Pankouri heads to Nepal film festival

Bangladeshi documentary ‘Pankouri’, directed by Zafar Muhammad, has been officially selected for the first Lumbini International Film Festival 2026 in Nepal.

The three-day festival will be held in Tansen, Palpa, from 8 to 10 October. Muhammad has also been invited to attend the festival.

Running for 18 minutes and 17 seconds, ‘Pankouri’ explores the Karatoya River in Panchagarh and the lives, livelihoods and memories connected to it. The documentary centres on Mujibur Rahman, who spent 55 years collecting stones from the river.

Filmed between 2019 and 2025, the documentary was completed after Rahman died during post-production.

‘Pankouri’ previously won Best Documentary at Our Films Shorts Fest 2025 and the Chattogram International Documentary Festival 2025.

The documentary was also selected for the Kolkata People’s Film Festival and Kerala Short Film Festival in 2026.