November 21, 2025
DHAKA – Abu Shahed Emon’s “A Foolish Man” has been selected for the highly competitive APN+ECG Track of the 2025 Asian Producers Network (APN) at the Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF)—one of Asia’s most respected platforms for emerging cinematic voices.
This year, only 13 producers were chosen from more than 160 applicants across the continent, with eight projects advancing to the APN+ECG segment.
The APN+ECG Track, where Emon’s project has been selected, brings together works from Bangladesh, China, Cambodia, France, Singapore, Iran, South Korea, Hong Kong, and the USA/China. The selected projects include: “A Foolish Man” (Bangladesh), “Uncle Hiep’s Casino” (USA/China), “The Silent Fire” (China), “Cherry Bomb” (Cambodia/France), “The Most Fantastic Time of My Life” (Singapore), “Mellow Pink” (Iran), “Sea Pineapple” (South Korea), and “Chifan” (Hong Kong).
The eight selected producers will take part in a curated pitching forum, one-to-one industry meetings, and strategic networking sessions designed to secure co-production opportunities, financing, and distribution partnerships. Emon’s project “A Foolish Man”, in development for over a decade, has already drawn international attention.
The film follows Yakub, who escapes death row during a political uprising and returns to a nation where law and order have collapsed—making the policeman’s uniform he once dreamed of wearing a potential death sentence. The film recently resurfaced in global headlines when Variety reported its official move toward production through a Bangladesh–Taiwan co-production between Flash Forward Entertainment (Taiwan) and Bangladesh’s Golpo Rajjo Films and Batayan Productions.
The report highlighted the project’s long development journey, early recognition at the Asian Project Market, and renewed relevance following Bangladesh’s real-life political upheavals. Flash Forward Entertainment’s involvement places the project alongside a slate of internationally acclaimed works.
The company had three titles at Busan 2024, and its films have been selected by major festivals including Cannes, Venice, Berlin, Toronto, Rotterdam, and others. Over the years, “A Foolish Man” has been shaped through major Asian development platforms such as the Asian Cinema Fund, Göteborg Film Festival Fund, Film Bazaar, and Locarno Open Doors Lab. Its themes—questions of justice, class, power, and national identity—mirror broader conversations taking place across South Asia and have become increasingly current in the region’s shifting political landscape.