“I want to thank you again, Sohel, for your wonderful film that expresses so much solidarity for the two children, and by extension all the children. It is quite a unique film, bold in its seeming simplicity, and I am sure it was not a simple thing to make. In the course evaluation many students highlighted the screening of The Ice Cream Sellers and the conversation with you as one of the best moments in the course. They were also struck by the combination of simplicity and depth, and your ability to connect to the children.”

“The Ice Cream Sellers” is a brilliant, beautiful and haunting film. It immerses viewers into the daily lives of Rohingya refugees, clarifying their complicated and vexing situation through the power of perceptive storytelling. It will be of special interest for scholars of Refugee and Migration Studies, South and Southeast Asian Studies, Childhood Studies and Cinema Studies, but is engaging and well-crafted enough to draw in general audiences as well. It not only informs audiences about the Rohingya genocide, but it will make them care about it. As educators, we know that our challenge is not simply to provide our students with information, but rather to get them to pay attention and remember the information that we give them. “The Ice Cream Sellers” raises questions in the minds of viewers that will spur them to seek more information on their own about this important but little-known crisis.”

“The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Center for India and South Asia (CISA) screened the film The Ice Cream Sellers in 2022 followed by a Q&A with the director Sohel Rahman to excellent reception by faculty, students, and members of the public”.

“Their seemingly endless journey through the winding alleys of the camp is interspersed with brief encounters with other residents who give the filmmaker glimpses into their stories, with interludes of children playing or people observing their daily tasks. The colourful ice lollies are a beautiful symbol of moments of joy and pleasure in the midst of this devastating human tragedy.”

The opening shots create this sharp contrast between the stunning beauty of the fields and hills in Bangladesh and the destitution of people who have witnessed hideous violence. The film’s cinematography is beautiful. It’s quiet, long shots allow us to take in the immensity of the situation. It’s not manipulative, with no music or fancy editing, rather it’s a sobering ethnographic portrait of Rohingya refugees. the film is raw, truthful, moving.