Bangladesh has selected ‘Barir Naam Shahana’ directed by Leesa Gazi, as its official submission to the 98th Academy Awards in the Best International Feature Film category. 

Adapted from Gazi’s 2011 novella, the film is not just a tale of a woman’s marriage and divorce, but an exploration of survival, resilience, and the cost of defying patriarchal norms in 1990s rural Bangladesh.

At its heart lies Dipa, played by Aanon Siddiqua in a breakout performance. Forced into a marriage with a widower in London through a telephone ceremony she barely comprehends, Dipa finds herself trapped in an abusive relationship. 

Returning home as a divorcee, she faces another form of punishment— a society unwilling to see women outside the mold of the “good daughter” or “good wife.” Yet, Dipa refuses to be broken. Instead, she begins charting her path toward independence, determined to become a doctor.

The narrative unfolds in a non-linear style, blending past and present to highlight Dipa’s evolution. Her imaginary conversations with her missing brother, her relationship with mirrors as silent witnesses, and her confrontations with social stigmas reflect both her loneliness and her growing defiance. 

The film situates her personal journey within the broader fabric of Bangladeshi life in the 1990s—from local gossip and rigid customs to fragments of political unrest and pop culture.

Gazi avoids didactic feminism; instead, she allows the story to speak through lived details. Domestic abuse, religious dogma, and community prejudice emerge not as abstract issues but as intimate realities shaping Dipa’s world. 

The music, too—songs like Biyar Gaan and Joler Poddo—deepens the emotional texture, while symbolic sequences, such as comparing women’s lives to fish being cut and fried, lend metaphorical weight.

The supporting cast, including veterans Lutfur Rahman George, Iresh Zaker, Kazi Ruma, and child actor Mugdhota Morshed Wriddhi, build a layered ensemble around Siddiqua’s central performance. 

Though at times the narrative risks being overly anchored to its protagonist, the film’s raw honesty and emotional power make it stand out as a rare woman-centered story in Bangladeshi cinema—directed and co-written by a woman, no less.

Since premiering at the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival in 2023, where it won the Film Critics Guild Gender Sensitivity Award, Barir Naam Shahana has traveled to international festivals in London, Dhaka, and Kolkata. 

Now, with its Oscar submission, the film carries forward not just Dipa’s story, but a wider call for recognition of women’s voices and struggles in Bangladesh.

The Academy will announce the international feature shortlist on 16 December , followed by final nominations on 22 January 2026. The film was released in Bangladeshi theatres on 19 September.