Bangladeshi feature film Bonolata Sen has been officially selected for the International Competition section at the 31st edition of the prestigious International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK). The selection was confirmed by the film’s director, Masud Hasan Ujjal, himself.
The festival will take place from December 11 to 18 in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India.
Featuring only 14 selected films from Asia, Africa, and Latin America, IFFK’s main competition section is recognized as one of the toughest and most prestigious showcases in South Asia.
This year, the 14 selected films from 10 countries will fiercely compete for the festival’s top honours, including the Golden Crow Pheasant (Suvarna Chakoram) and Silver Crow Pheasant (Rajata Chakoram), with Bonolata Sen standing as the sole representative from Bangladesh.
According to festival authorities, the Best Film in the International Competition will receive the Suvarna Chakoram award along with a cash prize of INR 20,00,000 (approximately USD 24,000), to be shared equally between the producer and the director of the winning film.
In addition, the Best Director will be awarded the Rajata Chakoram and INR 4,00,000 (approximately USD 4,800), the Best Debut Director will receive the Rajata Chakoram and INR 3,00,000 (approximately USD 3,600), and the Audience Prize will honor the director of the best entry voted by festival delegates with the Rajata Chakoram and INR 2,00,000 (approximately USD 2,400).
In this year’s International Competition, Bonolata Sen will compete alongside celebrated auteurs and major international festival winners.
The lineup includes legendary Indian filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan’s new feature Padayaatra/A Journey on Foot (starring Mammootty), Brazilian director Allan Deberton’s double Berlinale 2026 award-winner Gugu’s World, Philippine director Lawrence Fajardo’s political drama Silenced Nights (which screened at the Toronto International Film Festival), Mexico’s I am Mario, and the Iranian film Slumber, which premiered at the Busan International Film Festival.
Inspired by the poetic universe and philosophy of iconic poet Jibanananda Das, the government-grant-funded film is produced by Masud Hasan Ujjal and co-produced by filmmaker Abu Shahed Emon.
The film stars Masuma Rahman Nabila in the titular role of Bonolata Sen and Khairul Basar as Jibanananda Das, alongside Shohel Mondol, Naziba Basher, Priyontee Urbee, Rupanty Akid, Sharif Siraj, and Sumaiya Khushi.
Speaking on the international selection, director Masud Hasan Ujjal shared that moving away from conventional biographical narratives or traditional love stories, he crafted Bonolata Sen as an intimately personal, poetic, and experimental visual exploration.
He added that securing one of the 14 slots in IFFK’s main competition alongside Berlin and Toronto award-winning films and a legend like Adoor Gopalakrishnan is a testament to the film’s artistic ambition, and competing on an international stage renowned for championing artistic and socially resonant cinema marks a proud milestone for contemporary Bangladeshi filmmaking.
Final Lineup of the 31st International Film Festival of Kerala International Competition (14 Films / 10 Countries):
- Bonolata Sen, Dir: Masud Hasan Ujjal (Bangladesh)
- Padayaatra / A Journey on Foot, Dir: Adoor Gopalakrishnan (India)
- Gugu’s World / Feito Pipa, Dir: Allan Deberton (Brazil)
- Silenced Nights, Dir: Lawrence Fajardo (Philippines)
- I am Mario / Soy Mario, Dir: Sharon Kleinberg (Mexico)
- The Silent Virgin / La virgen silenciosa, Dir: Xavi Sala (Mexico)
- Embers / Wo Men Jin You Yi Ci De Ren Sheng, Dir: Aoqian Sun (China)
- Slumber / Khab, Dir: Mani Moghaddam (Iran)
- People’s Child / Bache Mardom, Dir: Mahmoud Karimi (Iran)
- Ouroboros, Dir: Tatiana Lyutaeva (Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan)
- Sweet Violence / Dulce Violencia, Dir: Jeremías Segovia (Uruguay)
- Members of the Problematic Family, Dir: Ramalingam Gowtham (India)
- Selvi, Dir: Sailesh Rethnakumar (India)
- The Soul Whisperer / Chevittorma, Dir: Leo Thaddeus (India)
