Private Project

SHOLTE; The Lamp Wick

Pradip, a skinny teenage boy, runs a tiny tea stall in his village. He is from an impoverished family. Furthermore, he’s just lost his father a few days ago. He has to complete his father’s funeral as well. But in Hindu culture, a picture of the late person is necessary to complete his funeral. Pradip has only a torn picture of his father. The next day, Pradip sets off to the town as soon as the first light hits the sky to make a fresh copy of the photo. All the shops are closed due to pandemics, Pradip requests a shopkeeper to help him, and the man opens the shop and starts to make a copy of the picture. But again the police came. One police tried to take away the picture, and the ever-calm boy Pradip suddenly burst into rage and hit the police. When a man faces the risk of his most precious asset, he becomes someone else, this basic instinct of human beings was present here also. The police took Pradip to jail for hitting the police and Pradip continues to tell his utmost belief, that the funeral won’t be completed without the picture!

  • Hemanta Sadeeq
    Director
  • Shawon Koiri
    Writer
  • Asma Akhter Liza
    Producer
  • Ahsan Shoron
    Key Cast
    "Pradip"
  • Mizan Rahman
    Key Cast
  • Liton Chowdhury
    Key Cast
  • Sajib Ahmed
    Key Cast
  • Samar Dhali
    Cinematographer
  • Saif Russel
    Editor
  • Shabbir Mahmood
    Associate Director
  • Aadnan Chowdhury
    Chief Assistant Director
  • Aalap Angon
    Assistant Director
  • Nusrat Anika
    Assistant Director
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    13 minutes 3 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    January 31, 2022
  • Production Budget:
    2,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Bangladesh
  • Country of Filming:
    Bangladesh
  • Language:
    Bengali
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital, (iPhone 11 pro Max)
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.35:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia
    Tokyo
    Japan
    June 19, 2022
    World Premiere
  • 41st Tous Courts International short films festival 2023
    Aix-en-Provence
    France
    November 29, 2023
    European Premiere
    Official Selection, INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION
  • 24th Short Film Festival DigiCon6 Asia 2022
    Dhaka
    Bangladesh
    September 4, 2022
    National Premier
    Silver Award Winner
  • IFEFA-International film & Entertainment Festival Australia
    Sydney
    Australia
    November 20, 2023
    Australian Premiere
    Critics Award Winner
  • Short Shot Fest
    Moscow
    Russian Federation
    November 17, 2023
    Russian Premiere
    Official Selection
Director Biography - Hemanta Sadeeq

Hemanta Sadeeq is an independent filmmaker based in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Recognized for his artistic vision and impactful storytelling, he has garnered attention at international film festivals and markets. With a background in Theater and Performance Studies from the University of Dhaka, Hemanta remains dedicated to pushing the boundaries of storytelling, aspiring to make a lasting impact on the world of cinema.

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Director Statement

Sholte, the wick is the portion that lights up a lamp. A lamp is nothing without the wick, which is true in a different way for human beings also.
In this story, the protagonist is Pradip, which means the lamp. His helplessness and ever calmness are seen in the film. But he burst out into rage when the police try to take away his only asset— his father’s picture, whose funeral is after some days. A human being can’t resist himself when he faces the threat of losing his most valuable asset, I have tried to portray this basic instinct in my visual language.
The pandemic was a tough period, it went tougher for the low-income people. They didn’t have an option to continue their regular life. How the people faced the pandemic and it changed their philosophy of living is one of the concerns of the film. Every people have their own wick, they become lunatic when they face the challenge of protecting it, this instinct has become distinct here.
Some news of the pandemic shocked us. We felt closely how helpless we are becoming each day. We decided to shoot a story based on those true events. To shoot the film our budget was insufficient. Then we decided to shoot the whole film with a mobile phone device (iPhone 11 pro max). The medium was changed due to our convenience, but the dream to tell the story was never compromised.
Here, we have tried to tell a story of pandemics, a story of helpless people, a story of us where we never accept the threat of losing our valuable asset, that could be a person, an object, or anything else.