The Difficult Bride (2026)

Interesting facts

The Difficult Bride is a 2026 psychological drama film written and directed by Rubaiyat Hossain. A co-production of Bangladesh, France, Portugal, Norway, and Germany, it follows Zaineen, a bride-to-be in Dhaka whose wedding preparations draw her into a supernatural and psychological world shaped by beauty, faith, memory and fear.

Production

The story of The Difficult Bride originated from an urban legend Hossain heard as a child at Mayfair Beauty Parlour, one of Dhaka's oldest salons. According to the legend, a bride died under mysterious circumstances at the salon. The idea stayed with Hossain for nearly two decades, evolving from a short film concept in 2006 into a feature screenplay through numerous rewrites.

The film received post-production support from the inaugural Fondazione Prada Film Fund, the cultural institution of Italian fashion house Prada.

The film is produced by France's Les Films de l'Après-Midi, in co-production with Portugal's Midas Filmes, Bangladesh's Khona Talkies, Norway's Barentsfilm and Germany's Tandem Productions. The film also received backing from Eurimages, France's CNC, Portugal's ICA, Norway's Sørfond and Germany's World Cinema Fund.

Zaineen Chowdhury Karim, a newcomer, was cast in the lead role after initially being hired as an assistant director. She shares her first name with the character she plays. Karim had previously studied at Smith College in Massachusetts, where Hossain had also studied years earlier. A former professor introduced them, and Karim initially joined the project as an assistant director before being offered the lead role.

The cast also includes three Bangladesh National Film Award winners: Azmeri Haque Badhan, Reekita Nondine Shimu and Sunerah Binte Kamal.

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