Entertainment
Shironamhin enthrals Dhaka audience
Connoisseurs of music were enthralled by the majestic performances of Shironamhin in Dhaka on Thursday night, as the popular Bangladeshi band played their most popular tracks one after another alongside the Mumbai-based Symphony Orchestra.
Celebrating 25 years of togetherness, Shironamhin’s final concert of their year-long silver jubilee celebrations was held in Dhaka's International Convention City Bashundhara (ICCB) on Thursday night.
The 6 to 10.30pm special concert was arranged in collaboration with Brandmyth Experiential, a marketing communication agency.
Playing Marilyn Monroe was life-changing for Ana de Armas
Andrew Dominik had been trying to make a movie about Marilyn Monroe for over a decade.
The film wouldn’t be a biopic, but an experiential portrait delving into the psyche of Marilyn Monroe and Norma Jeane. It kept falling apart, but the New Zealand native couldn’t let it go. Then he found Ana de Armas, and, he said, the movie came alive.
“It was like love at first sight,” Dominik said Thursday, before the world premiere of the film at the Venice International Film Festival. “When the right person walks through the door, you know it.”
The nearly three-hour epic is based on a work of biographical fiction by Joyce Carol Oates and examines the public and private life of the Hollywood icon from her troubled childhood as Norma Jeane to her global stardom as Marilyn Monroe and various relationships along the way, from her mother (Julianne Nicholson) to her marriages to Joe DiMaggio (Bobby Cannavale) and Arthur Miller (Adrien Brody).
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“I wasn’t very aware of Marilyn. I was familiar with some of her movies, but for me it was a huge discovery and learning process,” de Armas said. “We wanted to honor her in the recreations where she was Marilyn, but I also had a lot of room to create the real woman underneath that character. It was about understanding and empathizing and connecting with her and her pain and her trauma.”
She added: “If you put aside the movie star she is, she’s just a woman, just like me. Same age. It was a project I knew I had to let myself open and go to places I knew were going to be uncomfortable and dark and vulnerable.”
Filming began on Aug. 4, the day Monroe died in 1962 at her home in Los Angeles at age 36. It was an accident and just the result of some delays. But it also was one of many times the filmmaker and his cast felt a somewhat mystical connection to the subject of their film. Though the story takes many liberties with the facts of her life with the intent of getting to the truth of her life, the production did use real locations like the apartment she and her mother lived in when she was a child and the house she died in.
“It took on elements of being like a séance,” Dominik said.
De Armas agreed that “there was something in the air” being in the same places Monroe had lived.
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“I wasn’t in character all the time. But I felt that. I was living that. I felt that heaviness and that weight in my shoulders. And I felt that sadness,” de Armas said. “She was all I thought about. She was all I dreamed about. She was all I talked about... It was beautiful. “
“Blonde” has been hotly anticipated for some time: For taking on a figure like Monroe in an experimental way, for its rating, the first ever NC-17 movie that Netflix has made, a designation set by the Motion Picture Association that forbids those younger than 17 from watching the film in the theater. There’s also curiosity around de Armas’s performance. The Cuba-born actor worked with a dialect coach for a year to prepare.
“Storytelling that is as brave as this is essential,” her co-star Brody said.
And for him, de Armas did more than just play the role. She channeled the person.
“The first day of filming, I went home with this sense of awe that I had the privilege of actually working with Marilyn Monroe,” Brody said. “It’s very rare that I can say that someone transported me to another time and place.”
For de Armas, it was about the challenge.
“I did this movie to push myself... to make other people change their opinion about me,” she said, through some tears. “This movie changed my life.”
“Blonde” opens in select theaters starting Sept. 16 before becoming available on Netflix on Sept. 23. It’s one of many Oscar hopefuls launching in Venice, where it is also among the films up for the festival’s awards on Saturday.
Distributors claim “Hawa” among top 30 US box office hits
After conquering hearts in Bangladesh, Mejbaur Rahman Sumon’s film “Hawa” is now thriving in the United States, placing among top 30 films in US box office, the film’s distributors say.
On September 2, the film premiered in 73 theaters in US and 13 in Canada.
This is the first time a Bangladeshi movie has ranked in the top 30 in US box office, according to Md Waliullah Sajib, President of Swapna Scarecrow Bangladesh, which is the distributor of the film in North America.
