Bangladeshi director's 'Rehana Maryam Noor' screened at Cannes

'Rehana Maryam Noor’, a film directed by Bangladeshi director Abdullah Mohammad Saad, screened at the 74th Cannes Film Festival's prestigious 'Un Certain Regard' section on Wednesday.

The screening took place at Bangladeshi time 3:15pm at the Sal Dubusi Theater in Cane Pale Do Festival building.

Director Abdullah Mohammad Saad, actress Azmeri Haque Badhan, Singaporean producer Jeremy Chua, cinematographer Tuhin Tamizul, production designer Ali Afzal Ujjal, sound engineer Shaib Talukder, colourist Chinmoy Roy and executive producer Ehsanul Babu attended the screening on Wednesday at the festival.

The second Bangladeshi film ever being showcased in a competitive section of arguably the most prestigious and celebrated film showcase in the world, Rehana Maryam Noor has created a buzz among movie lovers and critics all over the world.

A large number of audiences were spotted outside the festival venue, cued to enter the screening, according to the local media.

There will be a total of three screenings of the movie at the festival. Both of the screenings will take place tomorrow, July 8 at 12:30pm and 2:00pm (Bangladeshi time) at the festival.

It is of course the first from Bangladesh to be chosen for Un Certain Regard, which translates to 'From Another Angle' in French, and features films that stand out for their unusual styles and often non-traditional storytelling.

Previously, late Tareque Masud-directed Matir Moina (2002) was the first Bangladeshi entry to be screened in competition at the festival, coming away with a prestigious FIPRESCI award.

The second directorial venture by talented filmmaker Abdullah Mohammad Saad, 'Rehana Maryam Noor's storyline narrates the tale of the eponymous private medical college teacher who becomes the witness to an unexpected incident while leaving the college one day. Being awestruck with the incident, Noor starts to protest against the incident and the system, as the story moves forward. Source UNB. 

The ensemble cast of the film features prominent actors including Saberi Alam, Azmeri Haque Badhan, Afia Zahin, Kazi Sami Hasan, Afia Tabassum, Yasir Al Haque and more, in the major roles.

Alongside Un Certain Regard, other segments of this year's festival are 'In Competition', 'Out of Competition', 'Midnight Screenings', 'Cannes Premiere' and 'Special Screenings'.

Officially starting on Tuesday as the first offline film festival during the pandemic era, this year's festival is scheduled to take place from July 6 to 17 in Cannes, France.