The Bangladeshi feature ‘Agantuk’ (The Stranger), directed by Biplob Sarkar, has been selected as the official closing film of the Toronto Multicultural Film Festival (TMFF), which kicked off in Canada yesterday.
The film follows the life of 10-year-old Kajol, who lives with his mother and a frail grandmother. Their fragile household is shaken when Kajol’s long-absent father suddenly reappears, sparking unresolved tensions and gradually transforming the family members into strangers to each other.
The film features a powerful ensemble including Ferdousi Majumdar, Sahana Rahman Sumi, Ratan Dev, Mahmud Alam, Ehan, Rafsan, Hridoy, Hasimun and Naima Tasnim. It was jointly produced by Tajul Haque, Ramya Rahim Chowdhury and Sarkar himself, with support from a government grant in the 2019–20 fiscal year.
Now in its eighth edition, theTMFF will showcase 47 films from 28 different countries, concluding on August 28 with Agantuk. The festival’s curtain-raiser is the Canadian title Universal Language.
Agantuk has already earned international recognition. It premiered at the 2023 Busan International Film Festival, went on to screen at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne, and, even before completion, picked up the Prasad Lab DI Award and the Moviebuff Appreciation Award at the 2022 Film Bazaar in Goa.