“Everything Everywhere All At Once” continued its awards sweep at the Film Independent Spirit Awards on its path to the Oscars next weekend. The multiverse-hopping adventure collected awards for best picture, directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, actors Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan and Stephanie Hsu, screenplay and editing.“Thank you to everyone who makes crazy, weird independent movies,” Scheinert said. Awards were handed out Saturday afternoon in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica, Calif., and the show was streamed live on YouTube and Twitter. First-time Spirit Awards host Hasan Minhaj opened the show saying, “Of all the awards shows, this is by far, one of them.” Minhaj went hard on everything, from the entertainment trade website Deadline (“At this point, Deadline is half gossip, half Ezra Miller crime tracker,” he said) to the show’s lack of a broadcast partner. “The Independent Film Channel did not want the Independent Film Awards,” he said, noting that the channel chose to show the poorly reviewed Will Ferrell movie “Semi-Pro” instead.“Awards shows are dead,” he added. “My 2-year-old watches slime videos with more viewers than the Oscars.” The first prize of the afternoon went to Quan for best supporting actor for “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” which his co-star Jamie Lee Curtis was also nominated for. This is the first year the Spirit Awards embraced gender neutral acting awards – both lead and supporting performance categories had 10 nominees. Quan, who is expected to win the supporting actor Oscar next week, chose to devote his speech to many of the crew who worked on the film, from the stunt coordinators to the production assistants.Hsu later collected the prize for best breakthrough performance for the film. “This is my first ever individual award and it feels incredibly appropriate that it’s in this room. I feel so honored” she said. “I really want to thank the Daniels so much. Thank you so much for finding me and believing in my art and seeing me and championing me.” Hsu said she hoped the award would act as a talisman to “protect that freak flag” and desire to tell stories. “I kinda like the gender neutral thing, it’s kind of tight,” said “Abbott Elementary’s” Quinta Brunson who won for leading performance in a new scripted series.Brunson said she felt like the least independent person there, as her show is supported by Warner Bros. and Disney, but that the spirit of it felt right. Laura Poitras’s “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed” won best documentary. The film looks at the life of photographer and activist Nan Goldin. “It would take me the entire day to fully express my gratitude to Nan for her collaboration and for her trust,” Poitras said. “She’s taught me so many things in making this film, most importantly the role of art and artists to change not only society but how we understand the world we live in.” “Women Talking” was previously announced as winner of the Robert Altman Award, celebrating director Sarah Polley, casting directors John Buchan and Jason Knight, and the ensemble cast including Jessie Buckley, Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, Ben Whishaw and Frances McDormand.“It’s so fitting the way that you’re being recognized for the beautiful, supportive, loving ensemble that you are,” Polley said. She also called her film “Women Are Talking” in a nod to Mark Wahlberg’s slip-up at the Screen Actors Guild Award s last week. “Sorry, Marky Mark just gets in my head,” she said. Apple TV+’s “Pachinko” got the corresponding award on the television side. Nathan Fielder had the crowd laughing accepting his award for non-scripted series for his HBO show “The Rehearsal” and detailing the contents of the lunch boxes at everyone’s seats. “The bean salad was great,” he said. “There were a few grapes also. Delicious. They weren’t rotten. None were rotten.” Looking down at his award, he said, “I guess they’ll add the name to it later?” “Nanny” director Nikyatu Jusu won the Someone to Watch award. “Thank god Charlotte Wells was not in this category because all year ‘Aftersun’ has been whooping my ass,” Jusu said.“Aftersun” did win best first feature later in the afternoon. “Here’s to the second feature,” Wells said. Other winners included “Joyland” (best international film), “The Bear” (new scripted series and supporting actor Ayo Edebiri), “The Cathedral” (The John Cassavetes Award), John Patton Ford (first screenplay for “Emily the Criminal”) and “Tár” cinematographer Florian Hoffmeister. Winners are voted on by members of the non-profit organization Film Independent. The budget cap for eligible films was recently raised from $22.5 million to $30 million. Kwan closed the show with some words of inspiration to dream big. “We are in the middle of an identity crisis, the industry at large is confused as to what’s happening next and it’s really scary especially for the independent world, but I want to offer up a reframe: This is an opportunity,” Kwan said. “When things are shaking and it gets turbulent and cracks form in the foundation, that’s the best time to plant seeds. It is our job not just to adapt to the future but also to actively dream up what kind of future we want to rewrite and what kind of future we want to be working and living in,” Kwan continued. I urge us all to dream really big. What we do here is going to flow upstream to the rest of the industry.”

