Sand City(HKAFF2025)

In the megacity of Dhaka, two lonely souls share the thinnest of connections via a common element: sand. Emma, an ethnic minority woman who faces racial discrimination every day, takes sand from a building site for her cat’s litter box. Meanwhile, Hasan steals silica from his workplace for a glass factory that he longs to build. Influenced by Pedro Costa and David Lynch, Mahde Hasan’s captivating directorial debut offers a poignant depiction of urban isolation that defies conventions at every turn. Dhaka, filtered through a permanent layer of haze, seems like an ever-present third character that looms large over the protagonists.

Proxima Grand Prix, Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
Busan International Film Festival