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Dhaka : The British Council has recently announced the recipients of its Connections Through Culture (CTC) Grant Programme 2025, which supports collaborations between artists and cultural practitioners in the United Kingdom and internationally.
Selected through an international open call, 127 grants have been awarded globally across 19 countries, including 7 grants in Bangladesh this year. First offered in Bangladesh in 2024, the number of applications received, and the number of grants awarded in Bangladesh have nearly doubled within this first year. the Connections Through Culture grant programme has shown the great interest and commonality between the arts sectors in the UK and Bangladesh.
Among the seven grantees, Kehkasha Sabah (Bangladesh) and Benjamin Cook (UK) will work on a project titled Midnight’s Third Child, while Pathshala Institute (Bangladesh) and GRAIN Projects CIC (UK) will collaborate on Resistance, Re-Imagine: International Photography Residency, a collaboration that brings together photographers from both countries.
Continuing this theme of shared creativity, Zihan Karim (Bangladesh) and Thomas Buckley from Play Office (UK) will develop A Shared Journey of Learning and Creation, which uses XR, immersive storytelling, and oral history to explore memory, diaspora, and identity.
Similarly, Shubho O Saha from Back Art Foundation (Bangladesh) and Munotida Chinyanga from State of the [Art] (UK) will connect communities across borders through Two Places at Once, a sound and storytelling project centred on climate, migration, and belonging.
Besides, Sundaram (Bangladesh) and Birds of Paradise Theatre Company (UK) will partner on The Space Between Us: Theatre, Access, and Exchange, a project to develop inclusive performances by disabled artists through joint workshops and mentorship. Composer Neel Kamrul (Bangladesh) and the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group (UK) will jointly present The Story of Maya: Homecoming, a project that celebrates BCMG’s Music in Dialogue series.
Rounding off the list, Drik Picture Library (Bangladesh) and Book Works (UK) will collaborate on Unbinding Bookbinding, a research and development initiative that blends traditional, hand-made Bangladeshi bookbinding with Book Works’ bespoke techniques.
“These seven successful proposals each present a compelling vision for bringing together artists and organisations in the UK and Bangladesh to co-create, co-produce and articulate responses to the pressing questions and issues of the day in innovative, exciting and accessible ways. The 2025 grantees reflect the extraordinary power of the arts to spark innovation, dialogue, and connection,” said Sadia Rahman, Head of Arts, British Council Bangladesh.
“What makes Connections Through Culture so special is the diversity it brings together. Different traditions, ideas, and artistic practices converging to create something new,” said Ruth Mackenzie CBE, British Council Director of Arts. “With its expansion, the programme connects even more voices and communities, strengthening the role of arts in fostering peace, trust, and prosperity across borders.”
Through this cycle, the British Council will provide over £11,96,233 funding globally, to grantees across South Asia, East Asia, and Wider Europe.
-Press Release
