The Clay Bird (2002)
"Matir moina" (original title)

Director:

Tareque Masud

Writers:

Catherine Masud, Tareque Masud

Stars:

Nurul Islam Bablu, Russell Farazi, Jayanto Chattopadhyay

2 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Nurul Islam Bablu	...	Anu
Russell Farazi	...	Rokon
Jayanto Chattopadhyay	...	Kazi
Rokeya Prachy	...	Ayesha
Soaeb Islam	...	Milon
Lameesa R. Reemjheem	...	Asma
Moin Ahmed	...	Ibrahim
Md. Moslemuddin	...	Headmaster
Abdul Karim	...	Halim Mia
Shah Akam Dewan	...	Boatman
Golam Mahmud	...	Shaheen
Pradip Mittra Mithun	...	Uttam
Auyon Chowdhury	...	3rd Friend
Masud Ali Khan	...	Khan Bahadur
Manjila Begum	...	Female Singer- Night Concert

Storyline

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Plot Keywords:

tradition | childhood | east pakistan | freedom | bengali army | 

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Genres:

Drama | History

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Bangladesh

Language:

Bengali

Release Date:

11 January 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Clay Bird

Filming Locations:

Bangladesh

Company Credits

Production Co:

Audiovision, MK2 Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min 89 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

While the film was not nominated for an Oscar, it was Bangladesh's first film ever to be submitted to the Academy Awards for consideration to compete in the Best Foreign Language Film category.

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Quotes

Crowd: Down with military Dictatorship!

User Reviews

Not just a story

Matir Moina does not only offer a story. Films in general do not need to offer just a story. Any book, play, storyteller, TV series and other media can do that. Being interested in Hindi, Punjabi, Pakistani and Bengali films, music(s), religions and cultures, I was marvelled at Matir Moina for its richness and subtleties on all levels. Bringing forth the complex currents of religious and political movements, showing how each react to one another, and how illusions can be shattered. The beautiful hope of Islam, as being a religion of the heart and not the sword. The post-colonial ebb and flow in cultural identity: people's reactions to British or western thought turns into a sterile regression.

The photography is marvelous, rendering rich textures of age-old village houses, walls and heaven-like gardens in an honest and aesthetic mastery.

The spectator is not taken for granted or for a fool, actors speak Urdu, Hindi, Arabic and Farsi when they have to, and seem more to "be" than to "act". No two-dimensional stereotype is used, as in the classical Hindi "lover", "hater", "gorgeous-bachelor-husband-to-be" and the "beautiful-single-virgin-singer/dancer-lover". Only true faces, true types, true clothes and true singing. The music. If you search for original Hindi/Urdu devotional or not songs and music, this film is packed with it. And unlike other films, you do not feel that actor/singers are faking it, there are not fake instruments that are just there for the looks but don't actually sound on the score. What you see is what you hear. The voices are breathtaking; the lyrics do not revolve around "flat-love" and "depthless-poetry", making it a treasure for the ear as well for the curious eye. This is a gem. The whole film unfolds slowly and steadily around many characters, showing how each develops under harsh social changes and instability.

It is not action-packed and fast-paced. It is not pink-tinted and kitschy love oriented. It is not over the top overdone musical. This is a serious art film, beautiful in its silences and in its screams. Human in its depiction of its characters. Respectful in its dealing with religion. Credible in it acting. A must, for an internal view of what happened to Bangladesh in particular, and to the vast region in general.

Can't wait to see it again.