From cartoons to Hollywood

Wahid Ibn Reza
Wahid Ibn Reza

There was so much I wanted to do. After graduating from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), I became the associate editor of Unmad, a Bangladeshi cartoon magazine. I then got a chance to work with Humayun Ahmed. I dabbled in several other fields in Bangladesh.

I set my next target—Hollywood. But the journey to Hollywood was not easy at all. I got admitted to the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. After completing my course there, I worked as a production assistant at a renowned animation studio in Canada.

After a whole lot of hard work and struggle, I got a chance to work with the Moving Picture Company (MPC) as a coordinator. It was the first time I worked with visual effects, VFX. My first project was Game of Thrones! I never thought my first project would be that big. I worked hard and worked for different movies in the same year.

At the end of the year I worked for a blockbuster— Batman vs Superman. I worked as the coordinator in that project. It was a huge project, with a huge budget. The finishing was so good that I started receiving offers.

I had longed to work for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, especially in the ‘Captain America’ project. That dream came true when Method Studio assigned me for the project. I’ve worked there for ‘Captain America: Civil War’, and ‘Doctor Strange’. Both of these films have been shortlisted for Oscar nominations. If they are nominated, I will be so proud. Right now I am working in the film ‘Guardian of the Galaxies 2’ to be completed in March, 2017.

I’ve not decided yet what to do next. I may take a break. I would like to explore the video games industry sometime and also plan on a Master’s degree. That would help me to reach the apex of Hollywood.

I want to work in Bangladesh as a scriptwriter. Bangladeshi television and films are in dire need of good scripts, and I know I am good at that.

The bottom line is that, with a positive outlook and confidence, anything can be achieved.

*The article originally published in Prothom Alo print edition is rewritten in English by Sitesh Saha