Chaitali Somadder’s short film ‘Mariyam’ was recently screened at the 29th Religion Today Film Festival in Trento, Italy.
Produced and directed by Somadder with a Bangladesh government grant, the film has previously screened at festivals in Kolkata, Pune, Brussels, Senegal and Dhaka. It has also won two international awards.
The film follows Mariyam, a teenage village girl whose life changes after someone finds her unconscious and injured near a river. Rashed, a hijra villager, discovers her while rowing his boat and takes her home to her parents.
The story explores Mariyam’s physical and psychological trauma, her parents’ distress and the social pressure that follows after a video of the assault is circulated online.
‘Mariyam’ also examines violence against young women in close-knit rural communities. The film won Best Short Film at the National Film Awards 2023, announced in 2026.
The cast includes theatre practitioners from Barishal and local residents, with Jannatul Priti, Boishakhi Somadder and Saiful Islam Panna in principal roles.
