Bamboo Stories

In the misty waters of the Kushiyara River in northeastern Bangladesh, a lone raft drifts towards a distant port, setting the tone for this visually rich and intimate story. Tending to the ramshackle craft are Liakot, Nuru, Hussain, Shoheed, and Shiraz, a five-party crew tasked with transporting their cargo of 25,000 bamboo logs to a wholesaler almost two hundred miles downstream. From the river pirates who extort their limited savings to fierce summer storms that threaten to break apart their fragile vessel, the rafters face threats both natural and man-made in order to make ends meet. Despite these dangers and meager pay, being on these perilous waters provides the men with a rare escape from the stresses of poverty, arranged marriages and personal loss. With great sensitivity and exquisite cinematography, Bamboo Stories reveals how within these moments of respite the men garner hope for a better future, even as the tides of modernization threaten to wash away their profession for good. (Woodstock Film Festival)