"Call me Salma" directed by Canadian couple Sébastien Rist and Aude Leroux-Lévesque
“Call me Salma” directed by Canadian couple Sébastien Rist and Aude Leroux-Lévesque, the film is a story about “love and loss. In the crowded back alleys of Dhaka, Bangladesh, Salma enters the mysterious and rich world of Tran-sexuality. Salma, a 16-year-old Hijra, abruptly left her village and family to enter the effervescent city life in search of a clear identity, a new family and above all, a sense of acceptance. Emotionally torn between her youth and her desire of being a woman. Salma decides to return to her village and face events that force her to question the preconceived notions of gender, family and love.” The film runs for 53 minutes 47 seconds.
The Media Studies and Journalism Department of the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB) and Bandhu Social Welfare Society (BSWS) jointly organised the premier show of the documentary film at the ULAB Auditorium in Dhanmondi recently.
Sébastien and Aude have been in Dhaka for the past few months following the lives of the Hijra in order to complete this documentary film, which will be shown on French Television later this year. It was Aude’s exposure in Dhaka that made them decide to film a documentary on the Hijra. Everyone is invited to attend this event.
Raised in Pointe-Claire Quebec, Canada, Sébastien graduated with distinction from Concordia University. Producing and mixing music in his teenage years, his passion for media arts quickly transcended into film and video; creating numerous independent fictional and documentary shorts. His last short film ‘This Little Piggy’ won ‘best student short’ at the World Film Festival in Montreal as well as winning the People’s Choice Award at both the 2008 Enroute Film Festival and Young Cuts Film Festival. Aude Leroux-Lévesque, on the other hand, has always been fascinated by arts, cultures and languages.
Having done non-government organization (NGO) work in Cuba, Bangladesh and Lebanon, Aude has developed a keen sensitivity that she has been able to filter through her independent documentaries. Having directed an award winning short fiction ‘Camille and the musical cherries’ (Best film, Young Cuts film Festival 2007), Aude has since been channelling her creative energy in social conscious media.