Bangladesh’s Booming Presence at Busan Points to Against-the-Odds Industry Emergence: ‘Superheroes Don’t Need to Come From North America’
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Bangladesh is a vital presence at the 2023 Busan International Film Festival with three films in competition and a film at the Asian Project Market.
The current wave of Bangladeshi cinema was heralded by Mostofa Sarwar Farooki’s “Television,” which closed Busan in 2012. The festival has subsequently screened almost every major work emerging from the country.
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Farooki’s latest effort “Something Like an Autobiography” plays in the festival’s Jiseok competition. Feature debutants Biplob Sarkar’s “The Stranger” and Iqbal H. Chowdhury’s “The Wrestlers” are in the New Currents competition for first or second features. Robiul Alam Robi’s “Suraiya” is selected for the APM.
Like all cinema that successfully transcends national borders, this latest crop from Bangladesh is rooted in the local ethos but features themes that are universal. “Something Like an Autobiography,” for example, deals with themes of pregnancy alongside societal and political pressures on celebrities. “The Wrestler” marries sport, pride and climate change, while “The Stranger” deals with matters of familial relationships and burgeoning sexuality. Language, communication and immigration are the themes that “Suraiya” will explore.
“We can see that these films are capturing elements of our familiar contemporary life. In terms of storytelling, we have become increasingly localized, and as a result, our films are creating their own space in the global cinematic landscape. Even though these films will be showcased at this year’s Busan festival, they are deeply rooted in local narratives,” Sarkar told Variety.
South Asia is hugely influenced by the filmmaking colossus that is India and the separate, original narratives in Bangladesh have taken time to emerge. “Sometimes it’s good not to have a legacy. You then feel inspired to create a legacy. Bangladesh is a young nation which has long been under the shadow of its giant neighbor when it comes to cinematic styles and expressions. Post 2000, a new generation of filmmakers, writers, poets arrived on the scene. They displayed a deep desire to find their own voices in cinema and other fields of art. This has gradually contributed to the ongoing surge in Bangladeshi cinema. We are still a long way from calling it a wave but we are surely getting there,” Farooki told Variety.
As with every emerging industry, there are opportunities and challenges. “The identity formation process of Bangladeshi cinema is in a nascent phase. From its mainstream to independent scene, from streaming platform to cinema, Bangladeshi cinema is in an odyssey to create its own style and identity,” Robi told Variety. Farooki lauds the Bangladeshi audience who are ready to accept different kinds of stories and story-telling and the country’s vibrant pipeline of budding filmmakers. Chowdhury is all praise for the country’s national film funding, without which “The Wrestler” would not have been possible. He is also appreciative of his compatriots’ ability to pitch Bangladeshi stories to the world.
“Opportunities are there because the whole film industry wants diversity,” Chowdhury told Variety. “I feel like it’s a very crucial time for decolonization in cinema also. Our top superheroes don’t always need to come from North America.”
“The Wrestler” producer Piplu R. Khan sees an opportunity in South Asia’s global footprint. “The South Asian diaspora can definitely be a catalyst to a growth in terms of reach and impact,” Khan said.
In terms of challenges, the main ones appear to be that of an ecosystem for independent cinema that is currently fledgling at best, the absence of a clear national film policy and the bane of most of Asia – censorship. “The biggest challenge is a lack of proper policy. A policy that will ensure producers and distributors are getting proper revenue shares, a policy that will ensure artistic freedom. Censor and institutional control is still a major issue in Bangladesh. Without this, our filmmakers would be throwing more questions to the status quo,” Farooki said.
(The filmmaker’s “Saturday Afternoon” is yet to see a release in the country as despite being cleared by the censors after a four-year struggle, the film is yet to receive a censor certificate.)
Chowdhury would like to see the government provide long-term financial support that is required to nurture artists and talents, while Robi and Sarkar say that that lack of formal education and training opportunities for filmmaking has resulted in a dearth of skilled professionals in Bangladesh. “We are still struggling to make our policy makers understand the strength of our new wave. If we can strengthen on some of these key issues and initiate some sort of reform, things can be amazing,” Khan said.
While the audience may be enthusiastic, distribution is another issue. “There isn’t much enthusiasm for marrying commerce with art in this type of cinema, and distributors are not keen on releasing such films in theaters. This poses a significant barrier to the dissemination of our cinema,” Sarkar said.
The audience is also fragmented thanks to the boom in streaming. “The streaming platforms often cater to specific target audiences based on data-driven decisions. This could limit the scope for experimentation, as the popularity of independent cinema determines whether similar content will be produced in the future. This can stifle diversity and innovation in Bangladeshi cinema,” said producer Abu Shahed Emon, a Busan regular whose “No Ground Beneath the Feet” debuted at the festival and is Bangladesh’s entry to the Oscars this year. “It’s crucial to remember that cinema has historically evolved through experimentation, and nurturing an ecosystem that encourages these original voices is vital for the future of Bangladeshi cinema.”
In this case a solution is at hand. “Something Like an Autobiography” is produced by leading Bangladesh streamer Chorki and is part of the “Ministry of Love” anthology that also features films by voices in the country’s independent cinema scene, including Robi and Emon.
“Yes, we have challenges but we remain optimistic,” said Nusrat Imrose Tisha, star and co-producer of “Something Like an Autobiography.”
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