Kamar Ahmad’s ‘Shikolbaha’ to compete for Golden Goblet at Shanghai Film Festival

Kamar Ahmad Simon may not be the most recognisable name to the average Bangladeshi film audience, but his international portfolio is quite stunning, with awards and recognition at some of the world's biggest film festivals – including Cannes, Berlinale and Locarno. 

The Bangladeshi director, best-known for his multi-award winning documentary "Shunte Ki Pao! (Are You Listening!)", has scored again with his fourth film "Shikolbaha" ("Silence of the  Seashell") being nominated for the prestigious Golden Goblet award in the main competition of the Shanghai International Film Festival. 

The director announced the selection of the film, a joint production between Germany's Weydemann Bros and Bangladesh's Studio Beginning, via a press release.

In 2014, the screenplay of this film, then titled "Shongkho Dhoni", was selected for La Fabrique Cinéma de l'Institut français at the Cannes Film Festival. This project earned Kamar consecutive selections for Berlin Film Festival's prestigious grant and the World Cinema Fund. 

Additionally, "Shikolbaha" won the Gothenburg Film Festival's script grant and a national film grant in Bangladesh.

According to the festival organisers, more than 3,700 films from 105 countries were submitted for this year's Shanghai screenings. "Shikolbaha" is among 14 films selected for the main competition, along with entries from Spain, Argentina, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, Russia, Kazakhstan, and Iran.

When asked why the film took so long to make, Kamar explained, "'Shikolbaha' was my first written screenplay. However, before starting it, I became involved with 'Shunte Ki Pao!' followed by 'Neel Mukut' and 'Anyadin'—the time just flew by."

"It takes a long time to transition from script to film because I don't rush the process. I prefer to immerse myself in a project for years," he added.

The jury president for this year's Golden Goblet competition is Vietnamese-born filmmaker Tran Anh Hung.

Expressing her feelings about the premiere, producer Sara Afreen said, "We embraced the invitation to compete in Asia's largest festival. We've been trying to tell our own stories our own way since 'Shunte Ki Pao!'"

Newcomer Fauzia Karim Anu, who plays the central character Ruba in "Shikolbaha", shared her excitement, "It's an incredible feeling to have my first film in the main competition at Shanghai. My perception of shooting completely changed on set. It was like a semester course. Interestingly, Kamar bhai and Sara apa never dictated how my character should be; instead, they helped me discover Ruba myself."

The Shanghai festival organisers have invited director Kamar Ahmad Simon, producer Sara Afreen, and lead actress Fauzia Karim Anu to attend the screening.

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