The everyday and often invisible barriers that hold women back from leadership are at the heart of ‘Bihan’ (The Beginning), a new fiction film produced by Oxfam in Bangladesh under its ‘Rise & Lead’ initiative.

Directed by Hemanta Sadeeq and featuring Dilruba Hossain Doyel and Nishat Priom in the central roles, the film follows two working women whose professional ambitions are shaped by expectations surrounding behaviour, care responsibilities, confidence and power.

The film will be released on Oxfam in Bangladesh’s social media platforms on August 14 at 8pm, according to a media release issued on Thursday.

Developed under the supervision of Md Sariful Islam and written by Shawon Koiri, the film also features Bappy Ashraf, Nazmul Hasan, Aadnan Chowdhury, Prionmoyi Prio and Sayan Rahman.

The production was undertaken by BoxOffice, with cinematography by Sahil Rony and Hridoy Sarkar. Dhaka Tribune is the media partner of the film.

At the centre of ‘Bihan’ are Shiuli and Rakhi, two women navigating the pressures, expectations and less visible barriers that shape their professional lives.

Through their journeys, the film explores how social conditioning, care responsibilities, workplace realities and self-doubt can influence women’s choices - and what can happen when they begin to recognise their own voice, agency and leadership potential.

"We intentionally moved away from framing empowerment through grand speeches or dramatic cinematic turns," said Hemanta Sadeeq, director of Bihan.

"The power of Bihan lies in its focus on every day, subtle friction - because that is precisely where the real barriers to leadership exist. I believe authentic leadership doesn't always demand an extraordinary catalyst; often, it begins with the quiet realization of one's own voice," he said.

That approach is also reflected in the film’s visual treatment, which relies on naturalistic performances, familiar middle-class urban settings and subtle behavioural changes rather than theatrical transformation.

Mirrors and reflections recur as motifs of self-discovery, while the final image of a green traffic signal represents movement, possibility and the beginning of a new journey.

Dilruba Hossain Doyel said the story appealed to her because of the familiarity of its characters and their experiences.

"What attracted me to the story is how recognizable these women are. They are capable and responsible, yet they are constantly negotiating expectations at work, at home and within themselves," she said.

"Bihan is about that moment when a woman begins to see her own strength differently. I encourage everyone to watch the film," she added.

The film is the latest public-facing element of Rise & Lead, Oxfam’s initiative to advance women’s leadership by addressing barriers at individual, community, workplace and structural levels.

Mahmuda Sultana, Programme Director of Oxfam in Bangladesh, said women’s leadership cannot be advanced by placing the responsibility solely on women themselves.

"Women's leadership cannot depend only on asking women to become more confident or ambitious. Institutions, workplaces and families must also change," she said.

"We need systems that recognize women’s capabilities, redistribute care responsibilities, create fair opportunities and, most importantly, are prepared to share decision-making power," she added.

Through Bihan, the Rise & Lead advocacy agenda is translated into a human story that connects women’s leadership with everyday realities at home, in workplaces and within institutions.

Using popular storytelling, the film seeks to encourage wider discussion on what needs to change so that women can not only aspire to leadership but also exercise it.

As the story unfolds, Shiuli and Rakhi confront the internal and external barriers that have shaped their choices. Their journeys underline the film’s central message: leadership can begin with recognising one’s own agency and finding the confidence to act on it.