, and make space for young people to share their perspectives with the world.
2017
The seed of an idea
Working alongside international journalists, Omar and his brother Mohammed Faruque saw the value of stories told in their community’s own language.
FEB 2020
Rohingya Film School begins
A volunteer-led school takes shape in Kutupalong, teaching young Rohingya people photography and videography.
MAY 2020
A name that carries a legacy
After Omar’s passing, the school becomes Omar’s Film School in his memory. Mohammed and the team carry his vision forward.
TODAY
Our founding name. The same purpose.
As Rohingya Film School, we continue the work Omar began: telling our stories, preserving our heritage, and supporting young storytellers.
Our five founding objectives
Health. Hope. Heritage.
The purpose that brings our work together.
Equip young storytellers
Train Rohingya youth in photography and videography, with practical skills to document their own lives.
Inform our community
Make awareness videos in Rohingya so vital information reaches people in a language they understand.
Preserve living heritage
Record our traditions, oral histories, songs, and cultural memory for future generations.
Make learning more accessible
Create educational media that helps address barriers to learning.
Document life from within
Cover community services, humanitarian activities, emergencies, and the everyday stories that deserve to be remembered.
OUR PEOPLE
A shared vision. An enduring legacy.
Founded by Rohingya storytellers. Carried forward by a community.
BEYOND OUR OWN FRAMES
Our story, in the world.
Independent reporting and published features have documented the school’s work, the vision of its founders, and the ambitions of young Rohingya storytellers. Earlier coverage uses the name Omar’s Film School.
UNHCR · 17 MAY 2021
A school built on the power of our own voices
Co-founder Mohammed Faruque reflects on the school’s beginnings, community information, and hopes for the future.
REUTERS / WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM · 21 JUNE 2021
Learning to document life in the camps
Reporting by Ruma Paul on photography classes and young photographers’ aspirations.
OXFAM · 2020 ART COMPETITION
Rohingya Realities; Rohingya Futures
Osman Goni and the school’s Rohingya-language awareness song appear among the competition’s winning works.
WORKING TOGETHER
Stories grow stronger through collaboration.
We welcome opportunities to work with people and organizations who value community-led storytelling, creative learning, cultural preservation, and responsible media.
KEEP THE STORIES MOVING
Let’s create something that matters.
For film and photography enquiries, youth training, screenings, media requests, or creative collaborations, we’d love to hear from you.