— BAN❤︎ITS  | 2024
Omar Chowdhury

2K, 4:3, Colour, Stereo

Bengali spoken, English subs

17'44"

BAN❤︎ITS is set near the porous, lawless eastern border between Bangladesh and India, where a diasporic artist returns to make works with a band of washed up bandits who are obsessed with Heath Ledger’s Joker.

 

As they comically re-enact their glorified past, the film confronts the divergent histories and philosophies of peasant banditry and political resistance —along with the unexpected causes and contexts of these movements.

 

The resulting installation, encompasses a moving-image work on a LED video wall installed in a large village party pavilion. The resulting para-fiction questions its authorship and morality, asking: when the art world comes calling, who are the real bandits.

Credits:

 

• Produced by: Busan Biennale, Escautville

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• Writer/Director: Omar Chowdhury

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• Cast: Satej Chowdhury, Shadon, Shuvhon, Mohammed Eamon, Shamsul Alam 'Ful Mia', Rahman, Bilal Mia

• Line producers: Sadia Rahman, Anwar Hossain

• Production team: Chudrul Chowdhury, Shakib Thahmidul Haque, Mohammed Eamon, Mukit Bhai

• Camera: Omar Chowdhury

• Sound: Yves De Mey

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• Thanks to: Helena Kritis, Halima Auntie and Family, Yassin Talukdar, Cimtiville Community, Danai Anesiadou, Sebastian Maes, Ashok Minj, Drunken Kong

Screenings:

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• ​2024: Busan Biennale, Busan (KR)​

• 2025: International Film Festival Rotterdam (NL) Competition Tiger Shorts