Bangladeshi film critic, screenwriter, and journalist Sadia Khalid Reeti has joined the panel of jurors for the international section of the 41st Tehran International Short Film Festival (TISFF) alongside the Oscar-winning Indian music composer AR Rahman. Reeti confirmed this in a Facebook post on Thursday, sharing her excitement to be nominated as a jury member alongside Rahman and other esteemed jurors. “Sharing the stage with AR Rahman as a jury member of the super prestigious, Oscar-qualifying, Tehran International Short Film Festival. So blessed,” she wrote. Bangladeshi critic Sadia Khalid Reeti walks official Cannes Red Carpet as FIPRESCI jury member Other members of this year's festival jury include the Ghanaian-Belgian director Anthony Nti, Italian filmmaker Maja Costa, and Russian festival producer Ekaterina Yakovleva, as well as Iranian filmmakers Ahmad Reza Motamedi and Masoud Madadi, according to Tehran Times and IRNA. A member of the recently announced National Film Grant Selection Committee and National Film Advisory Committee, Reeti was the sole representative from Bangladesh at the 77th Cannes Film Festival this year, as a member of the FIPRESCI (International Federation of Film Critics) jury. She served on the FIPRESCI jury for the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes this year, which marked her second tenure on the jury at the festival, following her 2019 participation in Critics’ Week and Directors’ Fortnight. Bollywood’s iconic music composer AR Rahman is globally revered for redefining contemporary music through his works in Indian cinema—predominantly in Tamil and Hindi films, with occasional forays in international cinema. The Indian music composer, record producer, singer, songwriter, musician, multi-instrumentalist, and philanthropist's work gained global prominence particularly in 2008, with the extraordinary success of his score for the film ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ that received eight Oscars including two for Rahman. He won over 15 awards for this score including two Grammys, the Golden Globe and the BAFTA. This year’s Tehran International Short Film Festival received a record-breaking 13,651 submissions from more than 30 countries including India, China, Poland, the United States, Egypt, Greece, France, Palestine, Turkey, Spain, Argentina, Brazil, Russia, Australia, Japan, Germany, Italy, and Cuba, among others.

Renowned Bangladeshi film critic, screenwriter and journalist Sadia Khalid Reeti has been invited to the Fipresci (International Federation of Film Critics) jury at the upcoming 77th Cannes Film Festival, one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world in which she was a jury member before in 2019 when she became the second Bangladeshi to receive this honour. A Screenwriting graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Reeti has served as a jury member at different international film festivals in Italy, India, England, Nepal, France, Russia, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. She also served as a Fipresci jury at the Bengaluru International Film Festival, International Film Festival of Kerala and Dhaka International Film Festival (DIFF), and is currently serving as the Co-Convenor of the West Meets East Screenplay Lab at DIFF, one of the leading script development labs in the country. With 'Tati', Coke Studio Bangla launches season 3 paying homage to Jamdani Reeti became Bangladesh's first international voter for the Golden Globe Awards in 2022. A Berlinale Talents alumna, she attended prestigious mentorship programs with Film Independent and Locarno Open Doors. Alongside her responsibilities as the Cultural Editor of Dhaka Tribune, one of the leading English dailies in the country, Reeti teaches film studies at different universities and institutions. She is a recipient of the Charles Wallace Fellowship from the British Council, as a part of which she trained in surreal filmmaking at the British Film Institute in 2023. Regarding her return to Cannes, Reeti said: “Cannes is the biggest and most prestigious film festival in the world. It’s an incredible honour to be invited back. Having our film critics on the jury board more often will enable us to convey our cultural point of view and help world cinema move away from its Eurocentric lens.” “The invitation always arrives so late that it’s difficult to arrange the visa and other necessities with a green passport,” she said about her travel preparations. “The festival has grown so much over the years that it’s now a logistical nightmare trying to find suitable lodging. Hopefully, when more of us participate in such festivals, the authorities will keep provisions to reduce the stress.” From Bangladesh, Ahmed Muztaba Zamal was the first Fipresci jury at Cannes in 2002, 2005, and 2009. Reeti came next in 2019, followed by Bidhan Rebeiro in 2022. They joined as members of the IFCAB (International Film Critics Association of Bangladesh). ‘Adyontor’ to release their first song ‘Opekkhar Chithi’ tomorrow The 77th annual Cannes Film Festival is due to take place from 14 to 25 May 2024. American filmmaker and actress Greta Gerwig will serve as jury president for the main competition, and the main competition at Cannes will include veteran filmmakers like Coppola, Audiard, Cronenberg, Arnold, Lanthimos, Sorrentino, Abbasi and so on this year.