In the usual run-of-the-mill Bangladeshi cinema, where narratives often orbit around male protagonists and their odysseys, Dibarah Mahboob's “Kraati” emerges as a pleasant anomaly—a short film centred around two young women, an upper-middle-class daughter and her resilient househelp. Set against the backdrop of the July Monsoon Revolution of 2024, “Kraati” delves into their intertwined lives and shared struggles for autonomy and respect, in a society run very much within the patriarchal framework. Drawing from her anthropological background and personal experiences, Mahboob crafts a narrative that is both intimate and universally resonant. While “Kraati” does not explicitly reference the movement, its spirit pulses through the film’s core. With an air of revolution already in the atmosphere, the resonance with the film’s themes was not planned but organically folded in during its shoot. You feel it in the subtext: the desire for autonomy, the hunger for respect, and the need to push against invisible walls.

Bangladeshi Independent short film “Kraati”, directed by Dibarah Mahboob, has garnered international acclaim with official selections at the Anatolia International Film Festival in Turkey and the Cine Paris International Film Festival in France.

Films have long served as a mirror to society, and the event titled “Stories Untold: A Short Film Showcase” seeks to ignite meaningful dialogues about overlooked social realities on December 26.