Bangladesh India Business Council (BIBC), Women's Indian Chamber of Commerce & Industry (WICCI), and Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) organized the International Women Entrepreneur’s Summit 2022 on the 23rd and 24th of November. The annual summit aims to champion women's entrepreneurship and focus on the bilateral commercial ties between Bangladesh and India. As part of recognizing female excellence in business and industry, BIBC-WICCI recently held its excellence awards for 2022 at Hotel Radisson. The award was given to exceptional women and organizations in championing female contribution and growth in several streams. This year’s theme focused on education and skill development, young innovators, fashion and arts, business and SMEs, health, and public service. Read More: Find foreign partners for technology transfer, PM tells businessmen BIBC – WICCI honored 7 international female entrepreneurs along with 14 Bangladeshi companies and female leaders in their respective streams. Uzma Chowdhury, Managing Director of RFL, Rupali Chowdhury, CEO of Berger Paints, and Shopna Bhowmik, Regional head of Marks and Spencers India and Bangladesh, were awarded as the Outstanding Women in Business. One of the main sessions of the summit focused on the graduation of SMEs. Farzanah Chowdhury, Managing Director of Green Delta Insurance Ltd, moderated the session. The keynote speaker for the session was Barrister Nihad Kabir, Chairperson of BUILD. The guest speakers for the session were Syed Nasim Manzur, MD, and Co-founder of Apex Footwear Ltd; Tamara Hasan Abed, Managing Director, Aarong; Dr. Mafizur Rahman, managing Director SME Foundation and finally, Dato Tom Abang Saufi, Chairman of the National Art Gallery, Malaysia. Read More: Despite Tk 2000cr credit guarantee, only Tk 192cr loan disbursed to CMSMEs The overarching theme of the session was the overall condition of SMEs and the role of Women in it. The guest speakers also shared their ideas about the challenges faced by women in their respective industries. The session started with the keynote speech from Barrister Nihad Kabir. She presented the overall scenario where the cottage, micro, and small CMSMEs contribute over 25% of the GDP, 45% of the manufacturing GDP, 75% of export earnings, and over 87% of industrial employment. Yet there seems to be a disproportion of incentives and loans provided to the CMSMEs compared to the medium and large enterprises. What was even more surprising is that out of the 8 million CMSMEs in Bangladesh, only 8% are owned by women, which is the lowest in South Asia. Read More: 'ONDC to play key role in business development of online SMEs' Barrister Nihad Kabir identified two main constraints for such a disproportion of initiatives and ownership -the documentation and ownership procedure and the financing opportunities. By definition, the ownership of a CMSME doesn’t have to be the same as the one holding the trade license for the business. But the tendency of financial organizations to treat the trade license as proof of ownership and a general archaic tendency to divert female loans has only made the situation grave. Then the discussion brought the second issue to light: access to financing opportunities. Very recently, there has been a policy initiative by Bangladesh Bank to segregate the medium industry from the CMSMEs. This move has allowed CMSMEs to access better loan disbursement. Currently, only about 7 to 8% loans are disbursed to female-owned SMEs. Read More: MSMEs: Experts want realistic steps taken to enhance service quality, business development Ms. Kabir also pointed out that because of the documentation-related hassle, 63% of the female entrepreneurs solely rely on their personal savings to start a business with the MFI, and the banks make up only 24%. She also identified that banks and NBFIs should be more inclined to disburse female entrepreneurial loans. Specialized financial institutions should also be set up along with direct lending and PPP to enhance the existing structure better. Syed Nasim Manzur, while sharing insight into the footwear and leather industries, pointed out that women are interested in starting ventures in the leather industries. However, the hassles of documentation and an archaic male-dominated mindset in the industry are strong barriers along with the financial aspect. He also emphasized the need to develop technical know-how about the leather and footwear industry before diving into it. Mr. Manzur also pointed out several regulatory shortcomings where an export contractor like Apex cannot utilize the small up-and-coming SME ventures because of outdated customs, VAT, and financing rules. He pointed out these are creating