Boli (The wrestler) has been selected to compete at the 97th Oscars in the 'Best International Feature Film Category'.

This is the first Bangladeshi film that has achieved prestigious award at the Busan International Film Festival that was held in 2023, UNB reports. 

The film is made as a homage to the traditional 'Boli game of Jobbar' ('Jobbar er Boli Khela') in Chattogram. This is a local wrestling game and a cultural tradition that has been part of Chattogram.

Featuring a group of talented stage artists from the port city, the story of this film revolves around an elderly fisherman (Played by Nasir Uddin Khan) from a remote coastal village of Banshkhali. He challenges a Boli (Local wrestling champion) to a match as he wants to reestablish his position in the society.

The whole film was produced in the coastal areas of Chattogram in 2022. The film received the best award under the 'New Currents' category at the 28th Busan International Film Festival (South Korea) last year. Busan International Film Festival is considered the most influential film festival in Asia. Furthermore, the film has also been screened at this year's Shanghai International Film Festival in China.

The film still has not been released in Bangladeshi theaters. But it did qualify for the Oscars under a clause that has been recently introduced by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Under this clause, films can be submitted to compete at the Oscars even if they have not had a theatrical distribution in their home country.

The film had recently its theatrical release in Canada.

bd-pratidin/Rafid