Ariq Anam Khan’s short film Transit and Rezwan Shahriar Sumit’s debut feature film Nonajoler Kabbo have been selected to premiere at the 25th Busan International Film Festival which will downsize by a third to meet this year's unique challenges
South Korea’s Busan International Film Festival, one of Asia’s biggest, unveiled latest plans regarding its 25th edition. The organizers have decided to postpone the festival by two weeks and downsize by a third to cope with the pandemic-induced challenges.
Busan will be held from October 21-30 in a hybrid in-person and offline format, without any outdoor events including the opening and closing ceremonies.
One of the two Bangladeshi films selected this year, Ariq Anam Khan’s short film Transit will be competing in the ‘Main competition’ section. The short film tells the story of a salesman, on the verge of poverty, who is waiting for a migrant visa to Italy, hoping that it would change his luck and help him create a better future for his family.
The short film was shot in 2019, and completed in early 2020. Starring Jahangir Alam in the lead role, the cast also includes Sharmeen Akhee, Baidya Nath Saha, Khairul Alam Tipu, Sharif Hossain Emon and others.
Transit will also premiere at the prestigious Oscar and BAFTA qualifying Encounters Film Festival this year, running from September 17 to September 27.
Titas Zia (Mrittika Maya) and Tasnova Tamanna (Live From Dhaka) in Nonajoler Kabbo| Courtesy
Apart from having its world premiere at the 64th BFI London Film Festival, Rezwan Shahriar Sumit’s first feature film Nonajoler Kabbo (The Salt in Our Waters) will have its Asian Premiere at the 25th Busan International Film Festival.
A Bangladesh-France coproduction, supported by acclaimed director Spike Lee, Nonajoler Kabbo stars veteran actor Fazlur Rahman Babu, Tasnova Tamanna (Live From Dhaka), Titas Zia (Mrittika Maya) among others.
A clash-of-cultures tale set in a remote coastal village of Bangladesh, Sumit’s National grant winning film shines a unique light on love and resilience.
Nonajoler Kabbo, the only Bangladeshi feature film to screen at Busan this year, revolves around a city-raised sculptor who visits a remote fishing village on the Bangladeshi Delta, and eventually finds himself embroiled in a primal, elemental conflict between land and sea, man and nature, past and future.
Busan goes slimmer! Congratulations to friends who have a film and a special congratulations to Rezwan Shahriar Sumit...
Posted by Mostofa Sarwar Farooki on Monday, September 14, 2020
Organizers have however yet to dismiss the possibility of having to cancel this year’s festival altogether if overall safety procedures cannot be maintained.
Festival veterans including Mostofa Sarwar Farooki and others have already taken to Facebook and congratulated the directors of Nonajoler Kabbo and Transit on their successful festival journey.
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