'The Difficult Bride' Takes a Dhaka Wedding Into Haunted Territory

Bangladeshi filmmaker Rubaiyat Hossain has a new feature, The Difficult Bride, a feminist supernatural drama about a bride-to-be in present-day Dhaka. Variety reviewed the film on 3 November 2026 and noted that it arrives as feminist body horror films have grown in popularity.

Hossain wrote, directed and produced the film, her fourth feature. The Daily Star reported that she spent nearly two decades writing it. Variety also reported that part of the film was shot in her own home.

Zaineen Chowdhury Karim plays the title role, Zaineen. Dameer Khan plays Aarman, her fiancé. Reviews have also come from IndieWire and Screen Daily.

The film had its premiere at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival, which ran from 2 to 12 September 2026 in Venice, Italy. It screened in the festival's Horizons competition, a section for newer and more experimental work. It was also selected for the Toronto film festival, and it held competition slots at festivals in Tokyo and London, according to Variety.

Money came in from several places. The Prada Foundation Film Fund backed the production, as Variety reported on 7 September 2026. Films Boutique handles world sales for the film, Variety reported in July. World sales means the sales agent sells distribution rights country by country, so the agent's deals will decide where the film is seen.

Festivals do more than show films. They are where sales agents and buyers meet, and a festival premiere often sets the path a film takes to cinemas and streaming services. For The Difficult Bride, the path so far runs through Venice, Toronto, Tokyo and London. No release dates or distribution deals for specific countries have been announced.

Anyone curious about the film can watch for its next screenings, which the festivals and the film's sales agent will announce as they are set.