Towfique Elahi’s directorial film Neelpodmo ( The Blue Lotus ), produced by Impress Telefilm and starring Runa Khan, has won the Best Feature Film award at the Tokyo Lift-Off Film Festival 2025.

The director described the film as a research-based project and expressed surprise and joy at the recognition, calling it the film’s first major honour. He credited the entire cast, crew, and streaming platform iScreen for the achievement.

Featuring performances by Runa Khan, Rashed Mamun Apu, Rokeya Prachy, and others, Neelpodmo explores the lives and rights of sex workers in Daulatdia. The film had its world premiere at the Suchitra Sen International Bengali Film Festival in New York and was also screened at the Dhaka Int’l Film Festival.