Richard York & Hannan Majid
Production support
Went to Good Pitch
As it continues its own industrial revolution, Bangladesh is, in many ways a perfect example of what we refer to as 'a developing nation'.
Mass E Bhat explores this shifting society through the eyes of its children. In the young people of the slums, villages, factories and streets, we see a generation forced to grow up at an incredibly early age, to whom work and responsibility are part of everyday life. A series of vignettes observing these children, their parents, employers and teachers, paint a vivid portrait of a nation in transition, the cost of development and the true meaning of childhood.
Long Synopsis
Holding together these strands is the inspiring story of 19 year-old Nasir and his life long quest for a better life for himself, his family and his community. From the time when his family left the village of his childhood to find a new and better life in the city, through his experiences of working on the rubbish tips of Dhaka and the sweatshop garment factories and finally to his struggle for education, we see that Nasir is, in many ways, the typical child of Bangladesh. As he recounts his story, the audience is invited into the lives of characters around the country, whose experiences mirror Nasir's past while being all to real in the country's present.