The highly acclaimed Bangladeshi feature film, ‘Matir Moina’ (The Clay Bird) was screened Saturday night at the Goethe-Institut auditorium. The screening was arranged by the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in Karachi, in collaboration with the Goethe-Institut.
Matir Moina tells the story of a family that was torn apart by religion and the war of liberation in Bangladesh during the turbulent period of the late 1960s. As political divisions in the country intensify, an increasing split develops between moderate and extremist forces within the country.
The film is the autobiography of the renowned Bangladeshi film director, Tareque Masud, who, in his childhood, was sent off to a Madressah (religious seminary) by his religious father. The story therefore deals with the director’s personal experiences of studying at the Madressah.
Through powerful dialogues and musical episodes, the film conveys thought-provoking messages to its viewers. Where the story raises concern over the use of children in religious seminaries for political purpose, it also allows one to think that Islam did not spread through the sword, nor can it flourish by force or politics.
The film touches upon the themes of religious tolerance, cultural diversity and the complexity of Islam. Many in the audience observed that Matir Moina has universal relevance and can be closely related with the present religio-political situation in Pakistan.
