After a 35-year cinema ban, Saudi Arabia's film industry is rapidly evolving, marked by the success of the Red Sea International Film Festival. This transformation was celebrated when Roula Dakheelallah, star of *My Driver and I,* received the Chopard Emerging Saudi Talent award on Thursday.  “My heart is attached to cinema and art; I have always dreamed of a moment like this,” said Dakheelallah, reflecting on her journey from volunteering in small productions to her first major film role.  Saudi Arabia's cultural shift began in 2018 with the reopening of cinemas, ending a ban imposed under ultraconservative religious influence. The kingdom has since invested heavily in its film sector, building cinemas and launching programs to support local talent. The Red Sea International Film Festival, launched in 2019, showcases Saudi films and international productions, attracting stars like Viola Davis and Priyanka Chopra Jonas.  These developments align with Vision 2030, a reform initiative aimed at reducing the kingdom's reliance on oil. As part of the plan, Saudi Arabia aims to construct 350 cinemas with over 2,500 screens. By April 2024, 66 cinemas were already operating in 22 cities.  Allu Arjun arrested over woman’s death at 'Pushpa 2' Screening The industry’s growth includes the opening of Al Hisn Studios near Riyadh, a production hub with film studios and workshops for carpentry, blacksmithing, and fashion. “These facilities will stimulate filmmakers,” said actor Mohammed Elshehri, emphasizing that creators now have the resources to bring their visions to life.  Media company Telfaz11, a key player in this transformation, has partnered with Netflix to produce original Saudi content. Films like Mandoob (Night Courier) and Naga explore sensitive social issues, marking a shift in Saudi storytelling. “When you tell your story naturally, it will resonate globally,” said Elshehri.  Some films like “The Goat Life” remain unavailable domestically. Even “My Driver and I, a story about a Sudanese driver caring for a girl, initially faced resistance due to its sensitive themes.  Filmmaker Ahd Kamel and Dakheelallah represent a growing number of women shaping Saudi cinema. “I see the change in Saudi cinema, a very beautiful change,” Dakheelallah remarked. “We need to guide the truth of this artistic movement at a steady pace.”   

After suffering the wrath of the ongoing global pandemic of COVID-19 for the majority of the past two years, the film industry in Bangladesh finally made its long-awaited glorious comeback this year with a handful of quality films and queues for tickets outside the cinema halls. The “almost dying industry,” according to many tired and retired moviegoers and industry-experts, observed the return of the cinephiles at the multiplexes and cinema halls across the country, celebrating a few major releases - which set the year on a restarting mode, seeking an even better future. According to the data collected from the producers, distributors and cinema hall authorities across the country, there are less than 60 active cinema halls currently showcasing films in Bangladesh. The number is astonishingly poor, considering the fact that Bangladesh had approximately 250 active cinema halls before the pandemic, and more than a thousand running halls back in the 90’s. It is an undeniable fact that the cinema industry around the world suffered the havoc of the pandemic; however, the situation in Bangladesh had been worsening for such a long time even before the pandemic. The industry drastically drowned during the pandemic lockdown without the presence of in-house audiences, the bloodstream in the vessels of the entertainment industry through the cinema halls. That being said, there was a lack of quality content over the years which did not thrive the moviegoers to the theatres, and thankfully that situation got slightly improved this year with the arrival of a good number of quality movies. Read: Rickshaw Girl: A Movie by Amitabh Reza won Award in International Film Festival Undoubtedly, the trailblazing film for this year has been the much talked about and several accolades conquering film ‘Rehana Maryam Noor’. The second directorial venture of talented filmmaker Abdullah Mohammad Saad earned the glory of becoming the first Bangladeshi film showcased in the prestigious Un Certain Regard category at the 74th Cannes International Film Festival this year. After being screened at the Sal Dubusi Theater in the Cane Pale Do Festival building on July 7, the film finally hit the silver screens across the country on November 12, and till now the Azmeri Haque Badhon starrer film is enthralling the local and international cinephiles and bagging awards all over the world, namely the "Best Actress" award for Badhon at the 14th Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA) for her stellar performance, while director Saad received the “Jury Grand Prize”. The film has also bagged the "New Talent Award" at the HongKong Asian Film Festival 2021, “Best Actress” award for Badhon at the Mosaic International South Asian Film Festival 2021 and more, while also being nominated for the official nomination from Bangladesh for the Oscar 2022. Another film which has similarly created the buzz around the world was young filmmaker Rezwan Shahriar Sumit's maiden film 'Nonajoler Kabbo’ (The Salt in our Waters), released for the moviegoers in Bangladesh on November 26. Regarding the film's unique and heart-warming promotional activities, Sumit told UNB: "We have successfully organised 3 screening sessions on November 23 and 24, as part of our coastal screening in Patuakhali, honouring the fact that the film is made on the life of our coastal fishing community - so they were the first ones to watch it in the country, as per my commitment to the community. The area which we used for the shooting, a remote fishing community in Patuakhali, has lost its existence due to river erosion. They were as emotional to see the land and story of their lives unfold on the silver screen, and it was emotional for me as well, also because of my 7 years long journey behind this dream project.”

