Bangladeshi short film 'Ali' nominated for Cannes

A glorious chapter has been added to the history of Bangladeshi cinema. For the first time, a film from the country has made it to the short film section of the official selection at the 78th Cannes Film Festival, the most prestigious festival in world cinema. The name of this film is 'Ali'.

'Ali', directed by Adnan Al Rajib, will now compete for the highest honor for short films, the Palme d'Or. The film is jointly produced by Bangladesh's Tanvir Hossain and Philippines' Christine De Leon. Its line production is done by 'Runout Films'.

Regarding this achievement, producer Tanvir Hossain said, "We usually do not give much importance to short films. But new producers are developed through this medium. Participation in Cannes is a great example of inspiration for us."

Producer Adnan Al Rajib said that the film was shot in Sylhet in November 2024. Without giving details about the story, he said, “I tried to highlight a deep truth through personal experiences. The goal was to make the work simple, straightforward and sincere.”

Executive producer Habibur Rahman Tarek said, “I was sure that the international audience would accept this story. We did not compromise on the quality of the work. This time it has been proven that our producers are now able to do world-class work.”

The film ‘Ali’ is produced by an organization called ‘Catalog’, founded by Adnan Al Rajib, Tanvir Hossain, Christine de Leon and Irvin Bellarmino. Another short film ‘Agapito’ has been produced by this organization, which was created to connect producers from South and Southeast Asia. It was directed by Irvin and Kyler, and co-produced by Adnan and Tanvir.

The Cannes Film Festival has witnessed a rare event this year—two short films from the same production company have made it to the main competition section. Bangladesh’s ‘Ali’ and the Philippines’ ‘Agapito’ will compete for the Palme d’Or.

All in all, Bangladesh is getting a unique and historic participation in the 78th edition of Cannes, which is a major milestone for the country’s film industry.