In Search of Light: Film screening and discussion with Bangalee Director Nadim Iqbal

A screening of Nadim Iqbal’s Mother Tongue and Bidyabhooban followed by a Q&A with the Director
MOTHER TONGUE (2016, 12:56)
The winner of seven film festivals and holder of 42 international recognitions, Mother Tongue is a short documentary filmed in Canada in 2016. The film follows a writer/poet who risked his life to save his culture, his heritage and his language. The writer is the author of many children books in Bangla, but his own grandchildren, who live in Canada, do not embrace or even learn their mother tongue. He is heartbroken that the sacrifices he made to save his language are not appreciated or understood by the youngergeneration. This is a common story for many immigrants–when in search of a better life, you sacrifice another valuable part of your life. We are lost in translation.
BIDYABHUBAN (A Journey of Enlightenment) (2018, 33:10)
This story starts with a very mysterious and exceptional young man who devoted himself to meditation in the mountains over a 12-year period. His vision was to prepare himself for a unique life. Eventually he returned to his little village where he finished a novel on his philosophical ideologies and beliefs. While writing the novel, he developed an unconditional attachment to the underprivileged children of the village–he wanted to something for them. He built a unique school where he observed how the children were like seeds–if they were nurtured properly through love, care and honour, they would grow up to be true human beings. They would help change the world for a better tomorrow. A dream would come true.
Nadim Iqbal is a passionate filmmaker and a photographer from Toronto, Canada. Mother Tongue is his first documentary film. Through the film he has successfully conveyed the message about the importance of mother language to the next generation. Bidyabhuban is his second film, the story of a journey of enlightenment by a unique young man.
This event is presented with the support of the York Centre for Asian Research and the Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies