Swapnabhumi
DVD cover of Swapnabhumi
DVD cover
Bengaliস্বপ্নভূমি
Directed byTanvir Mokammel
Screenplay byTanvir Mokammel
Produced by
Narrated byChitralekha Guho
CinematographyAnwar Hossain
Edited byMahadeb Shi
Music bySyed Shabab Ali Arzoo
Production
company
Kino-Eye Films
Release date
  • November 30, 2007 (2007-11-30)
Running time
90 mins
CountryBangladesh
LanguageBengali

Swapnabhumi (The Promised Land) is a 2007 Bangladeshi documentary film by Tanvir Mokammel.[1] The film tells the plight of Stranded Pakistanis in Bangladesh, who are also identified as Biharis.[2]

Plot

The film highlights the current stateless status of Stranded Pakistanis in Bangladesh, otherwise known as Biharis. The story of six decades, three countries- India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and statelessness of about more than 150,000 people from the Urdu-speaking community people who originally emigrated from India to Bangladesh.[2] It highlights the violence against Biharis and their despair of not being able to settle in Pakistan, which the Biharis see as a betrayal.[3]

Music

Background score by Syed Shabab Ali Arzoo with sound by Nahid Masud, the film used tracks used before in popular culture.

No.TitleLyricsMusicSinger(s)Length
1."Lagta Nehe Ye Dil Mera"Bahdur Shah Zafar   
2."Mujhe Gale Se Laga Lo" (from film Aaj Aur Kal (1963))Sahir Ludhianvi Kamal Ahmed 
3."Berahem Aasman Meri Manzil Bata" (from film Bahana (1960)) Madan MohanTalat Mehmood 

Reception

The film premiered at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam in 2007.[3] It was screened at the Bahrain International Film Festival in 2009, where it received critical praise.[4] In 2009, the film won second best documentary film award at the Film South Asia Film Festival at Kathmandu.[5]

References

  1. ^ Alexander, Joya & Jalais 2015, pp. 93.
  2. ^ a b Fenwick, Andrew (14 September 2008). "FILM: Swapnabhumi: The Promised Land". Metro. Archived from the original on 9 August 2020. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Swapnabhumi". The International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 17 December 2015.
  4. ^ Bhattacharya, Pallab (7 May 2009). "Swapnabhumi lauded in Bahrain festival". The Daily Star. The Daily Star. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
  5. ^ Bhattacharya, Pallab (19 November 2009). "Film Fest Explores Documentaries from South Asia". New Delhi: outlookindia. Archived from the original on 30 January 2021. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
Sources

External links

Films directed by Tanvir Mokammel
Categories