Mehazabien’s debut film selected for Toronto Int'l Film Fest
Actress Mehazabien Chowdhury's first footfall into the silver screen space, "Saba", has officially been selected to be screened during the Discovery Program at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).
Directed by Maksud Hossain, "Saba" marks Mehazabien's transition from a 14-year television career to the big screen. On International Mother Language Day (February 21), she shared the film's official poster on social media, announcing her debut on the silver screen.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. Back then, Mehazabien expressed her hope, saying, "With its story, characters, direction, talented co-stars, and skilled crew, 'Saba' will always hold a special place in my heart."
The actress plays the titular role in "Saba", with Rokeya Prachy and Mostafa Monwar as additional cast members. The story and screenplay have been written by Trilora Khan and the director Maksud Hossain himself.
Beyond acting, Mehazabien also produced the film, alongside Arifur Rahman, Tamim Abdul Majid, Trilora Khan, Maksud Hossain, and Borkat Hossain Palash. Barkat Hossain Polash handled the cinematography, with Amman Abbasi providing the background score.
Last Wednesday, the organisers of TIFF 2024 confirmed that the Chloe Sevigny-starring adaptation of Françoise Sagan's classic novel "Bonjour Tristesse", directed by Durga Chew-Bose, is set to open the Discovery program with its world premiere.
The Discovery Program showcases the first and second feature films by emerging directors from around the world. This year, 24 films, including "Saba", have been selected, with 20 of them set for their world premieres. The festival will run from September 5 to 15.
A list of films that will be screened during the Discovery Program is as follows:
"Aberdeen" by Ryan Cooper, Eva Thomas | Canada
"Bonjour Tristesse" by Durga Chew-Bose | Canada/Germany
"Boong" by Lakshmipriya Devi | India
"Diciannove" by Giovanni Tortorici | Italy
"Do I Know You From Somewhere?" by Arianna Martinez | Canada
"Freedom Way" by Afolabi Olalekan | Nigeria
"Gülizar" by Belkıs Bayrak | Turkey/Kosovo
"Horizonte" by César Augusto Acevedo | Colombia/France/Luxembourg/Chile/Germany
"Ink Wash" by Sarra Tsorakidis | Romania/Greece/Denmark
"Linda" by Mariana Wainstein | Argentina/Spain
"Meat" by Dimitris Nakos | Greece
"Mother Mother" by K'naan Warsame | Kenya/Somalia
"My Fathers' Daughter" by Egil Pedersen | Sápmi (Norway/Sweden/Finland)
"On Falling" by Laura Carreira | United Kingdom/Portugal
"Really Happy Someday" by J Stevens | Canada
"Saba" by Maksud Hossain | Bangladesh
"Sad Jokes" by Fabian Stumm | Germany
"Seeds" by Kaniehtiio Horn | Canada
"Shook" by Amar Wala | Canada
"The Courageous" by Jasmin Gordon | Switzerland
"The Paradise of Thorns" by Boss Kuno | Thailand
"The Party's Over" by Elena Manrique | Spain
"The Quiet Ones" by Frederik Louis Hviid | Denmark
"U Are the Universe" by Pavlo Ostrikov | Ukraine/Belgium
Notable award-winning directors who have previously participated in the Discovery Program include Alfonso Cuarón, Christopher Nolan, Yorgos Lanthimos, Barry Jenkins, Ildikó Enyedi, Maren Ade, and Emma Seligman.
The competitive section of the Toronto Film Festival, Platform, offers a top prize of USD 20,000. This year, 10 films from 17 countries have been selected for this section. The opening film is "Daniela Forever", directed by Spain's Nacho Vigalondo and starring British-Malaysian actor Henry Golding. Canadian director Atom Egoyan will head the jury, with American director Jane Schoenbrun joining him.
It is worth mentioning that Barry Jenkins' "Moonlight", which won the Platform Prize, later received the Academy Award for Best Picture. Additionally, another Platform Prize winner - Darius Marder's "Sound of Metal" was nominated in multiple Oscar categories.
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