Three Bangladeshi films in Asiatica Film Mediale

A documentary film on 1971 rape survivors, titled “Bishkanta” (“The Poison Thorn”) is in the main competition of 17th Asiatica Mediale Film Festival, taking place in Rome. The Festival will also showcase two other Bangladeshi films, “Under Construction” and “My Bicycle”, in the Panorama section.

Asiatica Mediale is the most representative event in Italy dedicated to Asian cinema, mainly with Italian and European premieres (features, documentaries, shorts), special events and homage to film directors. Running from September 17 to Oct 2, the festival this year showcases over 40 films from 20 countries including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, Philippines, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Turkey and Vietnam.

“The Poison Thorn”, directed by Farzana Boby, revolves around the narratives of three rape survivors of Liberation War on 1971 of Bangladesh.

Rubaiyat Hossain's feature film “Under Construction” is about a middle class Muslim woman struggling to find herself in the sprawl of urban Bangladesh. The film has participated in major film festivals worldwide, most recently in the Open Doors section at Locarno Film Festival. However, the film was not found listed on the official site of the festival.

Another film participating in the festival is “My Bicycle”, a story told for the first time in an indigenous language in Bangladesh. Aung Rakhine's debut feature film that has been screened at Tallinn Black Nights and Göteborg film festival is a mature, sophisticated representation of Bangladesh's most marginalised population.

All three films are distributed by Khona Talkies, a Bangladeshi production and distribution company.