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SonyLIV has acquired exclusive streaming rights to acclaimed Bangladeshi films “Hawa” and “Saturday Afternoon” from Reliance Entertainment and Continental Entertainment Pte Ltd (Cepl).

Directed by Mejbaur Rahman Sumon, “Hawa” follows the journey of an all-men team on a fishing trawler, whose routine is disrupted when they haul in a mysterious catch. The cast is led by hugely popular star Chanchal Chowdhury and includes Nazifa Tushi, Sariful Islam Razz, Sumon Anowar, Nasir Uddin Khan and Shohel Mondol. The film was Bangladesh’s entry to the Oscars and is one of the highest grossers from the country having also found distribution in India, Singapore and the Middle East. It will premiere July 7 on SonyLIV.

“Saturday Afternoon,” Bengali-and-English-language film directed by Bangladeshi auteur Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, takes its cue from the brutal terrorist attack on the Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka in 2016, which took place on a quiet Saturday and left more than 20 people dead.

“Hawa” (Wind), the film that came like a new breeze to the Bangladeshi film industry, will be released on December 16 in Kolkata and the rest of West Bengal, and across India on December 30. The film, which is also Bangladesh’s top grosser, has been directed by Mejbaur Rahman Sumon.

Sun Music and Motion Pictures Ltd, the film’s production company, has said it will be distributed across India by the Singapore-based entity, Continental Entertainment Private Ltd (Cepl) via Reliance Entertainment.

“Hawa”, the myth, fantasy and mystery-thriller film, received a huge response from its fans in Bangladesh soon after its release in theatres in that country on July 29. Even after four months of release, it is still running in theatres and raking in business and getting love.

The film has received widespread critical acclaim and has been shown at numerous cross-border festivals and diaspora events. It has been nominated for the...

‘Hawa’ the film which brought a new breeze to the Bangladeshi film industry, is now being distributed throughout India. The film is directed by Mejbaur Rahman Sumon and will be released on December 16, 2022, in Kolkata and West Bengal, and December 30, 2022, in the rest of India.

‘Hawa,’ the myth, fantasy, and mystery-thriller film, received a huge response from the country’s film fans soon after its release in Bangladesh theatres on July 29, 2022. Even after four months of release it is still in theatres and raking in business and love.

The film has received widespread critical acclaim and has been shown at numerous cross-border festivals and diaspora events. This film has been nominated for the ‘Best International Feature Film’ category at the 95th Academy Awards (Oscars), which will be held next year. Following a very successful run in Singapore under Cepl, the film will now have a wide release in India through Reliance Entertainment.

Mejbaur Rahman Sumon’s “Hawa,” Bangladesh’s submission to the Oscars’ international feature category, is getting distribution in India.

The film follows the journey of an all-men team on a fishing trawler, whose routine is disrupted when they haul in a mysterious catch. The cast is led by hugely popular star Chanchal Chowdhury and includes Nazifa Tushi, Sariful Islam Razz, Sumon Anowar, Nasir Uddin Khan and Shohel Mondol. It is produced by Sun Music & Motion Pictures Limited and Facecard Productions.

“Hawa” released in Bangladesh in July and proved to be one of the biggest hits of the year. It will be released in India by Singapore entity Continental Entertainment Private Limited (Cepl) via Reliance Entertainment. Cepl released the film in Singapore successfully and holds distribution rights for China, Europe and also the Middle East, where it is set for a Jan. 2023, release.

The Bengali-language film will release on Dec. 16, 2022 in Bengali-speaking Kolkata and West Bengal,...

India’s Reliance Entertainment and Singapore-based Continental Entertainment Private Limited (Cepl) are releasing Bangladesh’s Oscars submission Hawa (Wind) across India, marking the first time ever that a purely Bangladeshi film has received a wide pan-India release.

The fantasy thriller, directed by Mejbaur Rahman Sumon, will be released in Kolkata and the state of West Bengal on December 16, coinciding with Bangladesh’s Victory Day national holiday, followed by a release in several cities across India from December 30.

Produced by Sun Music and Motion Pictures, the film was released in Bangladesh theatres on July 29, where it is still playing in theatres more than four months later. Filmed at sea during the pandemic, it tells the story of a group of fishermen who find a beautiful creature under the sea.

Cepl acquired rights to the film for India, Singapore, Middle East and Europe, and has so far also released it theatrically in Singapore.

Keep track of all the submissions for best international feature at the 2023 Academy Awards.

Entries for the 2023 Oscar for best international feature are underway, and Screen is profiling each one on this page.

Scroll down for profiles of each Oscar entry

An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture produced outside the US with a predominantly (more than 50) non-English dialogue track and can include animated and documentary features.

Submitted films must have been released theatrically in their respective countries between January 1, 2022 and November 30, 2022. The deadline for submissions to the Academy is October 3, 2022.

A shortlist of 15 finalists is...