Kaddish, an award-winning short film by New York-based South Asian filmmaker Razid Season, screened on October 24 at Goethe-Institut Bangladesh in Dhaka, according to a statement about the film.
The screening was part of Cine Sandhya, the institute’s film screening and cultural exchange program, and was followed by a hybrid question-and-answer session with Season. The filmmaker joined the discussion remotely from New York.
Written and directed by Season, the 2020 film is presented in Yiddish and German and explores the human consequences of the Holocaust through themes of loss, survival, compassion and dignity, the statement said.
The Dhaka presentation marked a return to the city for Kaddish, which previously screened at the Dhaka International Film Festival in 2020.
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“As a South Asian filmmaker, I’m honored to present Kaddish at the Goethe-Institut. I believe cinema can connect people across different cultures and histories, encouraging meaningful conversations about prejudice, persecution, and our shared humanity,” Season said.
According to the statement, Kaddish won Best Film at the Columbus Jewish Film Festival and earned Season the Best Director award at the Southern Arizona Independent Film Festival. It was also an official selection of the Asian American International Film Festival in New York.
The statement noted that the film has been included in the Visual History of the Holocaust initiative, which brings together audiovisual materials related to Holocaust history and documentation.
In April 2026, Kaddish was broadcast nationally in the United States on Jewish Life Television, with additional broadcasts in June, the statement said.
Born in Bangladesh and based in New York, Season holds a Master of Fine Arts in Film from the City University of New York. His work explores themes including identity, prejudice, social injustice and human resilience, according to the statement.
His 2024 short film Elijah follows a Bengali Muslim immigrant father in New York City as he confronts his prejudices and struggles to understand and accept his child’s gender identity. The film has screened at more than 50 international film festivals and received awards, including the Emerald Award at the Tasveer Film Festival, the statement said.
Season is also the founder and executive director of Image Maker Films Inc., a New York-based nonprofit established in 2020. According to the statement, the organization is presenting Community Connections Through Film, a four-month initiative featuring free public screenings and facilitated discussions on social issues, cultural perspectives and shared experiences.