Read: ‘Aat Ta Baje Deri Korish Na’: hidden gem of ‘Hawa’ soundtrack released
According to Swapna Scarecrow Bangladesh, the gross box office collection of "Hawa" is $213,461 till now, a combined collection in Canada and USA. A total of 25,444 people (9,930 in Canada and 15,514 in US) have seen “Hawa”, a record for a Bangladeshi film.
“Hawa” is the second Chanchal Chowdhury-starring movie that has been commercially successful in North America. The 2018 film “Debi”, starring Chanchal and Jaya Ahsan, secured a lifetime box office collection of $125,414.
With its collection of $127,149 in the US market and $86,312 in Canada, “Hawa” broke the record in just three days.
Read:Wind of 'Hawa' blows full
“We observed a whirlwind by 'Hawa' in the US box office, thanks to the enthusiasm of the Bangladeshi audience in Canada and the United States. We had no idea the response would be as intense as it was,” according to Sajib.
Following a “bede” (gypsy) woman who is rescued and sheltered on a fishing boat that has become stranded in the middle of the sea while narrating a story in the style of magic realism, the film features an ensemble cast including Chanchal Chowdhury, Nazifa Tushi, Sariful Islam Raaz, Sumon Anwar, Nasir Uddin Khan, and Sohel Mondal in the lead roles.
The screenplay was written by Sukarna Sahed Dhiman, Zahin Faruq Amin, and Sumon, while Sumon wrote the story and dialogue for the movie.
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“Hawa” has been produced by Sun Music and Motion Pictures. Jazz Multimedia is the distributor of the film in Bangladesh.
Green University English Club stages “Macbeth”
Green University English Club (GUEC) celebrated "Shakespeare Fest 2022" with an enthralling stage performance of the legendary playwright William Shakespeare’s popular tragedy “Macbeth” at its Mirpur campus auditorium on Monday.
Green University of Bangladesh (GUB) Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Golam Samdani Fakir joined the event as the chief guest, while Prof Dr Farhana Helal Mehtab, Dean of the GUB Faculty of Business, Arts and Social Sciences, joined the fest as the special guest.
Prof Shafi Ahmed, Vice President, Theatre Education and Training Committee, International Training Institute (ITI) joined the event as its guest of honour, alongside popular thespian and Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy Theatre and Film Department Director Afsana Mimi and Md Herock Mushfik, Assistant Professor at the Theatre and Performance Studies, Jatiya Kabi Kazi Nazrul Islam University.
Prof K M Wazed Kabir, Department of English and Proctor of the Green University of Bangladesh, delivered the welcome speech and shared the history of the Green University English Club (GUEC) and its stage performances since 2016.
The stage performance of “Macbeth” then began by the students of the Green University English Club (GUEC), under the directive and supervision of Ashik Istiak, Assistant Professor, Department of English and Moderator of GUEC.
Read: 'Chilekothar Sepai' staged at JU
“Macbeth,” the world-famous tragedy and one of the most-staged plays in the entire world, was written by William Shakespeare in 1606. The play dramatizes the detrimental physical and psychological ramifications of political ambition on individuals who strive for power.
In this tragedy, the protagonist Macbeth, driven by prophecy and demented by ambition, kills the Scottish monarch and assassinates him in order to take the kingdom. Driven by remorse and paranoia, the new king and his wife launch an increasingly brutal struggle to uphold their power and position.
The characters of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth were played by Pranto Kumar Saha and Tanisha Tafsin Basher, and the entire cast and crew members were showered with acclamation by the audiences for their brilliant portrayal of the characters in the play.
Presided over by Prof Dr M Shahidullah, Chairperson of the GUB Department of English, the event was also joined by other distinguished faculty members including GUB Treasurer Prof Dr Md Fayzur Rahman, Chairperson of the EEE Department Prof Dr ASM Shihavuddin, and Proctor of the Green University of Bangladesh Prof K M Wazed Kabir, to name a few.
Faculty members and students from different departments also joined the event and cheered the performance of the students. Afsana Mimi highly appreciated the director, performers, backstage performers and volunteers for staging the play while portraying its full glory.
Md Herock Mushfik, Assistant Professor at the Theatre and Performance Studies, Jatiya Kabi Kazi Nazrul Islam University, recalled his memories of playing the character of Macbeth during his student days while praising the performers. Prof Shafi Ahmed talked about the overall scenario of the stage performance and direction of Shakespearean plays and appreciated the performers of GUEC and the director Ashik Istiak for their hard work and perseverance in making the event a success.
Under the supervision of Ashik Istiak, Green University English Club (GUEC) began celebrating Shakespeare Day on July 31, 2016.
