Nuhash Humayun’s ‘Waqt’ heads to SXSW Sydney

Nuhash Humayun's anthology episode "Waqt" has been officially selected for the Episodic strand of the South by Southwest (SXSW) Sydney festival, which opens on October 13.

Part of Chorki's second anthology season "Dui Shaw" the episode premiered last December. Co-written by poet Gultekin Khan and Nuhash, "Waqt" tells the tale of five friends whose sins spiral into five eerie, supernatural fates.

The cast features Allen Shubhro, Rizvi Rizu, Refat Hasan, Abdullah Al Sentu, Rafayatullah Sohan, Saikat, Sahana Sumi, and Yashrib Habib.

"This project has received equally strong responses from both festival curators and local audiences, which is rare. Usually it's one or the other, but with 'Waqt' both sides have embraced it," Nuhash told Prothom Alo.

The anthology also includes three other stories — "Bhaggo Bhalo", "Beshura" and "Antara." For Gultekin Khan, "Waqt" marked her debut as a screenwriter. "At first I was terrified. But when Nuhash said he truly liked my writing, I knew he wasn't just being polite. We ended up co-writing the story together," she said in an earlier interview.

"Dui Shaw" follows Nuhash's much-discussed series "Pett Kata Shaw", which won the Best International Feature at Raindance Film Festival's Jury Awards in 2022 and was screened at Rotterdam. This July, the new season also featured at the Fantasia International Film Festival in Canada.

With acclaimed projects such as "Moshari" and "Foreigners Only" already to his name, Nuhash's selection at SXSW Sydney underscores his growing global presence and the rising profile of Bangladeshi streaming originals.