{"id":159683,"date":"2025-09-21T17:29:07","date_gmt":"2025-09-21T17:29:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/159683\/"},"modified":"2025-09-21T17:29:07","modified_gmt":"2025-09-21T17:29:07","slug":"silence-of-the-looms-revives-muslin-history-at-busan-project-market","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/159683\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Silence of the Looms’ Revives Muslin History at Busan Project Market"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tBusan\u2019s Asian Project Market<\/a> will showcase \u201cSilence of the Looms<\/a>,\u201d a period drama from Bangladeshi director Mirza Shabnam Ferdousi. Produced by Rajib Mohajan alongside Sensemakers and Crack Platoon, with Studio Forty-Five Hundred LLC leading the project, the film revisits the erased history of muslin weaving under British colonial rule and honors the resilience of the artisans whose craft once captivated the world.<\/p>\n

\n\tFerdousi said her journey with the story began more than a decade ago, when she first encountered writer Aditi Falguni\u2019s short story about muslin weavers. Later, reading researcher Saiful Islam\u2019s book on the fabric\u2019s legacy deepened her commitment. \u201cThe myths and memories of muslin have always surrounded me \u2014 almost as if they are part of my DNA,\u201d she says. \u201cThe story of the finger-cut weavers \u2014 whether mutilated by the British or cutting their own thumbs in protest \u2014 moves me profoundly. Through \u2018Silence of the Looms,\u2019 I want to honor those artisans \u2014 not only their suffering but also their defiance.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe film aimed to bring muslin to life on screen not only as historical artifact but as tactile, living craft. \u201cI want the audience to feel the texture of muslin \u2014 to hear the rhythm of the loom, to see the threads shimmer in the light, to sense the patience and devotion woven into every inch of fabric,\u201d Ferdousi explains. \u201cThe film will intertwine historical truth with emotional depth, allowing the craft to unfold through the struggles, joys, and resilience of the characters who embody it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tBalancing accuracy and emotional storytelling was central to Ferdousi\u2019s approach. \u201cWhen I tell the story of muslin, I feel the responsibility of doing justice to the facts\u2026 At the same time, history on its own can feel distant unless it is lived through human experience. My task as a filmmaker is to weave the facts into the emotions of the characters,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

\n\tFor Ferdousi, who has made more than 40 documentaries and won Bangladesh\u2019s National Film Award in 2016 for \u201cBorn Together,\u201d the project also marks a leap to larger-scale storytelling. Her fiction debut \u201cAjob Karkhana (Song of the Soul)\u201d won the Fipresci Award at the Dhaka International Film Festival in 2022. \u201cIn many ways, this film continues my lifelong pursuit of stories from the margins,\u201d she says. \u201cWhat\u2019s different is the scale: a move from national storytelling to international cinema.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tProducer Rajib Mohajan, best known for co-producing Abdullah Mohammad Saad\u2019s \u201cRehana<\/a> Maryam Noor,\u201d which premiered in Cannes\u2019 Un Certain Regard in 2021 and became Bangladesh\u2019s Oscar submission, said he was struck by Ferdousi\u2019s determination. \u201cShe wasn\u2019t trying to repeat herself \u2014 she was daring to break new ground. Her deep research, sensitivity to history, and honesty in the filmmaking process convince me this is more than just a film, but a mission,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\n\tEnsuring authenticity, the team worked closely with Saiful Islam as research advisor, with plans to involve artisans and fashion houses in recreating muslin\u2019s legacy on screen. Financing strategies included local sponsorships, cultural institutions, and international collaborations. \u201cOur primary goal at APM is to connect with co-producers, sales agents and distributors who believe in the power of historical stories with global resonance,\u201d Mohajan notes. He adds that British characters essential to the narrative will require international casting support, alongside technical collaborators in post-production and VFX.<\/p>\n

\n\tFor Mohajan, the film\u2019s strength lay in its duality. \u201cOn one hand, \u2018Silence of the Looms\u2019 is a deeply Bangladeshi story \u2014 rooted in the lost legacy of Dhaka Muslin and the silenced voices of artisans whose craft once captivated the world. On the other, its themes \u2014 colonial exploitation, cultural erasure, and the fight to preserve dignity \u2014 are profoundly universal,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Busan\u2019s Asian Project Market will showcase \u201cSilence of the Looms,\u201d a period drama from Bangladeshi director Mirza Shabnam…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":159684,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[83270,31450,49,48,75,337,83271,83272],"class_list":["post-159683","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-movies","tag-asian-project-market","tag-busan-international-film-festival","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-entertainment","tag-movies","tag-rehana","tag-silence-of-the-looms"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159683","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=159683"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159683\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/159684"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=159683"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=159683"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=159683"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}