A photography exhibition based on the unreleased Bangladeshi film An Apple Tree Inside the Head opened at La Galerie, Alliance Française de Dhaka, on Tuesday.
The opening ceremony took place at 6pm, with Alliance Française de Dhaka director François Chambraud, film producer Josim Ahmed, actor Jayita Mahalanobish and writer and film enthusiast Manosh Chowdhury attending as special guests. The film’s director Mohammad Fazlay Rabby Mridha, producer Arifur Rahman were also present.
Organised by Goopy Bagha Productions Limited and Views & Vision Production, the exhibition brings together cinematic and raw photographs from the making of An Apple Tree Inside the Head. The images explore the film’s characters, landscapes, gestures and visual atmosphere without revealing the complete story.
Expressing his enthusiasm for the project, François Chambraud said, “The exhibition is a representation of the whole film. Congratulations to the director and producers.” He reaffirmed the institution’s commitment to the local creative scene, adding, “Alliance will always be a friend of the arts. Best wishes.”
Addressing Bangladesh’s cultural landscape, guest speaker Manosh Chowdhury, Professor of the Department of Anthropology, Jahangirnagar University shared his views on the film’s production and release. “The infrastructure of Bangladeshi movie culture has always bothered me,” he said. “There are always constraints on promoting art and films in Bangladesh, but I hope this will bring change.”
Chowdhury praised the team’s dedication, noting that “they went to deserted places in Bangladesh to make this movie”. He called the final result “a brilliant movie for this time in Bangladesh”.
He also praised the performances, saying, “Several actors tactfully managed the entire production, delivering a very heavy acting of art.” He urged audiences to change their perspective, remarking, “People need surreal points of view to watch this film, not realistic eyes.” On censorship, he added, “As a regular citizen, I don’t want the censor board to cut even a single minute.”
“This is not merely a photo exhibition, but an artistic journey where viewers have the opportunity to experience and discover the film in a new way,” Josim Ahmed said. He added that visitors would encounter the film’s emotional and thoughtful layers through the photographs and interpret them from their own perspectives.
Producer Arifur Rahman said the exhibition offers the film a new life through photography and allows audiences to experience it outside conventional distribution systems.
Written and directed by Fazly Rabbi Mridha, the film follows Mintu Mridha, whose wife Jasmin and son Shohag often wander away from home as if caught in a trance. Believing that an unseen force has entered his family, Mintu seeks help from a saint, who gives him a blessed apple said to possess healing powers. As reality and illusion begin to blur, the apple becomes a possible cure, a temptation and a mysterious sign.
The film stars Mostafa Monowar, Jayita Mahalanobish, Abul Kalam Azad Setu and Sohag Mridha. It was produced by Arifur Rahman, Bijon and Josim Ahmed.
The exhibition will remain open until 19 September, from 3pm to 9pm daily.
