Reekita Nondine Shimu is celebrating a significant year as two of her films, The Difficult Bride and Beliphool, screen at the Toronto International Film Festival (Tiff), following major milestones at Venice.
Rubaiyat Hossain’s The Difficult Bride made history as the first Bangladeshi feature film to premiere at the prestigious Venice International Film Festival. The occasion held special meaning for Shimu, whose earlier film, Aditya Vikram Sengupta’s Once Upon a Time in Calcutta, had its world premiere at Venice in 2021.
Shimu could not attend the festival that year. This time, she joined the team in Venice and watched The Difficult Bride with nearly 1,400 people at Sala Darsena.
“It feels really special and is a very proud moment for Bangladeshi cinema,” she said. “This is the second time one of my films has had its world premiere at Venice.”
She added that watching the film alongside Hossain and the team was “incredible”, while the audience’s reaction afterwards made the experience even more emotional.
At Tiff, The Difficult Bride screened on 16 September alongside Beliphool, Aniba Rahman’s debut short film. Both films screened at the same venue on the same day.
“Screening at Tiff on the same day and at the same venue—The Difficult Bride, directed by Rubaiyat Hossain, and Beliphool, directed by Aniba Rahman, is really exciting for me,” Shimu said.
The screenings also came a day before her birthday, making the occasion even more meaningful. “It’s one of the best gifts I could ever ask for,” she said.
Beliphool marks Shimu’s first collaboration with New York-based filmmaker Rahman. In the film, she plays Beli, a character very different from her previous roles and set in an urban environment.
“These recent films have allowed me to explore myself as an actress in different ways,” Shimu said. “I feel I’m still learning and growing as an actress.”
She added that working with different directors and new teams had helped her understand herself better as a performer. “I’m just hoping to keep exploring different kinds of stories and roles,” she said.
Tiff also has a personal connection for Shimu. Hossain’s Made in Bangladesh, in which she played the lead, had its world premiere at the festival in 2019. She won the National Film Award for Best Actress in 2023 for her performance in the film.
Alongside acting, Shimu has been involved with the International Women’s Peace Group’s Peace Leadership programme in South Korea since 2025. The organisation promotes peace through solidarity, education and international cooperation.
The IWPG Global Peace Conference begins on Thursday, and Shimu will join the event digitally this year. She said its focus on women’s leadership, civic participation, international networks and collaboration closely connects with her own interests.
“Through these initiatives, I hope that together we can create some positive social change, especially in Bangladesh,” she said.
