Bangladesh has picked a powerful drama for its official entry to the Oscars this year. The country’s Oscar committee has chosen ‘Barir Naam Shahana’ (‘A House Named Shahana’). This is the first feature film directed by Leesa Gazi.
The movie draws inspiration from Gazi’s own novella published in 2011. It is set in the rural heartlands of Bangladesh during the 1990s. The film tells the story of Dipa, a young woman whose life takes a difficult turn when she is married off to a widower living in England.
What follows is a painful journey. Dipa faces abuse in her marriage and eventually returns to her home country as a divorcee. Back in her village, she has to stand up against rigid social traditions that frown upon women like her. Despite the challenges, Dipa begins working toward her dream of becoming a doctor.
The lead role of Dipa is played by Aanon Siddiqua, whose strong performance has already drawn critical praise and is being seen as her career breakthrough.
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The film also features actors like Lutfur Rahman George and Iresh Zaker, along with Kazi Ruma, Kamrunnahar Munni, Mugdhota Morshed Wriddhi, Amirul Haque Chowdhury, Naila Azad, Arif Islam, Naimur Rahman Apon, and Jayanto Chattopadhyay.
Produced by Komola Collective and Goopy Bagha Productions Limited, ‘Barir Naam Shahana’ made its world premiere at the 2023 MAMI Mumbai Film Festival. There, it won the Film Critics Guild Gender Sensitivity Award.
Since then, it has travelled to several international festivals. They include the London Indian Film Festival, the Dhaka International Film Festival, and the Kolkata People’s Film Festival.
The Academy will announce the shortlist for international feature films on December 16. The list of final five nominees will come out on January 22.