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Director’s Profile

Maksud Hossain is a writer-director and producer. He grew up in the United Arab Emirates, studied in the United States at Purdue University (business management) and the University of California, Los Angeles (film & television production). Hossain has directed more than 15 short films. One of his shorts, Three Beauties (2006), received the Student Academy Award. Maksud Hossain was also the writer and director of television movie Bahattor Ghonta (2011), and has directed more than 200 television commercials over the past ten years. More recently, he wrote and directed the narrative short film Remakri (2020), which screened at various international film festivals around the world. The screenplay for his first feature film, titled Safa, was officially selected to participate at Cannes Film Festival Co-production Day 2022, Asian Project Market 2022, and National Film Development Corporation of India (NFDC) Film Bazaar Co-production Market 2021.

Synopsis

In lower middle-class Bangladesh, a twenty-five-year-old woman, Safa, suffers from self‐inflicted guilt over her paraplegic mother Shirin′s condition. Her mother was taking her to a music class when the accident took place that led to her mother′s paraplegia, almost nineteen years ago. To deal with her guilt, Safa must preserve Shirin′s life at any cost. She does not consider the quality of her mother′s life as long as she is breathing. On the other hand, Shirin wants to enjoy the finer things in life; food, music and long drives. But task master Safa won′t allow it because Shirin has just suffered heart failure and needs surgery within the next three months if she is to survive. In order to scrape the money together for Shirin′s surgery, Safa gets a job in a shisha lounge where a thirty eight-year-old man, Ankur, works as the manager. He is an independent and free-spirited individual. Ankur inspires Safa to let Shirin enjoy her life. They take Shirin out for long drives, street food and shopping. In the process, Safa and Ankur fall in love. But when Shirin suffers from a second heart attack, the doctor tells Safa that her mother needs the surgery within 72 hours otherwise she will die. Safa′s desperate attempts to get the money for the surgery lead to a cathartic climax in which Safa is forced to question her beliefs.

Achievements

2024 Toronto International Film Festival
2024 Busan International Film Festival
2024 Red Sea Film Festival - Competition
2024 Alternativa Film Festival
2025 Goteborg Film Festival
2025 Osaka Asian Film Festival
2025 Bengaluru International Film Festival
2025 Raindance Film Festival

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