‘Bonolota Express’ rolls into Hong Kong for ASEAN Film Festival

Bangladeshi filmmaker Tanim Noor’s latest feature, Bonolota Express, is set to reach an international audience with a screening at the ASEAN Film Festival in Hong Kong on Friday (August 28).

The 153-minute Bangla-language film will be screened at 7pm (local time) on August 28 at Sky, Olympian City, with English subtitles, according to the festival’s official programme.

A post-screening discussion with the audience is also scheduled, they said.

Listed as a 2026 Bangladeshi production, Bonolota Express is directed by Tanim Noor, known for works including Phirey Esho Behula, Money Honey, Ekattor, Contract, Kaiser and Utshob.

Set in December 2007, the film follows a group of strangers travelling aboard the northbound Bonolota Express after departing from Kamlapur Railway Station on a foggy winter journey.

As the train moves through the night, the passengers’ lives gradually intersect, bringing personal struggles and political tensions to the surface while exploring themes of grief, moral conflict and human compassion.

The screening is part of the fourth edition of the ASEAN Film Festival, which is being held in Hong Kong from August 20 to September 27.

The festival is showcasing more than 30 films this year, its largest programme to date. While productions from all 11 ASEAN member states form the core of the programme, selected films from Bangladesh, Australia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia and Kazakhstan are also being featured.

The festival is organised by the Hong Kong-ASEAN Foundation in collaboration with diplomatic missions and cultural organisations in Hong Kong.

Interest in the Bangladeshi film has already been strong, with tickets for the Bonolota Express screening fully allocated, according to the festival website.