'Boli' to represent Bangladesh at the 97th Oscars

Bangladesh has officially selected award-winning 'Boli' (The Wrestler) to compete in the 'Best International Feature Film Category' at the 97th Oscars. Boli is the first Bangladeshi film that had achieved prestigious accolade at the Busan International Film Festival last year.

The film, directed by Iqbal Hossain Chowdhury, was unanimously selected on 1 October by the seven-member Oscar Bangladesh Committee led by eminent director Matin Rahman, to represent Bangladesh under the 'Best International Feature Film' category at the 97th Oscars, scheduled to be held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States in March next year.

Produced by Piplu R Khan, Saiful Azim and Gausul Alam Shaon, the National Film Award winning actor Nasir Uddin Khan-starrer film is made as a homage to the traditional 'Boli game of Jobbar' ('Jobbar er Boli Khela') in Chottagram, a local wrestling game and a long-standing cultural tradition in the country.

Featuring a group of exceptionally talented stage artistes from Chottagram and Dhaka including AKM Itmam, Priyam Archi, Angel Noor, Tahadil Ahmed and more, the story of 'Boli' revolves around an elderly, rugged fisherman from a remote coastal village of Banshkhali in Chattogram, played by Nasir, who challenges a Boli (local wrestling champion) to a match as he looks to reestablish his position in the society. Production of the film took place in the coastal areas of Chattogram during April and May of 2022.

A recipient of the Bangladesh Government’s film grant for the fiscal year 2020-21, 'Boli' jointly received the best award under the 'New Currents' category at the 28th Busan International Film Festival, South Korea last year, which is considered the largest and most influential film festival in Asia and one of the top prestigious festivals in the world. It has also been screened at this year's Shanghai International Film Festival in China.

Interestingly, 'Boli' has yet to be released in the country's theaters, but it qualifies for the Oscars under a newly added clause introduced by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which has updated the eligibility criteria for Best Picture and international submissions.

Films can now be submitted at the Oscars even if they have not had a theatrical distribution in their home country, as long as they meet specific criteria for the worldwide screenings. The film recently had its theatrical release in Canada.