Bangladesh picks ‘Khacha’ for Oscars
PARTITION- set drama ‘Khacha’ has been selected as Bangladesh’s entry for the 90th Academy Awards in the best foreign-language film race.
Directed by Akram Khan, who co-wrote the script with Azad Abul Kalam, ‘ Khacha’ is set against the 1947 partition of India and Pakistan following the end of British rule. Based on a short story of the same name by Hasan Azizul Haque, the film revolves around the plight of a Hindu family trying to migrate to India from East Pakistan and stars Mamunur Rashid, Azad Abul Kalam and Jaya Ahsan in key roles.
This is the fourth film produced by leading banner Impress Telefilm that has ended up as the country’s Oscar entry following ‘ Third Person Singular Number’ (2010), ‘Jalal’s Story’ ( 2015) and last year’s ‘ The Unnamed’.
Bangladesh has yet to secure an Oscar nomination, though it has been sending entries to the foreign-language category since 2002.
The 90th Academy Awards will be held Mar 4, 2018.
Meanwhile, New Zealand has selected Tusi Tamasese’s Samoan-language feature ‘ One Thousand Ropes’ for the same category.
The film, Tamasese’s second for Oscar consideration, had its world premiere in the Panorama section at this year’s Berlin Film Festival, where THR reviewer David Rooney called it “a deeply felt drama,” where Tamasese, “sustains the subdued intensity with impressive control.”
Written and directed by Tamasese and produced by Catherine Fitzgerald, ‘One Thousand Ropes’ is the story of a Samoan family living in suburban New Zealand, reconnecting and putting to rest the ghosts that haunt them.
Starring Uelese Petaia,
Bangladesh has yet to secure an Oscar nomination, though it has been sending entries to the foreign-language category since 2002.
Frankie Adams, Beulah Koale and Sima Urale, ‘One Thousand Ropes’ is Tamasese’s follow-up to his feature debut, ‘ The Orator’, which was shot in Samoa and made the shortlist of nine films in the 2012 Oscar foreignlanguage category.
It is New Zealand’s fifth entry onto the category.
‘One Thousand Ropes’ will screen in the London Film Festival and Australia’s Adelaide Film Festival this month.