Jury president praises ‘Rehana Maryam Noor’

Published at 11:50 pm July 17th, 2021

Actor Azmeri Haque Badhon in a scene from Andullah Mohammad Saad's 'Rehana Maryam Noor'

'You were really good in it. That’s a prize in itself, a big prize.'

Jury president of Un Certain Regard, British filmmaker Andrea Arnold, expressed her sincere appreciation for Bangladeshi film, “Rehana Maryam Noor,” after the award giving ceremony on July 16.

In an informal encounter with the film’s lead Azmeri Haque Badhon, the elated jury president said: “You looked fantastic in it. We loved you. We were sad we didn’t have more awards to give you. You were really good in it. That’s a prize in itself, a big prize.”

After Badhon’s humble gratitude and a warm embrace, she added: “You looked beautiful in it. We all said that.”

As Arnold beamed with praise, we got our first peek into what the judges thought of the film and Badhon's performance in it.

Also read: Badhon: There is more to this journey than awards

The second directorial venture by talented filmmaker Abdullah Mohammad Saad, RMN's storyline narrates the tale of the eponymous private medical college teacher who becomes the witness to an unexpected incident while leaving the college one day. Being awestruck with the incident, Noor starts to protest against the incident and the system, as the story moves forward.

This is the first time any film from Bangladesh has been officially selected for the prestigious Cannes Film Festival. The ensemble cast of the film also features prominent actors including Saberi Alam, Afia Zahin, Kazi Sami Hasan, Afia Tabassum, Yasir Al Haque and more, in the major roles.