Bangladeshi filmmakers Mostofa Sarwar Farooki and Nusrat Imrose Tisha‘s “Something Like an Autobiography” has been acquired for U.K. broadcast by Channel 4.
The film had its world premiere at the 2023 Busan International Film Festival, where was in the prestigious Jiseok competition. It was also a part of the South Asian icon strand at the 2023 Mumbai Film Festival. The film follows Dhaka-based married couple, the filmmaker Farhan (Farooki) and actor Tithi (Tisha), who are under societal pressure to have a baby. Tithi conceives and towards the end of her pregnancy term an incident occurs that throws into sharp relief some realities of contemporary Bangladeshi society.
The title, a nod to Kurosawa Akira’s celebrated memoir, is also reflective of the real lives of Farooki and Tisha, a real-life celebrity couple who are the most recognized filmmaker and actor in Bangladesh, respectively.
Popular on Variety
“This is a special film for me and Tisha. Personal, embarrassing and rewarding at the same time. I am happy the film will be seen by the Channel 4 audience. Hope they will be able to connect with the universal theme although portrayed through local details,” Farooki told Variety.
The film is produced by Redoan Rony for Bangladeshi streaming platform Chorki and co-produced by Nina Lath, Anna Katchko and Tisha. It is a part of Chorki’s 12-film project “Ministry of Love.”
Chorki CEO Rony said: “Channel 4 is an esteemed broadcaster. We are glad that they chose our film to showcase it to their audience. Chorki always wants to make quality films and series. This is a clear sign we are moving in the right direction.”
“Something Like an Autobiography” plays next at the Sydney Film Festival.
Farooki’s “Last Defenders of Monogamy” is also part of the “Ministry of Love” anthology.
Next up for Farooki is U.K.-based Hindi and English-language romance “To Hell With Love,” which recently participated in the first edition of India’s Cinevesture International Film Festival’s project market.