SHAMEEM AKHTAR is an author, screenwriter, filmmaker, and translator who lives and works in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Her many book credits include translations into Bengali of stories by Hans Christian Andersen (The Ugly Duckling and The Matchbox Girl) and Daughters of the Earth by Agnes Smedley (The Feminist Press).
She wrote and directed the acclaimed feature films Daughters of History, Shilalipi (The Inscription), and Rina Brown.
Akhtar holds a degree in International Relations from the University of Dhaka. She has worked with UNICEF in the fields of Urban Assistance and Education. She has also served as Jury member for the Bangladesh Oscar Committee, as a member of the Bangladesh Film Society, as adjunct teacher for the Bangladesh Cinema and Television Institute, and as a journalist for Daily Sangbad and several international publications.
Akhtar has also written and directed plays for the Children's Cultural Group. She is also the author/translator of several stories for the children's section of the Bengali monthly, Rupantor (Transformation).She has taught at the Holy Cross Girls School, where she formed a children's cultural group, and served on the jury for Dhaka's annual Children's Film Festival.