The club performed two plays of Shakespeare (Hamlet and The Merchant of Venice) on May 24, 2017, in honour of Shakespeare's Day. In 2018, Othello (in English) and Romeo and Juliet (in Bangla) were staged as full-fledged two-hour plays on March 28 and 29, respectively.
The event was sponsored by Englishology, a premium English language teaching centre and the media partner was Somoy TV.
Meghan addresses youth summit on UK visit with Prince Harry
Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, has made her first speech in Britain since she and Prince Harry quit as working royals two years ago.
Delivering a keynote speech to the One Young World summit on Monday, Meghan spoke of her self-doubt as “the girl from Suits” when she attended the same youth event in 2014 alongside world leaders and humanitarian activists.
The duchess, formerly known as Meghan Markle, was best known for her acting role in the TV drama “Suits” before she married Harry.
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“I was allowed in, to pull up a seat at the table," Meghan told about 2,000 young people gathered in Manchester, England. “I was so overwhelmed by this experience, I think I even saved my little paper place-marker with my name on it."
“Just proof — proof that I was there, proof that I belonged, because the truth was, I wasn’t sure that I belonged," she said.
Meghan and Harry stepped down as senior royals and moved to the U.S. in 2020. They were in the U.K. for the first time since Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee in June, when the couple appeared briefly at a thanksgiving service.
Also read: Meghan and Harry welcome second child, Lilibet ‘Lili’ Diana
They travelled to the Manchester event by train from London. Their next stop is Germany, where they will attend an event Tuesday counting down to the Invictus Games 2023, before returning to London where Harry will deliver a speech at a charity ceremony on Thursday.
Nagar Baul, Aurthohin, Artcell to set the stage on fire September 16
Headbangers Paradise 2 concert, organised by Six Base Communication, is set to be held on September 16 at the International Convention City Bashundhara (ICCB) in the capital.
After the first concert in Chattogram in July this year, the second one, powered by Oraimo and Foodpanda, is coming up with a star-studded line-up.
The showstopper of this concert is going to be rock icon James' Nagarbaul, Aurthohin, and Artcell. Powersurge, Mechanics, Trainwreck, Savagery, Plasmic Knock, Encore and Arekta Rock Band will also share the stage with them.
The prices of the tickets range from Tk550 (regular) and Tk1250 (VIP). Tickets are currently available on the Get Set Rock website.
Barack Obama wins Emmy for narrating national parks series
Barack Obama is halfway to an EGOT.
The former president won an Emmy Award on Saturday to go with his two Grammys.
Obama won the best narrator Emmy for his work on the Netflix documentary series, “Our Great National Parks.”
The five-part show, which features national parks from around the globe, is produced by Barack and Michelle Obama’s production company, “Higher Ground.”
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He was the biggest name in a category full of famous nominees for the award handed out at Saturday night's Creative Arts Emmys, including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, David Attenborough and Lupita Nyong'o.
Barack Obama is the second president to have an Emmy. Dwight D. Eisenhower was given a special Emmy Award in 1956.
Barack Obama previously won Grammy Awards for his audiobook reading of two of his memoirs, “The Audacity of Hope” and “A Promised Land.” Michelle Obama won her own Grammy for reading her audiobook in 2020.
EGOT refers to a special category of entertainers who have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony. To date, 17 people have done it.
Also read: Obama appeals to young activists to stay in climate fight
The late Chadwick Boseman also won an Emmy for his voice work on Saturday. The “Black Panther” actor won for outstanding character voiceover for the Disney+ and Marvel Studios animated show “What If...?"
On the show, Boseman voiced his “Black Panther” character T'Challa in an alternate universe where he becomes Star-Lord from “Guardians of the Galaxy.”
It was one of the last projects for Boseman, who died in 2020 of colon cancer at age 43.
Brandmyth to celebrate Shironamhin’s 25th anniversary with gala concert
Popular Bangladeshi rock band Shironamhin is all set to celebrate its 25th-anniversary concert on Thursday at the International Convention City Bashundhara (ICCB) in the capital.
The band, best known for their enormously popular albums like “Jahaji,” “Bondho Janala” and more, is celebrating this gala concert in collaboration with marketing communication agency Brandmyth Experiential.
As part of the planned celebrations, Shironamhin will collaborate with the Mumbai-based Symphony Orchestra team which has previously collaborated with world-famous music bands including Metallica, Scorpions and more.
This is the first time any Bangladeshi band is collaborating with the Symphony Orchestra.