By any definition, Indian film star Dilip Kumar is a legend. He was famously called the 'Tragedy King' of Bollywood. Dilip Kumar wanted to be a businessman but accidentally became the hero of the Hindi industry. The journey of Bollywood from far away Peshawar, Pakistan, was not easy at all for Mohammad Yusuf Khan, known as, Dilip Kumar. Bollywood has seen his powerful acting for about 5 decades. Read on to know the success story of this 'Tragedy King' Who is Dilip Kumar? Dilip Kumar was a famous Indian actor as well as a film producer. He is widely known for his work and effort in Hindi cinema. His unmatched acting method distinct him from others, and he was considered as one of the pioneers for making a difference in the Indian movie industry. With his charm and talent, Dilip Kumar dominated the industry for more than 50 years. Some of his famous movies are Andaz, Babul, Deedar, Daag, Mughal-e-Azam, and many more. After his debut in 1944, Dilip Kumar appeared in 63 movies until 1998. Read Cannes Film Festival 2021: Movies and Filmmakers under the Limelight Dilip Kumar Life History Dilip Kumar was born on 11 December 1922 in the Kissa Khawani Bazar area of ​​Peshawar, Pakistan, to a Muslim aristocratic family named Mohammad Yusuf Khan. Dilip Kumar's father was a fruit trader, and he also had an orchard. In the late 1930s, Dilip Kumar's father moved to Mumbai with a family of 12 members. Dilip Kumar started his primary education at Deoliar Burns School near Nasik. However, the teenager Yusuf left the house one day as he did not get along with his father from the very beginning. During that time, Raj Kapoor was his childhood friend, who later became his co-star in the Hindi industry as well. After leaving the house, Dilip went to Pune. After reaching there, he met with a cafe owner, and he found an Anglo-Indian couple next to him. With their help, Dilip Kumar opened a sandwich shop near the Army Club. His business also started booming. Read: Rehana Maryam Noor screened at Cannes amid standing ovation Tragedy King's personal life was colorful enough. At first, Dilip Kumar fell in love with actress Kamini Kaushal, but they could not get married. He later fell in love with actress Madhubala, but their family did not agree to the marriage. Then in 1986, Dilip Kumar married Saira Banu, who was 22 years younger than him. However, their marriage faced a critical situation in early eighties. It was rumored that Dilip Kumar gone into a relationship with Asma Rehman, a woman from Hydrabad, Pakistan. However, Dilip Kumar spent the rest of his life with Saira Banu.

Renowned filmmakers Sohanur Rahman Sohan and Chhatku Ahmed have been elected as the new president and vice-president of the Bangladesh Film Directors Association, for the term 2021-2022. Sohan received a total of 129 votes, defeating his nearest opponent Kazi Hayat who got 80 votes. The other candidate Shah Alam Kiran got 55 votes. Chhatku Ahmed has been elected as the vice-president with 166 votes, while the newly elected deputy secretary general Kabirul Islam Rana got 162 votes. Shaheen Sumon got elected as the secretary general from the panel of Sohan by getting 185 votes, defeating his opponents SA Haque Alik and Safi Uddin Safi who got 64 and 35 votes respectively. The 2021-2022 election took place at Bangladesh Film Development Corporation (BFDC) on Friday. This time the election was participated by 361 voters, however, 272 of them finally voted. A total of 43 directors competed for 19 posts in the election. The other elected members include Rokibul Islam Rokib as the organizational secretary, Mohammad Salahuddin as the secretary of finance, Noman Robin as the international and technological secretary, Shahin Kabir Tutul as the cultural and sports secretary and Anowar Siraji as the publicity, publications and offices secretary. The newly elected 2021-2022 panel also anoounced ten other members including Zakir Hossain Raju, Palli Malek, Abdur Rahim Babu, Nur Mohamamd Moni, Masuma Tani, Mostafizur Rahman Babu, Salim Azam, Habibul Islam Habib, Saidur Rahman Said, and Shahadat Hossain Liton as the executive secretaries.

Information Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud on Friday accused the BNP of taking the side of people spreading rumours and hatred.