'Nomads of the North', a poetic feature documentary from Bangladesh, has been awarded the Sunny Side of the Doc Prize at the Doc Edge Festival 2025 in New Zealand, one of the Asia-Pacific’s most respected platforms spotlighting global documentary voices.
Directed by Piplu R Khan and executive produced by Junjuni Chakma under the banner of Applebox Films Ltd, this recognition invites the team to represent Bangladesh at Sunny Side of the Doc 2026 in La Rochelle, France, a premier international co-production and documentary market. The prize offers a significant step forward in building global partnerships, distribution networks, and audience reach.
Set across six shifting seasons, Nomads of the North unfolds in the hauntingly beautiful floodplains of northern Bangladesh. The film listens deeply to a region where land, loss, and longing coexist. Through the lens of music, memory, and feminine resilience, the documentary offers a lyrical meditation on human adaptation and emotional endurance, portraying lives shaped by water and time.
The project previously received the Bangladesh Government Documentary Grant and was officially selected for Dhaka DocLab 2024 and the Doc Edge Industry Pitch 2025.
“This film was born out of quiet observation, out of walking, listening, and learning to see with humility,” shared executive producer Junjuni Chakma. “To have that sensibility acknowledged on a global stage is both an honour and a gentle reminder that rooted stories do travel when told with care.”
Nomads of the North represents a new wave of South Asian documentary, deeply local in spirit yet universal in its search for meaning, dignity, and connection.
