Director Amit Ashraf's comedy Kathal (The Great Jackfruit Heist) premiered on World Children's Day November 20th, 2022 on Bioscope. The film, which caters to both children and adults, is available to stream for free.
The 45 minute short film was screened at the 10th Dhaka Lit Fest on the second day at 11:15am.
The session was moderated by Shams Jaber, founder of The Tech Academy.
The quirky adventure comedy is about two kids from the slum who sneak into a posh gated community to steal a huge jackfruit (the world's largest fruit). But when they go to sneak back out the hole, the jackfruit is too big. Their only hope is to sell the fruit to the eccentric residents while avoiding the bumbling guards. Their journey tests their friendship and their beliefs as they learn meaningful lessons from each encounter. A fun adventure for kids and adults, reminiscent of Little Prince meets Little Rascals.
Written and directed by Amit Ashraf, the film stars Ishrak Turzo, Poushal Chowdhury, Somadrita Prohar, Nawaf Naser, Ashraful, Ashish, Lara Lotus, Sharmili Ahmed, Deepwanita Martin, Kaarina Kaiser, Aynun Putul, Tersa Chaity, and Khalilur Kadery.
Amit is a graduate of NYU's film school with a focus on directing, screenwriting and animation. His first feature film Udhao won 7 international awards.
“I grew up in the US watching many wonderful children's movies and shows that shaped my views and morals,” the director said. “I learn to share, tell the truth and be a good friend from some of the after-school shows. But there is almost ZERO content in Bangla for kids. Children have to usually watch Hindi cartoons or some dubbed content. They are our future, yet we make no stories for them. I wanted to change that with the adventure comedy film Kathal. Inspired by story formats from Pixar movies, I made Kathal to entertain not just kids but the whole family. I hope this can inspire makers and streamers to produce more children's content.”
Kathal won Best Story at the Ahmedabad International Children Film Festival in December. Other notable credits in the film include:
Producer: Himel Tariq
Cinematographer: Barkhat Hussain Polash
Music Composer: Jacob Yoffee
Art Director: Samurai Maruf
Music Composer: Jacob Yoffee
Costume Designer: Eimon Kandakar
Production House: Kazi House Productions
Bangla Surf Girls wows DLF audiences
Following its long festival run in Europe and North America, Bangla Surf Girls made a big splash at Dhaka Lit Fest on day 3.
Much like the protagonists in the documentary, Bangla Surf Girls has defied and overcome the challenges posed by the pandemic. This little indie doc has traveled to over 37 international film festivals from Vancouver to Germany, from Paris to Guangzhou garnering awards and prizes along the way. It continues to be popular at Ocean themed festivals winning awards in Coronado, California, Ubatuba, Brazil, and Kiel Germany. Bangla Surf Girls has been shown at Children's Film festival, Paris, ZLIN Children's film festival in Czech Republic, Cinema in Sneakers, Poland and at Hot Docs for Schools, moving young audiences who have engaged in Q and A sessions curious and engaged by the determination of the Bangla Surf Girls.
The success of Bangla Surf Girls is also the success of Bangladeshi Director, Elizabeth D Costa whose talented camerawork and ability to connect with the subjects have been recognized by audiences around the world. Critics are impressed with Elizabeth's style and sensitive treatment of her subjects. There is no doubt that she forged a deep relationship with the girls which is how she managed to get such candid conversations.
Of course, that leads to the question: what's happening to the girls? Are they still surfing?
The popularity of the film was leveraged by the Producers to create a crowd funding initiative in partnership with The International Ocean Film Tour and with Bangladeshi NGO Jaago Foundation. Three of the girls from the original Surf Club continue to teach and to surf and are role models for the next generation of girls.
Director Elizabeth D Costa said: “Big thanks to our audiences. And it's a great feeling. We just want the best for the girls and that was the objective when I first started filming. So, this response is really great.”
Bangla Surf Girls has also been screened widely on TV networks in Sweden, Greater China, Germany, France, Switzerland, Australia, Denmark, Estonia, STEPS Africa. It is available on Google Play, Amazon and Itunes.
This article was originally published in Showtime on August 23, 2022. It is being reproduced here on the occasion of Dhaka Lit Fest 2023
