Bangladeshi filmmaker Rubaiyat Hossain has received a major boost at the 76th Berlin International Film Festival, as her feature ‘The Difficult Bride’ was awarded a Tk1 crore 16 lakh grant from the Fondazione Prada Film Fund.
The Berlin festival, which opened on February 12 and runs until February 22, announced the selected projects at a special event on February 13.
14 films from around the world were chosen to share a total of €1.5 million in funding. This year marks the first time Fondazione Prada has financed full-length feature films.
For The Difficult Bride, this recognition represents the second time the project has secured support from a major international platform. In 2022, it received €50,000 from the World Cinema Fund during its 37th session. The latest grant of €80,000 amounts to approximately Tk11.6 million.
Hossain has already completed shooting the film. The cast features National Film Award-winning performers Azmeri Haque Badhan, Reekita Nondine Shimu and Sunerah Binte Kamal, with newcomer Zaineen Karim Chowdhury in the titular role.
The story centres on a young woman who dreams of a fairytale wedding but struggles with a complex illness that cannot be resolved through conventional remedies. As psychological pressure mounts, she begins to experience hallucinations. According to the director, the film blends social realism with elements of horror to explore a woman’s internal psychological conflict.
The Difficult Bride is an international co-production involving François d’Artemare of France, Anna Katchko of Germany, Pedro Borges of Portugal, Ingrid Lill Høgtun of Norway and Hossain herself representing Bangladesh. Production companies include Les Films de l’Après-midi in France, Tandem Productions in Germany, Midas Filmes in Portugal, Barentsfilm AS in Norway and Bangladesh’s Khona Talkies.
Other projects selected for the Fondazione Prada Film Fund include ‘The Sleeping Woman’ by Daria Martin from the UK and Ireland, ‘Amarcord’90’ by Yuri Ancarani from Italy, ‘Galerna’ by Tatiana Huezo representing Mexico, Spain and Switzerland, and ‘Jenjira’s Magnificent Dream’ by Apichatpong Weerasethakul, a multi-country collaboration.
