Rubaiyat Hossain is a filmmaker, writer and interdisciplinary researcher. She has completed her B. A. in Women Studies from Smith College, USA and M. A. in South Asian Studies from University of Pennsylvania, USA. Her primary fields of interest are Sufism, Bengali nationalism, formation of Bengali modernity and its correlation with female sexuality. Rubaiyat Hossain has worked for prominent women’s rights NGOs in Bangladesh such as Ain O Shalish Kendra and Naripokkho. She has worked as a part time lecturer in the department of Economics and Social Sciences at BRAC University, Dhaka, Bangladesh since 2006.
Rubaiyat is one of Bangladesh’s handful of female filmmakers, known for her debut feature film Meherjaan (2011) which faced political and cultural wrath in Bangladesh for its anti-war narrative, and its critic of masculine nationalism from a feminine point of view. Her second feature film Under Construction (2015) premiered at New Directors Showcase at Seattle International Film festival and was theatrically released and well received in Bangladesh. Her third feature film Made in Bangladesh (2019), premiered at Toronto International Film Festival and distributed by Pyramide Films. Rubaiyat uses a feminist lens to deconstruct the otherwise phallocentric institution of cinema.
Currently she lives between Dhaka and New York making films and attending Tisch School of Arts at New York University in Cinema Studies.
Filmography
Made in Bangladesh 95 min, 2019 feature
Under Construction 88 min, 2015, feature
Meherjaan 119 min. 2011, feature
Rubaiyat Hossain 
Hello, I work at the University of Alberta (Canada) we have a student who would be interested in your thesis “Birangonas’ Heroic Women or the Shamed Ones. Has this been completed and is it available to view?
I live in the UK. I did not get chance to watch Meherjan, but I like to watch it. Its nice to know that Bangladesh has a prolific female film maker who is brave, artistic, and charismatic. It is good to know that Rubaiyat is not scared to speak the truth. Go ahead.
Pingback: Meherjaan – A Storied Past | Nazar
I watched Meherjaan at OSIAN Film Festival in New Delhi. I found the story, screenplay and dialogues are very well done, very moving ! However, I wish you could have picked better actors for characters such as Sarah, Wasim and Neela. Their dialogue delivery were turn offs. I want you to publish a book if it is not done yet. I live in New York, and visiting family in India now. Fortunately, I am able to attend OSIAN Film Festival. Keep up the great work. BRAVO !!!
i want to watch this movie… bt ami eita paitesi na… onk khujhlam…
plz. keu jodi bolten koi pabo.. tahole khub upokar hoto…
email: addectedboy@gmail.com
great to find your blog.
I sent to Cineplex for meherjaan and at that time it was stopped. For last 3/4 years I have this wish to watch the film. I live in USA, can you help me to watch this ?