Screenwriter and film critic Sadia Khalid Reeti launched her debut pocketbook, "ReetiBakya,b" and presented her script "A Birth for a Death" at Alliance Française de Dhaka on August 19, bringing together prominent figures from Bangladesh’s cultural and film communities.
The event was attended by acclaimed singers Abida Sultana and Rafiqul Alam, along with directors Masud Hassan Ujjal, Fakhrul Arefin Khan and Ahmed Muztaba Zamal, among others.
The book "ReetiBakya" contains 99 pieces of thoughts and life lessons from the author, along with some introspection and retrospection. The topics range from general wisdom, film criticism, and current affairs, to more personal themes like love, loss and memories. After the author introduced the book, audience members read out pages that resonated the most with them in a lively environment.
The script “A Birth for a Death” is based on the fabled story of one of Rabindranath Tagore’s most beloved songs- “Aj Josna Raate Shobai Gechhe Bone”. It explores how the song was conceived by the poet, the circumstances under which he wrote the song and where his inspiration came from. The script was read and performed by four theatre actors- Nusrat Rysa, Irfan Rony, Kaniz Farjana Arefin and Sasha.
It was an attempt to find an alternative way to effectively communicate a film script with the audience, as funding and making a film can be a long, winding and uncertain road that often leads to a dead end.
Sadia Khalid Reeti studied Screenwriting at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and worked in editorial positions at The Daily Star, Dhaka Tribune and Daily Bruin since 2012.
She served as a jury member at different international film festivals in Italy, Iran, India, England, Nepal, France, Russia, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. She served as a FIPRESCI jury at the Cannes Film Festival (2019, 2024), the International Film Festival of Kerala (2019), Bengaluru International Film Festival (2023) and the Dhaka International Film Festival.
She is the first international voter for the Golden Globe Awards from Bangladesh.
A Berlinale Talents alumna, she attended mentorship programs with Film Independent and Locarno Open Doors and received the Charles Wallace Fellowship from the British Council.
She is the co-convener of the West Meets East Screenplay Lab. She also teaches film studies at the University of Dhaka. She is currently serving on the National Film Advisory Committee of Bangladesh and is Vice President of IFCAB (International Film Critics Association of Bangladesh).
The event also included a live acoustic performance of Tagore songs by Farshid Alam. The singer/songwriter is widely known for hosting the longest-running musical show “Music Buzz” alongside Alif Alauddin.
Formerly a member of popular bands like Pentagon and Bohemian (winner of Best Band at the CityCell Channel I Music Awards 2011), Farshid has over two decades of experience in performing on local as well as global platforms and festivals.
