A House Named Shahana

About the Film

The story follows the turbulent life of Dipa, a young divorced woman whose refusal to suffer silently makes her a misfit in a rural town in 90s Bangladesh. She is raised by weak and ineffectual parents in a peculiar family dynamic dominated by her maternal uncle and aunt. Under their authority, Dipa is married off to a widower in England over a trunk-call wedding ceremony to protect her from the dangers of teenage passions. Dipa suffers marital rape, refuses to settle and escapes. Seven years later, Dipa has become a transformed and confident professional, yet she still must fight the social stigma and the burden of “family honour” to live on her own terms.

About the Director

Leesa Gazi is a multi-faceted British Bangladeshi artist – an author, theatre practitioner, award-winning filmmaker, and Joint Artistic Director of the London-based arts organization, Komola Collective, where she directs and produces. She conceived and co-wrote the play "Birangona: Women of War," which she later transformed into the powerful documentary feature "Rising Silence," exploring the lives of sexual violence survivors during the Bangladesh Liberation War. This impactful film went on to win 15 awards worldwide. Gazi's debut fiction, "Barir Naam Shahna," co-written and based on her own published novella, was later adapted into a film project. This adaptation was recognized as the "FBR Winner 2021 - Feature" at the NFDC Film Bazaar.