Shobe, Aisha, and Suma, three teens from Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, are poised to make history as Bangladesh’s first women surfers in an international competition.
Driven to succeed and guided by their devoted coach, the girls find freedom in the waves as surfing becomes their only ticket out of poverty and the way for them to determine their own futures against the backdrop of stifling families and oppressive community judgment.
After their coach makes the decision to leave the club, the financial support for their surfing dries up and the odds of achieving their dreams seem insurmountable. A powerful coming-of-age story and tale of resistance by Bangladeshi filmmaker Elizabeth D Costa, Bangla Surf Girls will have you cheering for every wave and hurdle these young women overcome.
Canada 2021 Dir Elizabeth D Costa 86 min
In Bengali with English subtitles. English captions are also available.
LC = Locally classified
Watch the film at your own pace and join us at 8pm on Friday 25 March for a live ScreenTalk with filmmaker Elizabeth D Costa, producer Lalita Krishna, and Umama Zillur, Researcher and Founder, Kotha. Moderated by Rothna Begum, Senior Women's Rights Researcher, HRW.
This film contains one instance of bad language which viewers may find offensive.
Available to watch on the Human Rights Watch Film Festival streaming platform from Thu 17 Mar at 12:01am, to Fri 25 March at 11:59pm. Want to watch this film in the cinema?
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