Matir Moina (2002)

Original title

মাটির ময়না

Directed by

Tareque Masud

Genre

drama film

Country

Bangladesh, France

Runtime

1h 38m

Rated

U

Rating

7.4 of 10 from 33 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A young boy from a conservative Muslim family in East Pakistan is sent to a madrasa to study religion. The story follows his experiences there and with his family as political tensions rise in the lead-up to the Bangladesh Liberation War.

contemplativemelancholicvisually lushslow-burnintimatehistorically groundedpoeticbittersweetgrounded

What happens

Matir Moina (Bengali: মাটির ময়না; also known in English as The Clay Bird) is a 2002 Bengali war-drama film written and directed by Tareque Masud. It was his debut feature film. Based on Tareque's story the screenplay was co-written by Tareque and Catherine Masud. In the film, Tareque's childhood experience is revealed against the backdrop of 1969 Mass uprising in East Pakistan on the eve of Bangladesh Liberation War. The film stars Nurul Islam Bablu, Russell Farazi, Jayanta Chattopadhyay, Rokeya Prachy, Soaeb Islam and Lameesa R. Reemjheem in the lead role. It is considered one of the best Bangladeshi films of 21st century. The film deals with its historical references during the independence of Bangladesh. It portrays the experiences of a young protagonist, his family, his teachers and his life at the madrasah. Production began with initial funding from the French government. The film was officially screened on 15 May 2002 at the 55th Cannes Film Festival. Produced by Catherine Masud, the film grossed about US$48,752 at the box office after its release. The film was initially banned in Bangladesh. After the expulsion order was revoked, VCD and DVD version of the film were released on 17 April 2005 by Laser Vision. In 2002, as the first Bangladeshi film, it won the FIPRESCI Prize in section Directors' Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival. In 2004, the film won the National Film Awards for Best Child Artist and Best Screenplay. The film also won various domestic and international awards, including awards in five categories at the 24th Bachsas Awards. It was Bangladesh's first submission for Best Foreign Language Film category at the 75th Academy Awards in 2002. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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