Dhaka, Jan 03: A Bangladeshi film which faced an initial government ban at home despite winning two international awards is now aiming for an Oscar, the director said today. Matir Moina or clay bird, directed by Tareque Masud and produced by his wife Catherine, has been submitted for a nomination in the "best foreign language film award" category.
"We have invitations to a number of international festivals, but I and my wife are grateful to friends who made it possible to aim at an Oscar award," Masud said.
"Winning an Oscar or any prize for that matter is not the most important thing, but being there (is) what matters ... We are very excited," he said.

The 98-minute film, which portrays life in an Islamic Madrassah or religious school, was initially banned by Bangladesh's film censor board, which said it could "hurt the religious sentiment of one section of the society."

The ban was withdrawn after minor changes requested by censors in October.
Masud said he had been invited to screen the film at the Toronto International Film Festival, Fair International Film festival in Iran, the palm springs international film festival in the United States, as well as two others in Germany and Switzerland.

Bureau Report