Rubaiyat Hossain is an academic scholar, film director, producer and screenwriter. She has directed Meherjaan (2011), Under Construction (2015) and Shimu: Made in Bangladesh (2019). The Criterion Collection–one of the world’s most prestigious distribution platforms, has recognised Hossain’s ‘Made in Bangladesh’ in their list of top ten ‘Hidden Gems’ of the 2010’s decade.
Hossain’s films have been distributed widely and globally by Pyramide Film, Paris. Hossain uses a feminist lens to deconstruct the otherwise phallocentric regime of cinema. She studied Gender Studies at Smith College, South Asia Studies at University of Pennsylvania and Cinema Studies at the Tisch School of Arts, New York University. ‘Sultana’s Dream’ her latest initiative is a funding-mentorship platform to empower, promote & support the next generation of women filmmakers in Bangladesh. She has worked with rural and urban women’s rights organisations in Bangladesh and taught Gender Studies at Brac University. Hossain joined her alma mater Smith College as a faculty at Spring 2023 where she is teaching gender and cinema. Currently, she is also prepping for her fourth feature film ‘The Difficult Bride.’