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Film short abstract

Set in the riverine Bathan lands of northern Bangladesh, this documentary explores the seasonal migration of herders and their cattle, focusing on the emotional, cultural, and ecological ties that bind pastoral communities to a rapidly changing landscape.

Film synopsis

The Bathan lands are vast riverine grasslands in northern Bangladesh, temporarily inhabited each year by herders and their flocks of cattle. Located on the banks of the Jamuna River, these remote lands are submerged underwater during the rainy season. In the dry season, herders migrate from their villages to these isolated areas, far from human settlements.

Set in Sirajganj, a northern district of Bangladesh, this documentary offers a sonic journey into the seasonal rhythms of cattle herders. In a world shared only with cattle, birds, and grasses, human connection unfolds through voice and sound. Herders name each cow individually; when called, the cows respond. Yet this connection carries conflict, when a cow stops producing milk or becomes economically unviable, herders are often forced to sell them. Love turns into loss, revealing the fragile balance between emotion and livelihood.

Through intimate interviews and close observation, the documentary ‘The Name We Call’ reveals a hidden soundscape of whispers, calls, and silences—a story of love, companionship, and loss, told through the act of listening between humans and cattle.