Field Marshal Wins IEFTA GFE Award at Dhaka DocLab 2021

Twenty one projects were showcased during the Dhaka DocLab pitch sessions which were attended by a wide and distinguished array of industry professionals committed to the art of  documentary film. Director Abid Sarkar Sohag and Producer Sardar Zahidul Islam (see bio’s below) were  selected by IEFTA for its Global Film Expression initiative Mentorship Award, based on their short animated documentary, Field Marshal. The team also received accreditation to attend Dok Leipzig later in the year.

Field Marshal

Field Marshal is a short animated documentary that tells the story of a clever and defiant dog witnessing, fighting in and surviving the Bangladeshi War of Liberation, 1971. Field Marshal, a Sarail hound, is among the early victims of a devastating war lasting nine months and resulting in massive internal displacement. This animated documentary explores the ironies of independence and the joys of homecoming from a dog’s perspective.

Abid Sarkar Sohag

DIRECTOR

Abid Sarkar Sohag is a young independent filmmaker and a graduate of the department of English, Jahangirnagar University. Sohag served as the secretary of the Zahir Raihan Film Society where he organized festivals, arranged workshops and mentored film enthusiasts at the university level. He has since worked as an assistant director on the film Bhuban Majhi (2017). Songs of Sunflower is his first feature length documentary and he was the winner of the Best Bangladeshi Project award and The Best Pitch award at Dhaka DocLab 2019. The project was also selected for DocEdge Kolkata, 2020.

Sardar Zahidul Islam

PRODUCER

Sardar Zahidul Islam received his MA in Literature in English and Cultural Studies from Jahangirnagar University. In his role at Executive President of the Zahir Raihan Film Society, he first met and began collaborating with director Abid Sohag. As a producer, Songs of Sunflower is his debut feature-length documentary. The project won two awards at Dhaka DocLab 2019 and was selected for DocEdge Kolkata 2020. Currently, Islam produces documentary films at Bloopers Studios and teaches visual anthropology in the department of Photography at Counter Foto – A Center for Visual Arts.