September 22, 2002

The Bangladeshi film “Matir Moina” has received an important award for Best Screenplay at the Marrakech International Film Festival in Morocco. The festival, held under the direct patronage of Moroccan King Mohammed VI, became a world congregation of great filmmakers such as Francis Ford Coppola and Costa Gavras, as well as world-renowned film stars such as Catherine Deneuve and Amir Khan. It may be mentioned here that after receiving an award at Cannes, “Matir Moina”, directed by Tareque Masud and produced by Catherine Masud, has received a rare honor at this festival held in a predominantly Muslim country. At a gala closing ceremony attended by almost 3000 delegates, held in a huge open air theatre in the midst of the historic ruins of the Badii Palace, Jury Chairperson and renowned French actress Jeanne Moreau, along with Indian Film Star Amir Khan, presented the awards. Other awardees at the star-studded event included the Star of Marrakech for the Japanese film “Go” by Isao Yukasada, the Best Direction award to the Brazilian film “City of God”, and a special award for the Palestinian film “Rana’s Wedding”. It may be mentioned here that “Matir Moina” will be released very soon in Bangladesh, after minor reediting as per the directives of the Censor Board.