Nibras Bin Sayed shared his excitement on social media.
Bangladeshi filmmaker Nibras Bin Sayed is set to mark a major milestone with the world premiere of his debut film On Margate Sands.
The film will premiere at the 19th Royal Anthropological Institute (RAI) Film Festival.
The event, recognised as one of the foremost platforms for ethnographic and anthropological cinema, will showcase the film on June 14, 2025.
The screening is set to take place at the Watershed Cinema in Bristol, UK.
Sayed’s film was produced as part of his Master’s degree in Film with Practice at the University of Kent.
It has been selected to compete in the Wiley Blackwell Student Film Prize category, which highlights emerging voices in ethnographic filmmaking.
The film is also included in the festival’s “Landscape Symphonies” section.
It is a thematic category that explores memory and landscape as intersecting narrative elements.
The RAI Film Festival is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2025.
There will be in-person screenings and events taking place from June 11 to 15, 2025, in Bristol.
A parallel online program will run from June 16 to July 16, expanding global access to the festival’s curated selection of films.
In addition, a virtual academic conference associated with the event is scheduled from July 1 to 4, 2025.
This reflects the RAI’s commitment to combining creative and scholarly exploration.
Speaking about the selection, Nibras Bin Sayed shared his excitement on social media.
The filmmaker said: “I am absolutely over the moon to share that On Margate Sands will have its world premiere at the RAI Film Festival.
“I’m quite out of words for being recognised in one of the leading film festivals dedicated to ethnographic and anthropological cinema.”
The selection of On Margate Sands is not only a personal achievement for the filmmaker but also a rare recognition for Bangladesh.
Sayed is believed to be only the second Bangladeshi director ever selected for the RAI Film Festival.
His accomplishment highlights the growing presence of South Asian voices in global cinema.
Encouraging support, the filmmaker added: “For those residing in Bristol, please attend the festival in person if possible.”
His words reflected both his enthusiasm and hope for cultural engagement with his work.
As he steps into the spotlight, Nibras Bin Sayed’s debut marks his entry into global cinema with On Margate Sands.
The talented filmmaker is successfully bringing Bangladeshi perspectives to ethnographic and anthropological film.
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