In a conservative coastal town where women are forbidden from singing, a teenage boy with a hauntingly beautiful voice enters a prestigious singing competition. His mother urges him forward, hoping it will be his path to freedom. But beneath his scarf, stitched shut and silent, lies a secret that makes Ali’s participation an act of defiance.
In Ali, Adnan Al Rajeev offers a poetic and devastating allegory for identity, silence, and resistance. With dreamlike imagery—vividly stunning, ethereal, and elusive—the film asks what it truly means to inhabit a body the world refuses to hear. When Ali finally sings in his truest voice, we are reminded of the power of unabashedly letting yourself be known.
Adnan Al Rajeev
Since his directorial debut in 2008, Adnan Al Rajeev has cemented his place as a leading figure in Bangladesh’s contemporary cinema by combining family dynamics and realistic storytelling. He is the founder of Runout Films, a powerhouse that has produced nearly a thousand commercials over the past 12 years, more than 500 of which he directed personally. Adnan also served as Executive Producer for Arvin Belarmino’s Radikals, the historic first co-production between Bangladesh and the Philippines, which made its world premiere at the 63rd Semaine de la Critique during Cannes 2024.
