After a celebrated journey across major international film festivals and receiving widespread critical acclaim worldwide, the award-winning Bangladeshi feature film No Ground Beneath the Feet (Payer Tolay Mati Nai) is finally set for its global OTT premiere on iScreen on May 30 Eid-ul-Adha.
Directed by Mohammad Rabby Mridha, the film first made international headlines following its world premiere at the Busan International Film Festival, one of Asia’s most prestigious film festivals, held from 6–15 October 2021. The film later had its Indian premiere in the International Competition section of the FIAPF-accredited International Film Festival of India in Goa, held from 20–30 November 2021. Continuing its remarkable festival run, the film was selected in the Asian Competition section of the Bengaluru International Film Festival and screened in the Global Cinema section of the Pune International Film Festival in March 2022.
The film also competed in the Debut Filmmakers Competition section at the Jaffna International Cinema Festival, where it had its Sri Lankan premiere, and was showcased in the Spotlight section of the Osaka Asian Film Festival during its Japan premiere. It further screened at the Critics Week section of the International Film Festival Thrissur and competed in the International Competition section of the Nepal International Film Festival, where it had its Nepal premiere.
The international journey of No Ground Beneath the Feet continued through screenings at the Red Lotus Asian Film Festival in Vienna, the London Indian Film Festival, the Malaysian International Film Festival—where the film was nominated for the Malaysia Golden Global Awards (MGGA)—as well as the International Film Festival of South Asia Toronto in Canada, the International Film Festival of South Asia Seoul in South Korea, the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne in Australia, and the World Film Festival of Kolkata in India.
During its acclaimed festival run, the film received several prestigious international recognitions, including the Jury Special Mention award at the Jaffna International Cinema Festival, the Best Film award (Gautam Buddha Award) at the Nepal International Film Festival, and the FIPRESCI Award for Best Debut Film at the World Film Festival of Kolkata. In 2023, the film was also selected as Bangladesh’s official submission to the Academy Awards.
Set against the devastating consequences of climate change and social instability, No Ground Beneath the Feet follows Saiful, an impoverished ambulance driver trapped between two wives while gradually descending into a world of moral decay, deception, violence, and public humiliation. Through a deeply human and hauntingly realistic narrative, the film explores poverty, masculinity, survival, and environmental collapse in contemporary Bangladesh. The film stars Priyam Archi, Deepanwita Martin and Mostafa Monwar in lead roles.
The film was produced by acclaimed Bangladeshi filmmaker and producer Abu Shahed Emon under the banner of Golpo Rajjo Films. It was co-produced by Faridur Reza Sagar for Impress Telefilm Limited and Tahrima Khan for Batayan Productions, with executive production by Mir Mukarram Hossain of Boxoffice.
The film received strong praise from international critics for its realism and cinematic maturity. Writing for Asian Movie Pulse, film critic Panos Kotzathanasis described the film as “a great movie, a rather hopeful debut, and a testament to the progress of Bangladeshi cinema.”
Following years of international recognition and anticipation, audiences around the world will finally be able to stream No Ground Beneath the Feet on iScreen from May 30, marking another important milestone for contemporary Bangladeshi cinema on the global stage.
