Ishtiyak Ahmad Zihad

Ishtiyak Ahmad Zihad (b. 2001) is a Bangladeshi filmmaker who recently
completed his degree in Film and Media Studies at Jatiya Kabi Kazi
Nazrul Islam University. He began his filmmaking journey in 2019 with
the experimental short God Gift, and has since directed ten short
films exploring memory, political history, and human vulnerability.

His short film Run Away (2020) received international recognition,
winning six awards across Bangladesh, India, and the USA, and
screening at over 100 film festivals worldwide. UK Film Review
described it as “beautifully tragic.” His one-take short Chaya
Moricher Bone (2021), inspired by the Bangladesh Liberation War,
reflects his interest in formal experimentation and historical
consciousness.

In 2024, he was selected for Tech Tales Youth 2, a film lab organized
by EngageMedia in Malaysia. There, he directed Whisper of the Ink
(2025), a short fiction film addressing digital rights and freedom of
expression in the context of the July Movement 2024 in Bangladesh.

His debut feature film, The Blind Girl and an Elephant (2026), is
currently in distribution.