Cultural Correspondent
Arif Ahmed’s famous film “Paradise Nest” has been named as recipient of Best Film of Nature Award at 17th Calcutta International Cult Film Festival. The film is the first film on wildlife in the country and also became Bangladesh’ first entry into International Wildlife Film Festival.
Arif Ahmed’s famous film “Paradise Nest” has been named as recipient of Best Film of Nature Award at 17th Calcutta International Cult Film Festival. The film is the first film on wildlife in the country and also became Bangladesh’ first entry into International Wildlife Film Festival.
Paradise Nest puts emphasis on how the “Nest” is central to every bird’s well being. The film revolves around a bird’s growth through life, its feelings, struggles with odds particularly nature and even love, romance and the fate of becoming a prey. In the film the family of birds that has been used is “Dudhraaj” or Paradise Flycatcher, which is growing increasingly rare in the country.
The bird goes by many names like Shaheb Bulbuli, Shah Bulbuli in different regions of the country, though it is not a species of Bulbuli.
Arif has intensely observed the bird’s life-cycle for five months. Commenting on his inspiration behind the film the director said, “I have been obsessed with wildlife photography for quite some time now. There is not a forest or sea-side in the country which I have not ventured to take pictures.” But ultimately it was a peculiar moment of photographing birds in a jungle in Kushtia that stirred his curiosity towards birdlife, the director claims. At that very moment he felt as if he was learning about birds from the very basic stage. He observed that the life of a bird has many similarities with human life. Thus he eventually felt compelled to transfer his photographic zeal for birds into filmmaking.
The bird goes by many names like Shaheb Bulbuli, Shah Bulbuli in different regions of the country, though it is not a species of Bulbuli.
Arif has intensely observed the bird’s life-cycle for five months. Commenting on his inspiration behind the film the director said, “I have been obsessed with wildlife photography for quite some time now. There is not a forest or sea-side in the country which I have not ventured to take pictures.” But ultimately it was a peculiar moment of photographing birds in a jungle in Kushtia that stirred his curiosity towards birdlife, the director claims. At that very moment he felt as if he was learning about birds from the very basic stage. He observed that the life of a bird has many similarities with human life. Thus he eventually felt compelled to transfer his photographic zeal for birds into filmmaking.
