Dhaka is the city that Sazzad came to as a young ambitious man seeking his fortune. But the stock market crashed and he ended up in debt. His disability prevents him from finding other work, while the loan sharks circle him. His relationship with his girlfriend Rehana suffers, and there’s absolutely no talking to his drug-addict brother Michael. Sazzad wants to get away, go abroad. The pressure of the city is like a raw nerve that is – literally – making him ill. Live from Dhaka is made up of short scenes shot in grainy black-and-white, covering the city in a constant grey shroud. This reinforces an underlying sense of threat and increasing desperation that can turn to rage at any moment. This is the world that leads people to decide to emigrate – the unsalutary push-factor behind those who go in search of ‘happiness’.
Film details
Country of production
Bangladesh
Year
2016
Festival edition
IFFR 2017
Length
91'
Medium/Format
DCP
Language
Bengali
Premiere status
European premiere
Producer
Shamsur Rahman Alvy, Ahmed Adnan Habib, Ehsanul Haque Babu