Mro-language film 'Kio Ri Pekra Uo' to be screened at Cambridge

Bangladesh's first Mro-language film 'Kio Ri Pekra Uo' (English title: Dear Mother) will now be screened at the University of Cambridge. The film is directed by SK Shuvo Shadique and has been released in 2023. The filmmaker said in a statement that the film will be screened at an exhibition organized by the Indigenous Studies Group of the University of Cambridge on Wednesday at 8:30 pm Bangladesh time.

The 67-minute film has already been screened at several universities in Bangladesh and is continuing its journey internationally. The film has been screened at several educational institutions, including the University of British Columbia in Canada and the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.

Director Shadique said, "This is not just a film, it is a message of resistance, which proves that cinema is not just the property of investors, but of those who bravely tell their stories. We worked on a limited budget, but we have proven that the success of cinema is not in the amount of money but in its power and preserving lost voices."

The film's screenplay was written by Syed Shahzada Al Karim, cinematography by Hasnat Sohan, art direction by Nishat Rafa, and editing by Bayezid Khan. Mashiur Rahman served as the executive producer, and Uttam Marma Uching was the assistant director. The director also noted, "The real soul of the film was the people of Lamar Mro Para, who were not only actors, but also storytellers themselves."

The film is currently an official selection at the Aporia International Film Festival in Korea and has been preserved by the International Center for Social Science in Amsterdam, so that it can be used as an important document for researchers and film lovers in the future.