| Rehana Maryam Noor | |
| Native Name: | |
| Director: | Abdullah Mohammad Saad |
| Cinematography: | Tuhin Tamijul |
| Editing: | Abdullah Mohammad Saad |
| Distributor: | Films Boutiques |
| Runtime: | 107 minutes |
| Country: | Bangladesh |
| Language: | Bangla |
Rehana Maryam Noor (Bengali: রেহানা মরিয়ম নূর) is a 2021 Bangladeshi film. The film is directed by Abdullah Mohammad Saad and produced by Ehsanul Haque (Babu) under the banner of Metro Video and co-produced by Sensemakers Productions.[1] [2] [3] The film is about the struggling life of a 37-year-old assistant professor of a medical college. It was internationally distributed by German-based sales and distribution company Films Boutique.
In 2021, it was selected in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival.[4] It is the first Bangladeshi film to be featured in this category. It was selected as the Bangladeshi entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 94th Academy Awards.[5] Rehana Maryam Noor bagged two awards at Asia Pacific Screen Awards. The director of the film Abdullah Mohammad Saad bagged the Jury Grand Prize and actress Azmeri Haque Badhon bagged award in Best Performance by an Actress category.[6]
The screenplay of the film is based on Rehana Maryam Noor, a 37-year-old teacher of a private medical college, where Rehana is accustomed to living a difficult life as a mother, daughter, sister, and teacher.[7] She witnessed an unexpected incident while leaving college one evening. Since then, she has spoken out on behalf of her medical college student against another fellow teacher in protest of the incident. And when she went to protest, she gradually became stubborn. Later, at the same time, the school authorities mistreated Rehana's 6-year-old daughter. In such a situation, Rehana continued to seek justice for her child and that student from outside the so-called rules of the school.[8] [9]
Rehana Mariam Noor premiered in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival and received a standing ovation.[12] It has created a positive buzz among the audience and the critics. The Hollywood Reporter described Rehana Mariam Noor on the bottom line of the review as "a tightly woven psychological portrait bound to incite controversy".[13] Screen Daily wrote in their review: "the film derives a magnetic continuity, and an unsettling range of dynamics, from Haque Badhon's performance".[14] The film has been selected for the debate section of the 65th British Film Institute of London Film Festival. Rehana Maryam Noor has been set to release in 12 cinema halls across Bangladesh on 12 November 2021.[15] OTT platform Chorki released this film worldwide on 30 December 2021.[16] Actress Azmeri Haque Badhon won the Hong Kong Asian Film Festival (HKAFF) award in the New Talent category for her performance in this film.[17]
| Award Title | Category | Awardee | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asia Pacific Screen Awards | Jury Grand Prize | Abdullah Mohammad Saad | [18] | |
| Best Performance (Actress) | Azmeri Haque Badhon | |||
| Meril-Prothom Alo Awards | Best Film | [19] | ||
| Best Actress | Azmeri Haque Badhon |