Field notes · 2026-11-02 · 4 min

A documentary on the Mro community for TİKA

We made a short documentary on the Mro (Mourong) community in the hills of Bandarban for the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency, TİKA.

The Mro, also called Mourong, are one of the indigenous communities of the Chittagong Hill Tracts in south-eastern Bangladesh. Most live in villages on the hills of Bandarban, far from main roads, with their own language, customs and way of farming on the slopes.

For TİKA Dhaka, the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency, we made a short documentary about the Mro community and the support TİKA has brought to the area. Labib Faisal wrote the story, worked as director of photography, edited the film and wrote the voice-over script.

Reaching the villages is part of the story. Roads end long before the houses do, and equipment has to be carried up steep paths. We travelled light, with a cinema camera, a gimbal and a drone for the wide views of the hills, and planned every day around the weather and the walking time.

As always, the most important work happened before the camera was switched on: meeting families, explaining the film and listening. People in remote communities are rarely asked about their own lives, and when they are given time, they tell their stories with great clarity.

The film shows daily life in the hills, the challenges of access to water, health care and education, and how small, well-planned projects can make a real difference.

FOLOK has filmed several projects for TİKA in Bangladesh, including clean water in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, community clinics in Singra and climate-resilient communities in Koyra.