Khona Talkies was established with the vision of using young Bangladeshi talent to produce films locally with foreign co-production. Khona Talkies has produced and acquired a few award winning and internationally acclaimed as well as locally significant independent films. Khona Talkies attempts to work with themes that are otherwise silenced and marginalized.
Khona was a 12th century female Bengali poet. She was an accomplished poet, mathematician and astrologer. Khona wrote poetry revealing her scientific knowledge about climate, harvest, and astrology. When she exceeded her father-in-law in the accuracy of her predictions, Khona’s husband and father-in-law had cut off her tongue to silence her prodigious talent. However, Khona’s poetry is still remembered and used in rural Bengal by farmers to understand the effect of climate on agriculture and harvest.
Khona is not only an example of how patriarchal culture has historically silenced women, but also a powerful example of how women’s voices have managed to be heard though the violent acts of silencing.
Khona Talkies represents the undying spirit of Khona, and the possibility of speaking without a tongue—speaking through silence. Khona Talkies, thus, attempts to work with themes that are otherwise silenced and marginalized.