Remnants of Men

In 1971, genocide was committed in Bangladesh. While the nation was fighting for independence from Pakistan, with the help of local collaborators (razakars), the Pakistan military unleashed a full-scale crackdown on Bengali civilians. The survivors of these gruesome war crimes are still waiting for justice. Many of the recognised local war criminals are more powerful than ever now, due to the political alliances they maintain.
In February 2013, the progressive youth of Bangladesh gathered in Shahbag and demanded fair trials followed by fullest punishment for these war criminals. This massive protest continued for weeks, managed to stay non-violent, and sent out shock waves around the world.
Now, a young Bangladeshi from New York is makin g a film inspired by that ocean of young protestors.
Rezwan Shahriar Sumit was born and raised in Bangladesh. He is currently pursuing an MFA in Film Directing/Producing as an NYU Tisch Scholar. He is also a Berlinale Talent, selected back in 2008 by the Berlin International Film Festival. Previous short films made by Sumit include “Moon Fairy”, “Trick-or-Treat”, “Robots R Human”, “City Life” and “Forever Young”. Almost all of his films have been showcased at European festivals. He has a BBA in Marketing from IBA, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh. Before moving to New York, he worked with Western Union for a couple of years as a Marketing Executive. He aims to promote indie/grassroots art of Bangladesh globally.
About his film, titled “Remnants of Men”, Sumit says, “Did your father make a mistake? Your grandfather? Or even your entire nation? Acknowledge it. If you are in a position to help the victims, go for it. Shahbag was one opportunity for the youth to make a strong statement against war criminals. I missed out on this opportunity. I was in NY for my studies. My family and friends back home participated.
“During the movement, we all felt a heightened sense of patriotism. We posted photographs of the Liberation War, we wore red and green, and we even went back to the war-time flag (which has a map of Bangladesh imprinted on it). The euphoria was almost poetic. The outcome? It was just a start. The energy should have been channeled into a more transformative movement that questions our political system. Nonetheless, the spirit lives on. Whatever happened in Shahbag, its stories deserve to be retold and recaptured in cinematic format. Here's my first attempt.”
Sumit is the first Bangladeshi to study in the graduate film programme of NYU Tisch. He feels privileged to be able to represent Bangladesh in this vibrant community of young filmmakers.
Making a film in New York is expensive. This project is only possible due to the generosity of the crew who work for free and the involvement of Screen Actor's Guild performers who work at a deferred rate. NYU Tisch provides him some free equipment including camera, light and grip packages. He still needs to raise $12,000 within a month to cover costs of extra equipment, post production, distribution, transport, some location and design fee. Sumit's film is open for crowd-funding. There are some exciting perks in offer if you donate: you can watch the finished film on your computer, put up a poster on your wall, and meet Sumit on Skype.
You can contribute here: http://igg.me/at/remnants-of-men

Sarita Rahman is an architect.

THE STORY:
Jahir is a Bangladeshi immigrant living in New York. He writes for a Jackson Heights-based small-time newspaper. He comes to know about the existence of a video footage that could be used to incriminate a war criminal back home. However, Anthony, who has the footage, is a hard nut to crack. The film unravels as Jahir embarks on a mission to retrieve this evidence and comes face to face with the sins of past generations.