Being "the only headliner," the band will be accompanied by legendary band artistes including Bappa Mazumder, Bassbaba Sumon, Raef Al Hasan Rafa, Rahul Anand, Palash Noor and more. They will perform with Shironamhim on the band’s most popular songs, according to the organizers.
Read:Shironamhin turns 25; wants to give fans unforgettable experience at 'The Only Headliner'
The concert will be held at ICCB Hall-4 and the gate opens at 3 pm for the audience. It will officially start at 6 pm.
Brandmyth Experiential will be hosting the event partnered with Samsung, Daraz, FOGG, Go Zayaan, Bioscope and Link 3.
According to Brandmyth Experiential, the agency is all set to give the fans a remarkable experience with the team of the best sound panel, sound engineers, photo and videographers along with technicians for arranging enthralling light and fire show to work for Shironamhin during its performances at the concert.
Being one of the most iconic bands to the youth and university students as the band itself was formed in BUET, Shironamhin and their songs have become anthems to various events.
Songs like “Ei Obelay,” “Abar Hashimukh,” “Barud Shomudro” etc have become immensely popular across all social media and in other platforms.
Alongside the popularity of their songs, the band has recently performed in Paris and also at Jadavpur University in Kolkata, India, receiving huge acclamation from fans.
Shironamhin started its journey back in 1996, formed at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET). Their debut album "Jahaji" was released in 2004, made by its popular line-up featuring Zia (Bass), Tuhin (Vocal), Tushar (Guitar), Jewel (Guitar), Farhan (Sarod) and Shafin (Drums).
The current line-up of Shironamhin consists of Zia (Bass), Shafin (Drums), Diat (Guitar), Rashel (Keys) and Istiaque (Vocal).
'Adim' scores two awards at 44th Moscow International Film Festival
Young filmmaker Juboraj Shamim's debut film "Adim" (The Instinct) has won two awards at the 44th Moscow International Film Festival.
The film bagged Silver Saint George (Special Jury Award) and Netpack Jury awards on the last day of the film festival that ran from August 26 to September 2, Juboraj told the media Saturday.
Adim won the Silver Saint George award for "realism and humanity," according to the organisers.
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The 84-minute Bangladesh-Netherlands co-production has no star cast. The cast members are the inhabitants of a Tongi slum where Juboraj shot the film.
The cast of the film includes Badshah, Dulal, Shohagi, and Sadek.
The crowd-funded film was produced under the banner of Juboraj's production house Roshayon. It was co-produced by Lotus Film.
"Juboraj Shamim is the perfect example of how to chase and fulfil one's dreams. I am so happy for you, man," Mostofa Sarwar Farooki wrote on Facebook.
Iranian filmmaker Behruz Shoaib's "Without Prior Agreement" won the Golden Saint George award for the best film in the main competition category of the 44th Moscow International Film Festival.
US Embassy hosts Youth Excellence on Stage Academy in Dhaka
To Celebrate 50 years of people-to-people ties between Bangladesh and the US, cultural diplomacy organisation American Voices and the US Embassy in Dhaka hosted a musical showcase at Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA) Thursday.
The event was organised to conclude a hip-hop workshop series led by award-winning American artists for Bangladeshi rappers, dancers, and producers.
From August 25 to September 1, the US Embassy hosted a delegation of four popular American hip-hop artists to lead a series of training for 54 rising Bangladeshi hip-hop stars.
The YES Academy workshops featured a "Dangerflow" band member and MC Angel "Ocean" Alvarado, award-winning hip-hop DJ Carl "DJ Invisible" Hollier, international b-boy champion Alex "BBoy El Nino" Diaz, and two-time finalist of NBC's "The SingOff," Richie "Robot" Steighner.
The Edward M Kennedy Center for Public Service and the Arts was the hosting venue of this eight-day intensive workshop, which concluded with a musical showcase, featuring enthralling performances of 54 talented Bangladeshi artists and four American instructors.
"The overall workshop has been a great experience for us. And as a new generation artist, I hope this type of event will foster the popularity of rap and hip-hop in Bangladesh," popular rapper Critical Mahmood told UNB.
"The YES Academy is a testament to the US government's commitment to promoting mutual understanding, creativity, and collaboration between cultural ambassadors in Bangladesh and the US," US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas said.
Launched in 2007, the YES Academy serves as American Voices' flagship cultural diplomacy programme aimed at providing high-quality training in some of America's greatest cultural artistic genres, such as hip-hop and breakdance, for youth around the world.
Also read: US Embassy celebrates 60th anniversary of English teaching forum