Abu Shahed Emon’s ‘A Foolish Man’ secures Taiwan co-production deal

Bangladeshi filmmaker Abu Shahed Emon's long-anticipated project "A Foolish Man" is finally moving toward production after more than a decade in development, with Taiwan's Flash Forward Entertainment joining as an international co-production partner.

The film tells the story of Yakub, a man who dreamed of becoming a policeman but finds himself on the run after escaping death row during the collapse of a dictatorship. In a country where police are hunted and justice has disappeared, his badge becomes a dangerous burden.

Emon described the project as deeply personal. "'A Foolish Man' has lived inside me for over a decade. What began as a story about a man mocked for his name has transformed into a meditation on legacy, shame, and identity within a broken system," he said.

First gaining recognition in 2011 with Busan's Asian Cinema Fund and Göteborg Film Festival Fund, the film resurfaced at Locarno and Film Bazaar in 2016 but stalled due to Emon's growing commitments and the pandemic. In the meantime, he established himself as one of Bangladesh's leading independent filmmakers with "Jalal's Story" (2014), "Sincerely Yours, Dhaka" (2018), and "No Ground Beneath the Feet" (2021), all of which represented Bangladesh at the Oscars. He also directed the acclaimed web series "Mercules" (2023).

The project gained fresh urgency after Bangladesh's political upheavals in 2024. "I saw images of empty police stations and civilians maintaining order. I realised the world I imagined years ago had become reality," Emon noted.

Flash Forward producer Patrick Mao Huang, whose films have been featured at Cannes, Venice, and Busan, joined after hearing Emon's pitch at the Red Sea Film Festival. "The shifting political and social landscape has only made this story more resonant," Huang said.

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"A Foolish Man" will be produced jointly by Flash Forward Entertainment, Golpo Rajjo Films, and Batayan Productions, with Emon and Tahrima Khan representing Bangladesh. Financing has been secured, and the team is seeking further partners to bring the project to the screen.