Mostofa Sarwar Farooki's latest feature film Television has been chosen to bring the curtain down on the Busan Film Festival
Highlights
- In yet another sign of the growing strength of parallel cinema in Bangladesh helmed by a crop of young directors, Mostofa Sarwar Farooki's latest feature film Television, which deals with the theme of tradition versus modernity in a rural setting, has been chosen to bring the curtain down on the Busan Film Festival in South Korea next month.
- It is for the first time that a Bangladeshi feature film gets the honour of being the closing film of Asia's biggest international film festival where Television will have its world premiere.
- Understandably, 39-year-old Farooki, who has made just three feature films before Television, is elated.
- "I believe that the selection of my film for the closing of the 10-day Busan festival, ending on October 13, is a recognition not only for the young directors of the new wave of cinema in Bangladesh but also for South Asia because it is not often that one finds a film from this region getting the honour of either to be the opening or closing film," the director told PTI over phone from Dhaka.
- The film opens with a television being thrown into water by a powerful villageman. Even as people in the village are very curious about the idiot box, the man tries to keep the villagers away from what he considers 'sin'. However, by the end of the film, the 'television', which the man disliked so much, helps him reach a transcendental state where he and his God are unified.
- However, Farooki insists religion is not important in Television, which stars Mosharraf Karim, Chanchal Chowdhury and Tisha, the faces you will find in the director's previous films also.
- "What I am dealing with in the movie is a conflict between an imaginary world and a real world. I have tried to study whether the imaginary world at times overtakes the real world.
- "The film is a study of two different times meeting at a critical point. At the end of the day, it is just a story of different angles of human relation," he said.
- According to the executive programmer of Busan Film Festival, for a long time, Bangladeshi cinema was not ready to be featured or highlighted in international film festivals but the recent advent of young and coming of age filmmakers is changing this idea.
- Film lovers in Delhi would recall Farooki's previous feature film Third Person Singular Number (2009), sensitively dealing with the plight of a single woman deserted by her husband in a male-dominated society, which was screened at the Siri Fort Auditorium at a festival organised by Bangladeshi High Commission a year ago.
- That film too had its world premiere at the Busan Festival and it fetched him the best director award at Dhaka International Film Festival.
- A veteran of TV filmmaking, Farooki made his debut in full-length feature with Bachelor (2003) which was screened at numerous international film festivals. Four years later, he directed Made in Bangladesh.
- Farooki said the audio tracks of Television would be released soon and the film may be released commercially either in November or December.
- Farooki would not be the only star at Busan. Another young Bangladeshi filmmaker Abu Shahed Emon's The Container is also competing in the Wide Angle Section of the festival.
In yet another sign of thegrowing strength of parallel cinema in Bangladesh helmed by acrop of young directors, Mostofa Sarwar Farooki's latestfeature film
Television, which deals with the theme oftradition versus modernity in a rural setting, has been chosento bring the curtain down on the Busan Film Festival in SouthKorea next month.
It is for the first time that a Bangladeshi feature filmgets the honour of being the closing film of Asia's biggestinternational film festival where
Television will have itsworld premiere.
Understandably, 39-year-old Farooki, who has made justthree feature films before
Television, is elated.
"I believe that the selection of my film for the closingof the 10-day Busan festival, ending on October 13, is arecognition not only for the young directors of the new waveof cinema in Bangladesh but also for South Asia because it isnot often that one finds a film from this region getting thehonour of either to be the opening or closing film," thedirector told PTI over phone from Dhaka.
The film opens with a television being thrown into waterby a powerful villageman. Even as people in the village arevery curious about the idiot box, the man tries to keep thevillagers away from what he considers 'sin'. However, by theend of the film, the 'television', which the man disliked somuch, helps him reach a transcendental state where he and hisGod are unified.
However, Farooki insists religion is not important in
Television, which stars Mosharraf Karim, Chanchal Chowdhuryand Tisha, the faces you will find in the director's previousfilms also.
"What I am dealing with in the movie is a conflictbetween an imaginary world and a real world. I have tried tostudy whether the imaginary world at times overtakes the realworld.
"The film is a study of two different times meeting at acritical point. At the end of the day, it is just a story ofdifferent angles of human relation," he said.
According to the executive programmer of Busan FilmFestival, for a long time, Bangladeshi cinema was not ready tobe featured or highlighted in international film festivals butthe recent advent of young and coming of age filmmakers ischanging this idea.
Film lovers in Delhi would recall Farooki's previousfeature film
Third Person Singular Number (2009),sensitively dealing with the plight of a single woman desertedby her husband in a male-dominated society, which was screenedat the Siri Fort Auditorium at a festival organised byBangladeshi High Commission a year ago.
That film too had its world premiere at the BusanFestival and it fetched him the best director award at DhakaInternational Film Festival.
A veteran of TV filmmaking, Farooki made his debut infull-length feature with
Bachelor (2003) which was screenedat numerous international film festivals. Four years later, hedirected
Made in Bangladesh.
Farooki said the audio tracks of
Television would bereleased soon and the film may be released commercially eitherin November or December.
Farooki would not be the only star at Busan. Anotheryoung Bangladeshi filmmaker Abu Shahed Emon's
The Containeris also competing in the Wide Angle Section of the festival.