"As all the policy makers are men, we have to face the same kind of discrimination in newspapers as in other sectors of society... People who distribute assignments among us sometimes discriminate, as most of them are men. They decide how far we can go or not. For instance, they do not allow us to do late night duties as they consider it impossible for us. Our families too are not used to accepting girls working late at night." -- Shamima Binte Rahman, former reporter of Daily Bhorer Kagoj and currently reporter with Channel 1.

These are the voices of two intrepid and successful female journalists, captured evocatively on film by AKM Zakaria, an avid filmmaker. Eve teasing, discrimination and rigid parental expectations are the bane of women like Munni and Shamima. As Munni points out in Zakaria's documentary titled In through the outdoor, "My mother is a bit disappointed as I could not be a school teacher or a government employee."

The bottom line, as the film reveals is that like Munni and others of her ilk are paving the way for succeeding generations through their long struggle for gender equity. How does the film differ from other women-centric works? Zakaria has a ready answer, " In Outdoor... there is no commentary, only interviews." Focusing on the theme, he asserts, "In the film I have tried to reveal the discrimination between the two sexes and women's long struggle to succeed in a male-dominated sphere."

Zakaria's passion for filmmaking is exemplified by his record. A previous short film is Iti, salma with a somewhat esoteric treatment of the chaotic break up between a man and a woman. This complex work only consists of a series of images -- a phone ringing continuously, a messy room, bits of paper flying around, plants, toys and a clock chiming every hour.

Zakaria's short films and documentaries have won much appreciation. Iti, Salma, the 16 mm short fiction, was shown in the competition section of the fifth Annual International Film Festival, Expression En Corto, Mexico 2002, regarded as the most prestigious film festival of Latin America. The film has also been shown at the second Kara Film Festival -- the Karachi International Film Festival, 2002.

Other films include his co-direction and co-scriptwriting of Shei Dhaka, Shei Buriganga, focusing on the declining state of the river Buriganga. The film was produced by Steps Towards Development. There are several others such as his direction of a short fiction film, for the Bangladesh Short Film Forum.

Now on the anvil for Zakaria is a documentary film on renowned Madrid-based Bangladeshi painter Munirul Islam. The film has been shot in Dhaka, the artiste's hometown of Chandpur and Madrid.