Set against the backdrop of the turbulent period in the late 60's leading up to Bangladesh's independence from Pakistan, "Matir Moina" (The Clay Bird) tells the story of a family torn apart by religion and war. A young boy, Anu, is sent off to a strict Islamic school, or madrasa, by his deeply religious father Kazi. As the political divisions in the country intensify, an increasing split develops between moderate and extremist forces within the madrasa, mirroring a growing divide between the stubborn but confused Kazi and his increasingly independent wife. Touching upon themes of religious tolerance, cultural diversity, and the complexity of Islam, "Matir Moina" has universal relevance in a strife-ridden world.

"Matir Moina" (The Clay Bird), the acclaimed Bangladeshi film awarded at Cannes and the first Bengali film to compete in the Oscars (Best Foreign Language film category), directed by Tareque Masud and produced by Catherine Masud, will be commercially released in the UK this coming July 4th. UK distributor ICA will be releasing the film at the ICA Theatre on The Mall, the Barbican Centre Theatre, and the Genesis Theatre on Mile End Road, as well as other venues around the UK. This will be the first time that any film from Bangladesh has been commercially released outside of community venues for the general public. On July 6th, a special launching ceremony will be held at the Genesis, where special dignitaries, including the Mayor of London, are expected to be in attendance.

In May 2002, "Matir Moina" premiered as the first Bangladeshi film ever selected for screening in the Cannes Film Festival. The film was honored as the opening film of the prestigious "Directors' Fortnight" section of the festival. "Matir Moina" went on to win the FIPRESCI International Critics' Prize as the best film of the Directors' Fortnight. Guardian film critic Peter Bradshaw, reviewing the film at the festival, gave it four stars and called it one of the "real finds" of Cannes.

At the Academy Awards, "Matir Moina" became the first film from Bangladesh to qualify for the Oscar competition, which highlights the best films from around the globe.

Although originally denied a censor certificate, the film was eventually passed by the Appeal Board with a few minor cuts. On October 25 2002 "Matir Moina" was released commercially in Dhaka to great audience acclaim. Earlier, on May 17 the film was released in nationwide in France, where it ran for almost four months. On March 7 2003, "Matir Moina" was released in Montreal and other cities of French-speaking Canada, and has also been released in Italy and Belgium.

At the Marrakech International Film Festival in Morocco in September 2002, the film was honored with the Best Screenplay Award. The Toronto International Film Festival included the film in its renowned Talk Cinema Series as one of the three most noteworthy films of 2002, along with Jack Nicholson's "About Schmidt" and Cannes Palme d'Or winner "The Pianist" by Roman Polanski.

Most recently, the film had its New York Premiere at a special screening session in the 1st week of April, organized by the Lincoln Center and the Museum of Modern Art. The film was reviewed in major New York newspapers, including the New York Times, where film critic Elvis Mitchell called the film "Easily one of the finest films of this year or any other."

Other festivals to have screened the film include the Edinburgh International Film Festival, the Montreal World Film Festival, the Cairo International Film Festival, the Palm Springs International Film Festival in Los Angeles, Australia's Adelaide International Film Festival, Spain's Sitges Festival, and the Fribourg International Film Festival in Switzerland. Upcoming festival screenings include the Munich Film Festival (June 28-July 5) and the Cinefan 5/Cinemaya Festival in Delhi in mid-July.

This coming July 18th, 2003, "Matir Moina" will once again be released for Dhaka audiences at the Balaka Cinema Hall.

"Matir Moina" was made with partial support from the French Government's prestigious South Fund, which gives in-kind support and facilities to qualifying films from developing countries based on the quality of the script. The Fund has awarded grants to world renowned filmmakers from Asian countries including Iran, India and China, as well as from Africa and Latin America. This is the first time a film from Bangladesh has been made with South Fund support.

Before making "Matir Moina", Tareque and Catherine Masud co-directed a number of feature length documentaries, including "Muktir Gaan" (Song of Freedom) in 1995 and "Muktir Kotha" (Words of Freedom) in 1999. In 2002, they completed "A Kind of Childhood", a documentary following six years in the lives of working children growing up on the streets of Dhaka City, produced by well known British film producer Trudie Styler.

Main Cast: Nurul Islam Bablu, Russell Farazi, Jayanto Chattopadhyay, Rokeya Prachy

Direction: Tareque Masud - Produced by: Catherine Masud - Screenplay: Tareque & Catherine Masud - Main Cinematography: Sudheer Palsane - Add'l Cinematography: Ranjan Palit, Maksudul Bari - Editing: Catherine Masud - Sound Recording: I. Neogi

Art Direction: Kazi Rakib, Sylvain Nahmias - Music Direction: Moushumi Bhowmik Production: MK2 / Audiovision

www.matirmoina.com