Faraway

Synopsis
A raging fire has burned away Azim’s career, his ability to move, and his future. His office has turned a blind eye to his suffering. Azim’s wife Momota is forced to take any job that comes her way. She reluctantly starts working as a maid for hire. Her limited income can barely support her family. Arif tries to help out as much as he can, caring for his paralyzed father and elderly grandfather every day. Neighbors keep offering advice, saying that Arif should take the job of a child laborer to support his family. But is he ready to give up on his education?
Our story begins a year after the fire. Azim’s wounds have begun to fester.
Director: Mitali Ray
Writer: Mitali Ray
Producer: Mitali Ray
Key Cast
Bilkish Jahan Jaba
Nasir Uddin Khan
Festival Status: Winner, Best Woman Film-maker.
Director Biography – Mitali Ray
Mitali Ray has been working in the field of Film and Television since 2014. She got ICCR scholarship in 2008 and completed her bachelor’s and Masters in Fine Arts from Banaras Hindu University, India. She is currently doing her master’s in Television, Film, and Photography Studies from the University of Dhaka. She recently got a national grant for making her short fiction film ‘Durey’ for the budget year of 2019-2020 by the Ministry of Information, The Government of The People’s Republic of Bangladesh. Previously she worked in BBC Media Action as an assistant director. She is currently working as a faculty moderator in the department of Film and Television, Pathshala South Asian Media Institute.
She also completed a course on film appreciation from FTII, Pune in 2011 and a Women Filmmaker’s workshop under NFTI in Varanasi, India. She attended the Dhaka International Cine Workshop in 2017 and a Workshop on ‘Audiography for Cinema’ in 2018. She has made several short films. One of her films “Life of a Bird” was screened in the Tareque Masud Short Film award competition, and a short documentary film “Food, Dhaka, Rasta” was screened at 16th Dhaka International Film Festival. Her other short film “AKKHAN” was selected as ‘Official Selection’ and ‘Honorable Mention’ in Canada Shorts, and in the 6th Human Rights Film Festival, Nepal. Her short film ‘Dear Bare Bears’ was screened at the 12th International Children’s Film Festival Bangladesh 2019.