Two Bangladeshi films nominated at the 21st Kazan Int'l Film Festival

A Bangladeshi short film and a documentary have earned nominations at the 21st Kazan International Film Festival in Russia. The short film "The Pair of White Pigeons" is directed by Shahriar Azad Shaumik, while the documentary "Mighty Afrin: In the Time of Floods" is helmed by Angelos Rallis. The documentary is an international co-production involving Greece, France, Germany, and Bangladesh.

Shahriar Azad shared insights about "The Pair of White Pigeons", noting that the film draws inspiration from his childhood memories. "I grew up in a remote village in Jhikargacha, Jessore," he said. "This short film reflects many emotions from my early years—rural incidents I witnessed, village life, nature, and inner emotional complexities." The story centres around a pair of white pigeons and features performances by SK Shahriar and Shaheen Hossain.

Meanwhile, "Mighty Afrin: In the Time of Floods" follows the journey of a courageous 12-year-old girl named Afrin, who lives on an isolated island in the Brahmaputra River. When devastating floods strike, she sets off in search of her father, navigating hardship as a climate refugee. The documentary, which runs for 1 hour and 32 minutes, highlights the harsh realities of flooding in Bangladesh and features actors Afrin Khanam, Bonna Akhter, Firoza Begum, and others.

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The Kazan International Film Festival is scheduled to begin on September 5, and both directors and producers of the nominated films are expected to attend. "The Pair of White Pigeons" was produced by Juboraj Shamim, who expressed his thoughts on social media, "This is the first film I've produced. I don't aim to regularly produce films for others, but when someone's vision and creative process resonate with me, it becomes a matter for a different time and discussion. Wishing Shaumik all the best."