Tauquir’s ‘Haldaa’ wins Grand Prix in Italy

Acclaimed Bangladeshi filmmaker Tauquir Ahmed’s “Haalda” won the Grand Prix at the Religion Today Film Festival. The festival opened on Thursday night at the picturesque small town of Trento, Italy.

Tauquir told Showtime: “I’m happy and inspired to receive this award. It’s always a pleasure to represent Bangladesh at these international platforms. When my film wins, it’s a win for Bangladesh. We have to go a long way and spread our films across the globe. These are small steps towards that big goal. It’s never easy to win such prizes.”

‘Haldaa’ previously won several awards in Colombo, London Kosovo, and Dhaka.

The acclaimed director also said that he is happy that “Bengalis in Italy got to see the film on the big screen. ‘Haldaa’ will be participating in a film festival in Tunisia next. And it is an honour as only ten films are invited to that festival from Asia.”

Tauquir Ahmed is currently in Italy attending the festival, alongside Ahmed Muztaba Zamal, the festival director of Dhaka International Film Festival.

Tasmiah Afrin Mou and Asaf Ud Daula are attending a filmmaking workshop as a part of the festival.

Sadia Khalid, internationally renowned film critic and FIPRESCI (The International Federation of Film Critics) member, is a member of the international jury board at the festival.

62 films from 28 countries were screened at the festival.

‘Haldaa’ was released on December 1, 2017. The film’s story was written by Azad Bulbul and the screenplay was penned by the director himself. The film’s three main leads are Zahid Hasan, Mosharraf Karim and Nusrat Imrose Tisha. Mosharraf Karim played the role of a fisherman, while Zahid Hasan as the antagonist. Dilara Zaman, Fazlur Rahman Babu, Shahed Ali, Runa Khan played other characters in the film.

’Haldaa’ was shot in Chittagong’s regional accent and is Tauquir’s 5th feature film. The river Haldaa and the life of people living near it have been featured in this film. Issues like the struggles of river-dwelling people and land erosion are the main focus of this project.

Moreover, Tauquir is currently working on his upcoming film, “Fagun Hawa,” based on the 1952 Language Movement. The director has also announced casting Nusrat Imrose Tisha and Siam Ahmed in the upcoming film.