Busan Winner, Bangladesh Oscar Entry ‘The Wrestler’ Heads to EFM With Indywood (EXCLUSIVE)

Indywood Distribution Network has picked up international sales rights to “The Wrestler” (“Boli”), Bangladesh‘s submission for the 97th Academy Awards’ international feature film category and top prize winner at the Busan International Film Festival.

Indywood is set to launch sales at the European Film Market (EFM) that runs alongside the Berlin Film Festival. The company, which maintains a strong presence across major markets including Cannes, Mipcom, and Hong Kong’s FilMart, aims to leverage its global network to secure worldwide distribution for the acclaimed feature.

Iqbal H. Chowdhury’s debut feature focuses on the elderly wrestler/wrestling trainer Moju (Nasir Uddin Khan), an aging fisherman whose frustrations with his lack of recent catch lead him to challenge local champion Dofor (AKM Itmam). Moju’s son Shafu (Angel Noor) has recently married a woman named Rashu (Priyam Archi), and he takes his frustrations out on them as well, though they’re both concerned for his mental state and physical well-being, given his new pursuit.

“In leaving much of his story up to intuition — and taking a climactic turn toward the surreal — Chowdhury crafts a scrupulous slow-burn drama about a kind of obsession that, despite being opaque, comes off as entirely tragic,” wrote Siddhant Adlakha, reviewing the film for Variety.

“Having worked with leading distributors and platforms around the globe, we are confident that we can elevate the film’s international visibility and commercial prospects,” said Shyam Kurup, director of Indywood, who will spearhead sales efforts for the picture.

Writer-director Iqbal H. Chowdhury expressed enthusiasm about the film’s market prospects: “It’s simply amazing. Participating at the European Film Market is a wonderful opportunity to deliver ‘The Wrestler’ to the appropriate audience worldwide. We are immensely grateful to team Indywood for taking this challenge.”