Mostofa Sarwar Farooki

Mostofa Sarwar Farooki was born in 1973 in Dhaka, Bangladesh. He studied physics at the University of Dhaka but developed an early passion for cinema, which led him to abandon academia for filmmaking. He began his career in the late 1990s, working in television and directing commercials before making his feature debut with Bachelor (2004), a comedy-drama that became a commercial success and established him as a filmmaker to watch.²

Farooki gained international recognition with his second feature, Made in Bangladesh (2007), which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and won awards at several other festivals. His subsequent films, including Television (2012) and No Bed of Roses (2017), continued to explore themes of class, gender, and social hypocrisy with a distinctive minimalist aesthetic. He is known for using non-professional actors and naturalistic dialogue, often improvising on set to achieve a documentary-like realism.

In 2018, Farooki co-founded the 'Dhaka Rising' movement with fellow filmmaker Abu Shahed Emon, aiming to promote Bangladeshi independent cinema globally. He also embraced digital platforms, directing the acclaimed web series Ladies & Gentlemen (2019) for a streaming service, which was praised for its sharp social satire. His 2022 film Something Like an Autobiography premiered at the Busan International Film Festival, further cementing his reputation as a versatile storyteller.

Beyond his feature films, Farooki has directed several short films and documentaries, including Stories of the Sea (2016), a documentary about the Rohingya refugee crisis. He is also a published author, having written a collection of short stories titled Kichhukkhon Thakun (2015). Farooki has been a vocal critic of censorship in Bangladesh, and his film No Bed of Roses faced initial hurdles with the censor board before being released with minor cuts. He has also mentored emerging filmmakers through workshops and has served on juries at international film festivals.

Dhaka Rising

A movement co-founded by Farooki to promote Bangladeshi independent cinema internationally.

Rohingya

A stateless Muslim minority group from Myanmar, subject to persecution and displacement.