Bangladeshi filmmaker Nuhash Humayun continues to strengthen his international footprint as his anthology episode ‘Waqt’ heads to the South by Southwest (SXSW) Sydney festival, set to begin on October 13.
The eerie, thought-provoking story, the first episode of Chorki’s second anthology season ‘Dui Shaw’, explores time, guilt and the supernatural through the fates of five friends whose sins catch up with them in mysterious ways.
Co-written by Nuhash and poet Gultekin Khan, Waqt originally premiered last December and quickly drew attention for its poetic writing and haunting visual style.
Featuring Allen Shubhro, Rizvi Rizu, Refat Hasan, Abdullah Al Sentu, Rafayatullah Sohan, Saikat, Sahana Sumi and Yashrib Habib, the episode blends human psychology with supernatural tension: a hallmark of Nuhash’s work.
“This project has connected equally with festival curators and Bangladeshi viewers, which doesn’t happen often,” Nuhash told Prothom Alo.
“Usually one side appreciates the art more than the other, but Waqt seems to have found that rare balance.”
For co-writer Gultekin Khan, Waqt marked her first foray into screenwriting. “I was initially terrified,” she recalled in an earlier interview. “But when Nuhash said he truly believed in my writing, it gave me the courage to co-write the story with him.”
Dui Shaw also features three other stories: ‘Bhaggo Bhalo’, ‘Beshura’ and ‘Antara’, and follows the success of Nuhash’s acclaimed horror anthology ‘Pett Kata Shaw’, which earned the Best International Feature at the Raindance Film Festival in 2022 and screened at Rotterdam.
This July, Dui Shaw was also featured at the Fantasia International Film Festival in Canada.
With earlier hits like ‘Moshari’ and ‘Foreigners Only’, Nuhash has become one of the most visible Bangladeshi storytellers on the global stage. His SXSW Sydney selection for Waqt marks yet another milestone, not just for him, but for the country’s expanding presence in international streaming and genre cinema.
