ALI
by Adnan Al Rajeev

15min | Bangladesh/Philippines | 2025

In a coastal town, women are not allowed to sing.
​A teenager joins a singing competition for a chance to move to the city, while hiding his true voice in a sinister way.

​Year of production 2025
Length 15'
Country Bangladesh/Philippines
Shooting Format Digital 2K
Aspect Ratio 3:2/1.5:1
Dialogue Bengali

Director ​Adnan Al Rajeev
Producers Tanveer Hossain, Kristine De Leon
Production Company Katalog.
Co-Production Companies Narra, Barebones, Getafixxi
Executive Producers Habibur Rahman Tareq, Kamrul Hasan Khosru, Shihab Nurun Nabi
Line Production Company Runout Films
Writers Arvin Belarmino, Kyla Romero​
Cinematographer Kamrul Hasan Khosru
Editor Taiful Chowdhury Shadhin
Production Designer Shihab Nurun Nabi
Costume Designer Aniqa Zaheen
Sound Designer Bien Sparks
Cast Al Amin, Indrani Shoma

Festival selections
Cannes Film Festival 2025, France - World Premiere, Special Mention
Melbourne International Film Festival 2025, Australia
Toronto International Film Festival 2025, Canada
Kyiv International Short Film Festival 2025, Ukraine  -Special Mention
​Bucharest International Film Festival 2025, Romania
Tirana International Film Festival​ 2025, Albania
​Montreal Festival du Nouveau Cinéma 2025, Canada
​Tasveer Film Festival 2025, USA
​​Bangkok International Film Festival​ 2025, Thailand
​Alice nella Città 2025, Italy
Woodstock Film Festival 2025, USA
SeaShorts Film Festival 2025, ​Malaysia
​Uppsala Short Film Festival 2025,  Sweden
​Byron Bay International Film Festival 2025, Australia
SEMINCI – Valladolid International Film Festival 2025, Spain - Youth Jury Award
​​Leeds International Film Festival 2025, UK
​San Diego Asian Film Festival 2025, USA
XOCIVIGA International Short Film Festival 2025, Spain
Olympia International Film Festival for Children and Young People 2025, Greece
Festival Tous Courts - Festival International de courts métrages d'Aix-en-Provence 2025, France
​BOGOSHORTS - Festival de Cortos de Bogotá 2025, Colombia
​​Zubroffka Short Film Festival 2025, Poland
​​Macau International Short Film Festival 2025
​
Director's Statement
In my country, expressing your true thoughts or standing up
for what you believe in comes at a cost. The government suppresses dissent, and speaking out—whether about injustice, personal beliefs, or anything that challenges the prevailing narrative—can lead to serious consequences.
Social media trials swiftly turn public opinion against you,
and the authorities ensure that going against the flow is
met with punishment, whether direct or indirect.
Fear becomes a constant companion, and self-censorship
a survival instinct. The right to free speech exists in theory,
but in reality, it is a privilege reserved only for those who conform.
Recently, while attending a film festival, I found myself questioning the path I’ve taken as a storyteller. I’ve built
a thriving advertising company, a venture that sustains
itself—a success by many measures. Yet, in a country
where dissent is swiftly silenced, I am haunted by a question: Am I truly on the right path? To find an answer to this, I made ALI.
In this film, a young boy’s struggle to express his female voice becomes a metaphor, mirroring those silenced in society.
The boy’s experience reflects the oppressed, forced to deny parts of themselves to survive. The oppressed, like the boy himself, are trapped in their own cycle of control, bleeding
from the weight of repression. In this world, the cost of authenticity is high, and only the privileged have the freedom
to be heard. This is an an allegory for the universal tension between self and society.
Through this intimate tale, I want to reveal a much larger truth—a narrative of love, sacrifice, and the complex ways families and communities shape who we become. It’s a story that goes beyond my nation’s struggle, resonating with a universal reality: too many voices remain quieted everywhere.
By bringing these unheard stories to light, I hope to honor Bangladesh’s legacy of defiance and speak for those whose truths are silenced. My story will be theirs.

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