Bangladeshi feature film Nishi has been selected for the main competition section of the 12th Green Montenegro International Film Festival, a specialised global platform for environmental cinema.
The festival, regarded as one of the leading eco-film showcases worldwide, is the only environmental film festival in Montenegro. This year’s edition will be held from August 1 to 3 at Durmitor National Park in Žabljak, a UNESCO World Heritage site near Black Lake.
Nishi is an independent Bangladeshi production that continues its international festival circuit with its selection in the competitive lineup.
The film is written and co-directed by Golam Rabbani and Mohammad Zahirul Islam (Kochi). It is produced under the International Academy of Film and Media (IAFM) in collaboration with the European Union, the Green Film School Alliance and UNESCO Dhaka.
Director Golam Rabbani described the selection as a significant milestone for the project.
“Nishi’s international journey is deeply meaningful. Through cinema, we are able to take our stories to global audiences and also learn from other filmmaking traditions, which strengthens our own practice,” he said.
He also expressed gratitude to IAFM for supporting the project.
The film follows the daughter of a tea worker whose education is disrupted by a severe water crisis. Amid the hardship, a timber trader attempts to exploit the situation by offering a tube well in exchange for marriage to a minor girl, highlighting the links between environmental stress and social vulnerability.
Post-production, including editing, colour grading and sound design, was completed at the Łódź Film School in Poland. Cinematography was handled by Natalia Puśnik, a former student of the institution.
Shot in the tea gardens of Sylhet and surrounding areas, the film features local tea workers Vishwajit, Ganesh and Bharati in key roles.
