Bangladeshi filmmaker Rubaiyat Hossain’s The Difficult Bride has won the Premio Bisato d’Oro, the Independent Film Critics Award, at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival.
The award was announced Sept. 12, ahead of Venice’s official closing awards. The film is competing in the Orizzonti section, where it had its world premiere on Sept. 5.
The Difficult Bride is the first Bangladeshi feature film selected for the Venice Film Festival. The film is an international co-production between France, Bangladesh, Portugal, Norway and Germany, produced by Les Films de l’Après-Midi, Midas Filmes, Khona Talkies, Barentsfilm and Tandem Production. Films Boutique handles international sales.
Set in Dhaka, the film follows Zaineen, a bride-to-be preparing for her wedding while confronting beauty rituals, family expectations and unsettling physical and psychological experiences. Zaineen Chowdhury Karim leads the cast, with Reekita Nondine Shimu, Sunerah Binte Kamal, Azmeri Haque, Dameer Khan and others.
The Bisato d’Oro is presented by Independent Film Critics and is separate from Venice’s official festival awards. The Venice Film Festival concludes Sept. 12.
