For one-night-only, the UICA will be screening the Bangladesh film “
Live From Dhaka,” and then afterward present an insightful panel of locals to discuss the film’s significance touching on themes of contemporary life in Dhaka, the role immigration plays, and the status of women's rights.
According to the filmmakers, “Dhaka is the city that Sazzad came to as a young ambitious man seeking his fortune. But the stock market crashed and he ended up in debt. His disability prevents him from finding other work, while the loan sharks circle him. His relationship with his girlfriend Rehana suffers, and there’s absolutely no talking to his drug-addict brother Michael. Sazzad wants to get away, go abroad. The pressure of the city is like a raw nerve that is — literally — making him ill.
“Live from Dhaka is made up of short scenes shot in grainy black-and-white, covering the city in a constant grey shroud. This reinforces an underlying sense of threat and increasing desperation that can turn to rage at any moment. This is the world that leads people to decide to emigrate — the unsalutary push-factor behind those who go in search of ‘happiness.’”
Appearing at the panel will be pediatrics specialist Dr. Masuma Macfield, Grand Valley State University’s Assistant Professor of Film and Video Production Anal Shah, and Assistant Professor and Lighthouse Immigrant Advocates’ Sarah Yore-Van Oosterhout, Esq.
To purchase tickets in advance tickets to guarantee access, visit UICA’s
Eventbrite page.
As always with the UICA, if you or an individual with disabilities require special accommodations please contact the UICA’s Associate Director, Megan Bylsma at 616.454.7000 x11 or
[email protected] at least 72 hours in advance. (Welcoming others like this is how it is done. Thank you, UICA, for your leadership in this area.)