The Salt in Our Waters / Nonajoler Kabbo

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An artist from Dhaka arrives at an isolated fishing village on an island in the Ganges Delta along with a crate full of sculptures, immediately provoking suspicion and fear among the locals, who see them as false idols and the reason for the sudden depletion of fish stocks. A man of art and science, Rudro is looked upon scornfully by the village elders who view his progressive city ways and warnings of global warming and rising sea levels as a corrupting force and against the will of Allah. There’s a storm brewing, both literally and metaphorically, as a riveting battle of ideals plays out and centuries old lifestyles and beliefs are challenged.

Rezwan Shahriar Sumit’s acclaimed feature debut provides a window into an exotic and jaw-droppingly beautiful world. The cinematography, composition and location work - contrasting dramatic grey skies and turbulent seas with eye popping saris and lush mangroves - is frequently stunning. The drama is engrossing and thought provoking, there’s is even a love story thrown into the mix. Deftly juggling science vs religion, man vs nature, tradition vs modernity, it could almost be read as a microcosm of the major issues affecting the world today. Perhaps it’s not surprising then, to learn that the film was scheduled to play to delegates at the COP26 conference.

Winner of the NETPAC Award for Best Film at the 2020 Kolkata International Film Festival.

“a timely portrait of the opposing forces which shape our world, distilled through the prism of this tiny community. These ideas are underscored by exquisite, agile handheld photography” - Screen Daily.

“Packed with meaning that resonates far beyond this corner of the world” - Shadows on the Wall.

“Herein lies the film’s most interesting duality. Whereas Rudro, as a relatively well-off artist, lives with the natural world existing as a concept hidden behind a layer of abstraction, for the rest of the village nature is their livelihoods and could be their death.” - Thomas Flew, Sight & Sound.