Syeda Rubaiyat Hossain, the acclaimed filmmaker behind ‘Made in Bangladesh’, has finally completed production on her new feature ‘The Difficult Bride’, a project she has nurtured for more than two decades. The director travelled to numerous international film festivals over the years with the script, gradually securing support and funding from five countries.
The film brings together three National Film Award winning performers: Azmeri Haque Badhon, Rikita Nandini Shimu and Sunerah Binte Kamal. They star alongside Zainin Karim Chowdhury, a Smith College graduate who previously worked as an assistant director and is now making her debut in a leading role.
Badhan was honoured with the Best Actress award in 2021 for ‘Rehana Mariam Noor’. Sunerah won the same award in 2019 for ‘No Dorai’, while Shimu received the accolade in 2022 for ‘Shimu’. Filming for The Difficult Bride was completed quietly, away from public attention.
The story centres on a young woman who dreams of a fairytale wedding while concealing a complicated illness. As she becomes overwhelmed by mental stress and finds that home remedies offer no help, she begins to imagine a mysterious woman with long hair during a visit to a beauty parlour. The film blends social drama with elements of horror and draws attention to women’s experiences, marriage, beauty culture and the pressures surrounding them.
Rubaiyat Hossain revealed that she has been writing and rewriting the story for 21 years. She originally considered developing it as a short film in 2006, but later decided it should become a full-length feature. She said that being able to make the film with such a dedicated group of collaborators feels like a miracle. Speaking about her cast, she expressed gratitude for their trust, generosity and commitment to their roles.
The international nature of the project extends behind the camera as well. Portuguese filmmaker Leonor Teles worked as cinematographer, while crew members from several countries contributed to other departments. The film was co-produced by Hossain along with François d’Artemare from France, Anna Cachco from Germany, Pedro Borges from Portugal and Ingard Lill Hutton from Norway.
The Difficult Bride is currently in post-production and is expected to be completed by March 2026. The film will be the only Asian title featured in the Work-in-Progress section of the Les Arcs Film Festival, which opens in France on December 13 and is expected to continue its journey across the international festival circuit once finalised.
