Bengali feature film on Rohingya issue screened at KIFF

KOLKATA: A Bengali feature film on Rohingya issue was screened at the 26th Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF).

The film 'Priyo Chinar Pata, Iti Segun' (Fire of Teak Flame of Chinar) on a Rohingya refugee has been directed by debutant director Kumar Chowdhury.

The film was made after Chowdhury did research from various publications and other sources about the situation in Myanmar, its repercussions in the neighbourhood region.

The film is in competition at the Asian Select section of the festival.

Chowdhury told reporters on Monday he had first been struck by the image of a Syrian child of Kurdish background in newspapers which reflected the travails of the refugees and homeless and then came across a book by a Bangladeshi writer on Rohingyas in 2012.

The film, which has fictional elements, has been inspired by the real life story of a girl whose story was published in a journal and the director met the girl at a home in the state.

While Chowdhury had been a familiar face in small screens having acted in mega serials in important side roles and films like Pendulum, he debuted as a filmmaker with this work.

"I think one can state his views on issues he is concerned about in a convincing manner if he deals with the subject in his own film," he said.

The film stars Aarman Shaw and Iqbal Sultan among others.

The 26th KIFF opened on January 8 and will conclude on January 15.