The 14th Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA) announced their nominees recently. Talented actress Azmeri Haque Badhon has been nominated in the Best Actress category for her performance in Abdullah Mohammad Saad directorial "Rehana Maryam Noor".

The winner of the award will be revealed on November 11 at Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. 38 films from 25 countries in the Asia Pacific region are enlisted at the awards.

Badhon shared her thoughts regarding this achievement with The Daily Star over the phone. "It is definitely a proud moment for all of us who are associated with 'Rehana Maryam Noor'," she says.

"I will give credit for this achievement to my director Abdullah Mohammad Saad, for believing in me and representing me as Rehana." The actress shared that her experience of working with Saad was one of a kind.

"Being a patient of chronic depression for a long time, I often have emotional breakdowns. Even I have days where I just lie in bed for hours. So, it is really challenging to deal with someone like me," adds Badhon.

 "I am grateful to Saad, who was very patient with me throughout the film," she says.  

Before "Rehana Maryam Noor" was announced, many were questioning Badhon's career trajectory, and her talent. "I believe my hard work and dedication have silenced the naysayers," she asserts.

"Rehana Maryam Noor" is the first Bangladeshi film in history to be officially selected for the Cannes Film Festival, in the Un Certain Regard section. It was also screened at the Busan International Film Festival on October 8. The film has been nominated at Hong Kong Asian Film Festival in the New Talent Award section. It is scheduled to be screened in November at the festival in two slots,  on November 6 and 18.

Badhon in Rehana Maryam Noor.

 "Rehana Maryam Noor" received uncut censorship from the Bangladesh Film Censor Board. The film is expected to release in the last week of this month.

It is produced by Jeremy Chua of Singapore's Potocol, in association with Bangladesh's Metro Video.