Mahde Hasan

Mahde Hasan (Bengali:) is a Bangladeshi screenwriter and director recognized for his films I Am Time and Death of a Reader were showcased at the 69th and 71st Locarno International Film Festivals, respectively. He won the movieofmylife digital competition at the 70th Locarno Festival with Where is the Friend's Home. In 2018, he received the Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée (CNC) development grant for his debut feature Sand City, which later secured a production grant from Visions Sud Est and show cased in Cannes Film Festival's La Fabrique. His recent short, A Boring Film, was selected for Locarno's Pardi di Domani section in 2020. His debut feature Sand City premiered in the Proxima Competition at the 59th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival on 7 July 2025 and won the PROXIMA Grand Prix.

Early life and career Mahde Hasan participated in the first batch of the Standard Chartered - The Daily Star Celebrating Life filmmaking workshop. Hasan's journey to the Locarno Film Festival began in 2016 when he first submitted a script. Despite initial rejections, he refined his work and eventually presented Sand City at the Ekadeshma International Short Film Festival Film Lab in Nepal, collaborating with the Open Doors Hub of the Locarno Festival. In 2019, Sand City was selected for La Fabrique Cinéma at the Cannes Film Festival, giving him a platform to pitch his project to international producers and distributors. A Boring Film, Competed in the Locarno Film Festival, solidifying Hasan's status as recognized filmmaker.

Filmography

Recognition and awards CNC Prize: Awarded for the script development of Sand City, and won production grant from Visions Sud Est. Residency at Villa Sträuli, granted a two-month residency by International Short Film Festival Oberhausen, DEZA to further develop his script. A Boring Film, was selected for Locarno's Pardi di Domani section in 2020.