Bangladeshi film critic Reeti walks Cannes red carpet in Katan gown

Bangladeshi screenwriter and film critic Sadia Khalid Reeti walked the highly coveted official Cannes Film Festival red carpet at 9:45pm central European time on Wednesday.

Her name and country were announced as part of the extraordinary red carpet lineup this year that includes Meryl Streep, Cate Blanchett, Emma Stone, Demi Moore, along with the most celebrated film directors.

Reeti is the only person from Bangladesh who earned the honour this year.

She walked as a member of the Fipresci Jury board for Un Certain Regard. This is her second time on the Fipresci jury at Cannes. In 2019, she was part of the jury for Critics’ Week and Directors’ Fortnight. 

At Cannes, as in any other highly prestigious film festival and award ceremony, an official red carpet lineup is highly sought after. It is quite difficult and prestigious to be highlighted there. 

Reeti said: “I want to clarify something so we are not encouraging people to pack suitcases full of costumes and head to Cannes claiming they achieved some applaudable feat. The red carpet is there on the way to screenings of the main venues. But the red carpet, where photographers line in tuxedos and gowns to feature someone officially for the festival, is different. There are certain protocols, and we should be diligent enough not to make a fool of ourselves anymore as artistes and journalists.”

About her outfit, Reeti said: “I wanted to represent Bangladesh in a way that does not put us in a box that stops us from evolving. I wore Jamdani saris at the award ceremonies, but for the red carpet, I also wanted to highlight the fact that the traditional fabrics used in saris can be fashioned into many things we can own on the global stage. Everything from my gown and jacket to my jewellery, purse, and shoes were all made in Bangladesh and are compliments of my designers.”  

Reeti studied screenwriting at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). 

Currently the Showtime Editor of Dhaka Tribune, Reeti has served as a jury member at different international film festivals in Italy, India, Britain, Nepal, France, Russia, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. 

She was the first international voter for the Golden Globe Awards from Bangladesh. A Berlinale Talents alumna, she attended mentorship programs with Film Independent and Locarno Open Doors and received Charles Wallace Fellowship from the British Council. She also teaches film studies at different universities and institutions.

There is a noticeable South Asian representation, mainly from India, with Payal Kapadiya’s “All We Imagine as Light” in the main competition, “Santosh” and “Shameless” in Un Certain Regard, and “Sister Midnight” in Directors’ Fortnight. 

Apart from being a Fipresci jury member for Un Certain Regard, Reeti is also on the jury board of the Critics’ Awards for Arab Films, which distributed the awards on May 18 at Cannes. 

The Fipresci Award will be given on May 25, before the festival's closing ceremony.