DOT Desk: A total of nine Bangladeshi films were selected for Film Bazaar’s Viewing Room 2019 segment, which features completed films, reports Dhaka Tribune. The segment’s curated list called Film Bazaar Recommends (FBR) list includes Hasina: A Daughter’s Tale by Piplu Khan, Made In Bangladesh by Rubaiyat Hossain, Mayar Jonjal (Debris Of Desire) by Indranil Roychowdhury, Nonajoler Kabbo (The Salt In Our Waters) by Rezwan Shahriar Sumit, Dahokaal (Burning Time) by Dhrubo Hasan, Manusher Bagaan (People Of The Garden) by Nurul Alam Atique, No Dorai (Dare To Surf) by Taneem Rahman, Rickshaw Girl by Amitabh Reza Chowdhury and Shongram by Munsur Ali.
The film-makers selected in the FBR list pitched their films to potential international investors, producers, sales agents, distributors, and festival programmers in an open pitching session at the four-day-long event held at the Goa Marriott Resort & Spa. Eka (Solo) by Suman Sen and Sand City by Mahde Hasan have been selected in the Co-Production Market 2019 segment of the event. These film-makers will be pitching their projects to a curated audience of Indian and international producers, distributors, festival programmers, financiers and sales agents.
Sand City is directed by renowned Bangladeshi film-maker Mahde Hasan and his producers are Rubaiyat Hossain (Khona Talkies), Aadnan Imtiaz Ahmed (Cinema Cocoon), and Francois D’artemare (Les Films de l’Apres-Midi). Mahde told the Dhaka Tribune’s Showtime: “We have already done one on one meetings with the sales agents from the Netherlands, France, North America, Hong Kong and China, and had meetings with producers from Canada and India.

“Let’s see what happens. Hopefully we will start to submit our film projects for more production grants from next year onwards,” he added.

Sand City was part of co-productions platforms like Open Doors Locarno 2018, Products Au Sud 2018, and La Fabrique Les Cinémas Du Monde 2019 at Cannes.

Indian film-maker Suman Sen’s Eka is a co-production between Bangladesh, France, and India. The film’s lead producers will be renowned Bangladeshi film-makers Bijon Imtiaz and Arifur Rahman, and their production company Goopy Bagha Productions Limited.

Bijon told the Dhaka Tribune’s Showtime: “Suman is a promising Indian film-maker and I am co-writing the film’s screenplay with him. Based in Kolkata,the film revolves around a former leftist leader who is struggling in his career with all the corruption around him. The storyline explains how the protagonist’s whole world is falling apart, his financial struggles, and how his wife is about to leave him.

“We are very close to the final draft of the script and here [Goa] to raise more funding for the project. The whole film will be shot in Kolkata and we will start the first phase of the production very soon. We are really enjoying the whole vibe here this year with all the fellow Bangladeshi film-makers.”
Mayar Jonjal (Debris Of Desire) directed by Indranil Roychowdhury is being produced by Bangladeshi producer Josim Ahmed. He told Dhaka Tribune’s Showtime: “The film is a Bangladesh (Views), India (Flipbook) co-production and will feature Bangladeshi actor Aupee Karim and West Bengal actor Ritwick Chakraborty in the lead roles.”
“The project was also the first approved India, Bangladesh co-production after the new regulation came into effect,” Josim added.
The hyped and soon to release film No Dorai (Dare to Surf) was featured in this year’s FBR list at Film Bazaar. The film’s director Taneem Rahman told the Dhaka Tribune’s Showtime: “Back in 2017, we went to Film Bazaar for financing No Dorai as we were selected for the Co-Production Market segment that year. This year the film made it to their Viewing Room 2019 segment’s FBR list.

“I couldn’t manage to go this year because currently I’m very busy with the upcoming local release. So my producer went there to attend the events and meetings,” he added.

Star Cineplex Chairman Mahboob Rahman is the producer of No Dorai, the first surfing film of the country. It is scheduled to release in local theatres on November 29.