Rubaiyat Hossain’s The Difficult Bride has won the Independent Film Critics Award, known as the Premio Bisato d’Oro, at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival.
The recognition comes ahead of the festival’s closing ceremony, where the winners of the official competitive categories, including Orizzonti, will be announced. The award marks another milestone for the film, which made history as the first Bangladeshi feature to compete in the Orizzonti Competition.
Set in contemporary Dhaka, The Difficult Bride follows Zaineen, a bride-to-be whose body begins to transform during wedding preparations. Blending feminist folk horror, body horror and the supernatural, the film explores family expectations, social control and desire.
“I made The Difficult Bride from a very intimate place — thinking about the ways women learn to inhabit, discipline and sometimes fear their own bodies. To have the film recognized by independent critics in Venice is deeply meaningful to me,” Hossain said.
Produced by Francois D’Artemare, the Bangladesh-France-Germany-Norway-Portugal co-production is represented internationally by Films Boutique. It will next travel to the Toronto International Film Festival for its North American premiere.
