National Award-winner Rima Das’s third film, Bulbul Can Sing, has been named the opening night film at the upcoming Indian Film Festival of Melbourne for its tenth edition.
The film will be shown in Melbourne on 8 August in its Australian premiere. The Assamese film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival last year.
Bulbul Can Sing review: Beautifully told coming-of-age story from Assam
Starring Arnali Das as Bulbul, the coming-of-age film finds the young woman and her two best friends dealing with life, love and societal judgement in a small Assamese village. Das's previous film, Village Rockstars (2018), won the National Award for Best Film last year and was India's official entry at the Academy Awards for Best Foreign Film.
In a statement about her film screening at Melbourne, Das said, “The film has truly been special for me as a filmmaker. The response and appreciation we have received from across the places we had traveled to with the film is also very special. I’m looking forward to the Australian premiere of the film and interacting with the audiences there and having a conversation with them on cinema."
The festival, which will feature Shah Rukh Khan as the chief guest, will be held from 8-17 August.