Filmmaker Amartya Bhattacharyya’s film Runanubandha: The He Without Him has been officially selected for the 41st Moscow International Film Festival. The Bengali film is one of two Indian films to screen at the Russian festival. The other is Anand Patwardhan’s award-winning documentary Reason (2018).
Runanubandha will be screened in the ‘Films Around The World’ section. Last November, it was part of the international competition at the 24th Kolkata International Film Festival.
Runanubandha also had its UK and French premieres on 12 April at the London Bengali Film Festival and the Festival des Films Indiens de Toulouse.
The film, which was shot in Kolkata, is about a daughter’s mystic search for her father. It stars newcomer Priyanka Ghosh Roy as the lead, along with producer Swastik Choudhury, who is also acting in the film. Filmmaker Susant Misra has a cameo.
According to the makers, the film’s title is about the spiritual term, Runanubandha “which refers to the body’s memory, which comprises of genetic memory and memory of intimate physical connect”. This same memory binds people together in intimate relations.
Bhattacharyya has written, filmed, edited and directed the feature. He had previously directed two films in Odia, Capital I and Khyanikaa. This is his first film in Bengali. The music is scored by Kisaloy Roy. Popular singer Rupam Islam has sung the title song.