First Oscar: Why Moshari's Qualification Is A Watershed Moment For Bangladeshi Cinema
Self-taught filmmaker, Nuhash Humayun’s live-action horror short film, 'Moshari' is the first Bangladeshi film to be qualified for the Oscars. It stars Sunerah Binte Kamal and Nairah Onora Saif in the lead roles. This atmospheric and beautifully-shot Bangladeshi film was inspired by the catastrophic effects of climate change in Bangladesh. The citizens of Bangladesh are some of the worst affected by the climate crisis yet. The film portrays two sisters trying to survive a monstrous new world inside a mosquito net. Moshari is the South Asian word for a mosquito net. As the struggle for survival continues on the outside, the two sisters must face their inner demons during this crisis.
Moshari has made the rounds in film festivals and won many awards. The writer/director Nuhash Humayun advocates for humanitarian causes, including menstrual hygiene and rural sanitation, through his storytelling. Humayun made his theatrical debut in 2018 with the anthology film Sincerely Yours, Dhaka. It was first showcased at the Busan International Film Festival and enjoyed a successful festival run. It is currently acquired by Netflix.
The latest news is that Oscar-winning filmmaker Jordan Peele and Emmy Award-winning actor Riz Ahmed have joined Moshari as executive producers through their companies Monkeypaw Productions and Left Handed Films, respectively. Peele won an Oscar for best original screenplay for Get Out, while Ahmed, previously won an Oscar for his best live-action short film The Long Goodbye and also garnered an Oscar nomination for his role in Sound of Metal, Monkeypaw president Win Rosenfeld and SVP of development and production, Dana Gills along with Left Handed Films SVP and head of television, Allie Moore are also part of the production team.
We were floored by Nuhash’s riveting film that evokes our subconscious fears, from the childhood monster under the bed to an apocalyptic future. He weaves together jump scares and an emotional survival story of two young sisters, confronting colonialism and climate change in the process. We’re thrilled to join Nuhash’s team and help share this story.Ahmed and Moore
You can watch the film here.
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