- The two will executive produce the first film from Bangladesh to qualify for an Oscar.
Riz Ahmed and Jordan Peele are set to executive produce Dhaka-based Nuhash Humayun’s live-action short film “Moshari,” the first Bangladeshi film to qualify for the Oscars. The film follows two sisters, Apu and Ayra, who are forced together inside a Moshari, a traditional South Asian mosquito net, “just to survive.” But as the end of the world approaches, they must first survive each other,” according to the film’s synopsis. The film has won a number of accolades including the SXSW Jury Award and awards from Fantasia, HollyShorts and Melbourne festivals.
Variety, who first reported the story, said Ahmed and Peele, both Academy Award winners, are associated with the project through their respective companies, Left Handed Films and Monkeypaw Productions. They told the publication “they were floored by Nuhash’s riveting film that evokes our subconscious fears, from the childhood monster under the bed to an apocalyptic future. He weaves together jump scares and an emotional survival story of two young sisters, confronting colonialism and climate change in the process.”
Peele and Ahmed are joined as EPs on the project by Monkeypaw president Win Rosenfeld and SVP of development and production Dana Gills as well as Left Handed Films SVP and head of television Allie Moore.
Rosenfeld and Gills described “Moshari” as a “unique horror short in that it’s profoundly visual and emotionally striking from the first frame.” They said “Nuhash drew us into his dynamic post-apocalyptic world and never let go. It’s a film about survival, love and family, but it’s also a terrifying and novel take on what a monster movie can be.”
Humayun made his theatrical debut in 2018 with the anthology film “Sincerely Yours, Dhaka.” It premiered at the Busan International Film Festival and enjoyed a successful festival run. It is currently acquired by Netflix. He is also a fellow of the Asian Film Academy 2019, directing the LGBTQ drama “Lipstick.” His debut narrative feature “Moving Bangladesh” has been selected for several prestigious film festival markets.