Under Construction, the second feature by writer-director Rubaiyat Hossain, and Jalal’s Story, the debut feature by Abu Shahed Emon, are two Bangladeshi productions headed to Montreal later this month. The two films will be screened as part of the 39th Montreal World Film Festival (MWFF). Both films have been chosen for the Focus on World Cinema section.
Muhammad: The Messenger of God, the latest film by renowned Iranian director Majid Majidi, will open the festival and have its world premiere at the MWFF. This 171-minute epic on the early years of the prophet of Islam was produced with a budget of over $50 million, making it the most expensive film ever made in Iran.
The film will be screened in Bangladesh as the opening film of Dhaka International Film Festival on January 14, 2016 and it will be released theatrically on January 22 in Bangladesh.
Rubaiyat Hossain’s second feature film Under Construction is about a woman struggling to find herself in the sprawl of urban Bangladesh.
The cast includes Shahana Goswami, Mita Chowdhury, Rikita Nandini, Rahul Bose and Shahadat Hossain in major roles. Shayan Chowdhury Ornob has composed the background score and music, while Sahana Bajpaie sang a Tagore song Tomay gaan shonabo.
Jalal’s Story portrays the story of a rootless child and traces his journey as he struggles to become a man with a standing in society. The film previously won the Asian Cinema Fund. Made under the banner of Boutique Cinema Project, an initiative of Impress Telefilm, the cast of the film includes Mosharraf Karim, Moushumi Hamid and Toukir Ahmed.