Adnan Al Rajeev's 'Ali' wins award at SXSW London Festival

Following its historic run at the Cannes Film Festival last year, Bangladeshi filmmaker Adnan Al Rajeev's short film Ali has achieved another major international milestone by winning the Short Film Prize at the South by Southwest (SXSW) London Festival. The festival authorities officially announced the award on Wednesday (June 10).

Celebrating the win, the festival's official announcement stated, "Great news! Ali, a film about a coastal region where women are forbidden to sing, has won our Short Film prize."

As part of the award, director Adnan Al Rajeev will receive USD 10,000 worth of post-production support for his next project. Praising the film, the festival's jury members remarked, "To see such a fresh approach to storytelling and filmmaking from a director's debut work is truly incredible."

Sharing the exciting news on his Facebook profile, Adnan wrote, "Ali wins again! This is amazing news. Thank you to the festival authorities."

The titular role of the film is played by Al Amin. Last year, Ali made history as the first Bangladeshi short film to compete for the prestigious Short Film Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, where it ultimately secured a Special Mention from the jury. Since then, the film has traveled to several global film festivals and won numerous awards, including the "Diversity Award" at Filmfest Bremen in Germany.