The Bangladesh Ministry of Cultural Affairs has launched an ambitious anthology film project titled “Remembering Monsoon Revolution,” selecting eight accomplished directors to create works that will traverse the breadth of the country. The project will produce six fictional stories and two documentaries, each running 40-50 minutes.
The initiative’s title is a reference to the events of July 2024, referred to as the Monsoon Revolution, that led to then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina‘s flight from the country amid mass protests and the formation of an interim government under the leadership of Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus.
The project, overseen by celebrated Bangladeshi filmmaker Mostofa Sarwar Farooki who has been put in charge of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs, and a three-member search committee including Sumon Rahman, Adnan Al Rajeev and Tanim Noor, will conduct workshops across Bangladesh’s eight divisions. Each director will mentor emerging filmmakers from regional ShilpoKola Academies, with a final delivery date of May 30.
The selected filmmakers bring diverse expertise to the project:
Nuhash Humayun, whose horror short “Moshari” became Bangladesh’s first Oscar-qualifying film and attracted Jordan Peele and Riz Ahmed as executive producers, has gained international recognition including winning best international feature at Raindance for “Pett Kata Shaw”
Anam Biswas, a national award-winning screenwriter-director known for “Debi” and series including “Rongila Kitab,” brings experience in both theatrical and streaming content creation. Humaira Bilquis is a documentarian whose films explore complex human relationships and sociocultural norms. Her work screens at major festivals like IDFA and Lussas documentaire, with her latest documentary “Things I Could Never Tell My Mother” (2022) premiering at Visions du Reel.
Shankha Dasgupta, founder of Filmy Features with 17 years of industry experience, recently completed “Dear Maloti,” which is currently making rounds in the international festival circuit. Shaheen Dill-Riaz brings extensive European production experience and documentary expertise showcased in works like “Bamboo Stories.”
Robiul Alam Robi, whose work explores psychosocial narratives, contributed to the anthology film “Sincerely Yours, Dhaka” and recently received a national film grant for his project “Suraiya.” Tasmiah Afrin Mou brings documentary expertise, with international awards and fellowships including the American Film Showcase Documentary program at USC. Mohammad Touqir Islam, head of Footprint Film Production, has directed numerous short films and web series, recently completing “Sinpaat.”
The initiative aims to capture perspectives on recent social changes while developing regional filmmaking talent outside the capital city of Dhaka.
“If you look at the cultural landscape of Bangladesh, you will see lots of talented filmmakers have come out in last few years. But there are more who are waiting in the wings. We wanted to tap into that area and create some kind of waves across the country in addition to eight medium length films we will be producing through this program,” Farooki told Variety. “Everything is Dhaka-centric now. We wanted to change it and make opportunities available for people living outside the capital city too. I believe these workshops will help many young talents launch their careers.”