Logline: After the Rohingya genocide, the two little siblings began their new life by selling cheap ice-cream door to door in the world´s largest refugee camp in Bangladesh in a desperate attempt to earn enough money to bribe officials for the release of their father from prison in Myanmar.

Synopsis: The Ice Cream Sellers (75") tells the story of two little siblings and the genocide survivors of the Rohingya community who fled from Myanmar into Bangladesh after a brutal genocide. While most of the Rohingya people were exhausted from the weight of their trauma, the two siblings began their new life with hard work, selling cheap ice-cream door to door in the world´s largest refugee camp in a desperate attempt to earn enough money to bribe officials for the release of their father from prison in Myanmar. The film invites the audience to become a part of the journey of two children across the refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, just as the director himself was invited and received intimate access into their journey of life. The film portrays a story of tragedy and loss, courage, and suffering. On one hand, we have parents’ harrowing tales of their flight from their homeland, and on the other, we see laughter and the irrepressible spirit of the children.

Director´s note: During the Rohingya genocide in 2017, a picture of a mother fleeing from Myanmar carrying two children on her shoulder touched my heart deeply. My mother does not belong to the Rohingya community, but what would have happened if she did? I imagine a situation where I am a Rohingya child, and my mother is running fast with all her energy towards the border while carrying me and my little sister over her shoulder to escape from a massacre. I saw the Rohingya exodus arrive from Myanmar, crossing the River Naf into Bangladesh. The refugee camp is just a few hours from my home town, Chittagong. One morning I went to the refugee camp where I encountered many Rohingya people. Eventually, I met Ayas and Asia. I saw those sad eyes staring at the sky with thousands of words. Making a film about the refugee crisis is not a new concept but in my view, the encounters and access into the lives of those Rohingya people make the film unique. As a result, it is a universal story of human tenderness and struggle rather than a conventional refugee film. I approach filmmaking from both an artistic and humanitarian perspective, incorporating my knowledge of literature, anthropology, and my life experience and background. I hope that the film The Ice Cream Sellers will not only make a significant contribution to the existing film world but will also help to stop the ongoing genocide in Myanmar and protect the Rohingya community from further violence.

Trailer: https://youtu.be/bgVESYILtQg

About the filmmaker: 

Sohel Rahman Filmmaker, Writer, Producer Sohel is an award-winning filmmaker, writer, and producer based in Lisbon, Portugal. His films have been screened internationally in various film festivals and universities around the world. Sohel received the best feature documentary film award from the South Asian Film Festival of Montreal, Canada in 2021, and from Tasveer South Asian film Festival, Seattle in 2021 for his film The Ice Cream Sellers 75” (2021). He also received the best film award from Lusofona University, Lisbon in 2015 for his film A Passagem (2014). In the same year, he won the Special Jury Award at the Encontros International Cinema de Vienna Film Festival in Portugal.

Born in Chittagong, Bangladesh, Sohel’s love of visual art, literature, and storytelling drew him to filmmaking early in life. In 2014 Sohel received a European joint master's degree in documentary film directing (Docnomads) from three prominent European Universities ( Lusofona University, Lisbon, University of Theatre and Film Arts, Budapest, and Sint LUKAS International University, Brussels). He also studied English literature at Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet, Bangladesh. Sohel finished the first semester of his PhD study in social and cultural anthropology at NOVA University of Lisbon.

He worked in the CANNES award-winning Portuguese film A Fabrica de Nada (2017) as an intern. His graduation film A Passagem (2014) was screened in many film festivals and universities including Doclisboa international film festival and Cinemateca Portuguesa. His first feature-length creative documentary film The Ice Cream Sellers (2021) about the Rohingya genocide has been screened in many film festivals, especially in The USA, Germany, France, India, Nepal, Canada, and Colombia. In addition, the film has been scheduled to be screened at so many prestigious universities of the world including Yale, UCLA, Haawai, UC Berkeley, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Radboud University, Nijmegen, Humboldt University, Berlin, NYC, Brown University, University of Texas. Sohel is the director and chief organizer of Mostra de Cinema sul Asiatico, Lisbon, Portugal.

Sohel is currently working on his new film, Dancing with the Sea, about the deadly works and daily lives of four Portuguese barnacles fishermen in the Atlantic Ocean. His Notable film works are: A Passagem 25" (2014) The Stranger 10"( 2013), The Sketch 10" (2013) Undefeated 10" (2010), Songs From Another Eden 30” (2018), and The Ice Cream Sellers 75" (2021)

Sponsor(s): Center for India and South Asia, Center for Southeast Asian Studies