a barrier to the growth and scalability of female-led ventures in the footwear industries. Read More: '91% SMEs don't get bank loans' Tamara Hasan Abed focused more on the financing aspect through BRAC. BRAC bank has been a pioneer in providing loans to CMSMEs, especially the ones led by Aarong. Aarong, through its several sub-brands, has enabled and empowered rural CMSMEs and is continuing its stride in ethical growth. Dr. Rahman and Ms. Saufi also chimed in on the need for financial restructuring and a change of mindset in enabling women in CMSMEs. The need for documentation reform and better access to equitable funding like impact funds and venture capitalization should also be streamlined to finance the female-led CMSMEs. BIBC-WICCI Awards 2022 Event's Graduation of SME Session concluded with the interaction between the guest speakers and the participants. The speakers explored several of the established constraints and how they affect individual industries and even on the micro initiative level. Read More: BCI, SME Foundation tie up for capacity building of small, medium industries

The country’s leading online marketplace Daraz Bangladesh has organized the "Bangladesh Media Innovation Awards 2022" (BMIA 2022) event ceremony at the Ruposhi Bangla Grand Ballroom, InterContinental Dhaka on Tuesday.  Daraz Bangladesh organized the first-of-its-kind media awards recognizing innovative practices toward digital transformation, content marketing, and news distribution, with the aim to seek out the leading lights in the local digital media for their innovative ideas and practices.  Planning Minister MA Mannan joined the event as chief guest, while Deputy Minister for the Ministry of Education Mohibul Hassan Chowdhoury was present as the special guest.  Daraz Bangladesh’s Managing Director Syed Mostahidal Hoq, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer A H M Hasinul Quddus and other officials and media personnel from various industries and media outlets were also present at the ceremony. “Bangladesh is going through several changes and transitions. The opportunities for Daraz in the global marketplace and our media outlets in the global media landscape are truly limitless, and we want to thank Daraz Bangladesh for recognizing the innovators in our local media industry,” MA Mannan said at the event.  Deputy Minister Mohibul Hassan Chowdhoury said, “Due to the lack of quality entertainment and meaningful programs in our media industry, people in our urban and rural communities are being misguided by religious extremists. We need to recognize the deserving media personnel who are trying to ensure quality content in tv, print and web, and this award is virtuously performing that responsibility.”  Read: Daraz Bangladesh celebrates its 8th anniversary A total of twenty best performers from various wings of the country's media industry were presented with the prestigious BMIA 2022 awards. The winners were - The Business Standard, under the Innovative Print Layout category; Dhaka Tribune, under the category of Innovative Special Supplement, ICE Business Times, under the Best Business Magazine category; ICE today under the Best Lifestyle Magazine; The Business Standard, under the category of the Best use of infographics; The Daily Samakal, under the Best Social Media Campaign; Deepto TV, under the Best Use of Social Media category; Chorki, under the Best Digital Diversification Project category; The Daily Jugantor, under the Best Co-branded online project; Somoy TV, under the Most innovative digital report; DBC News, under the Best TV Programme for Women category; Duronto TV, under the Best TV Programme (Kids) category; Jamuna TV under the Best TV Programme (Entertainment) category; ATN Bangla under the Best TV Programme (Lifestyle) category; Ekattor Media Ltd., under the Best TV Programme (Sports); Independent TV under the Best Country Branding Programme category. Bangladesh Television (BTV), Channel I, Ittefaq and The Daily Star received the BMIA 2022 under the special recognition category.  After the ceremony, popular singers Khayam Sanu Sandhi, Karishma Sanu Sovvota and Musharrat Aanchal performed at the event.   Bangladesh Brand Practitioner was the event's outreach partner, SBK Foundation was the strategic partner, Reboot was the event partner and Dimadim was the ideation partner of the event.

British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Robert Chatterton Dickson has presented the insignia of honorary Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) to Tanazzeena Qureshi and of the British Empire Medal (BEM) to Linus Pradip Gomes. The honours were presented at a ceremony held at the Residence of the British High Commissioner in Dhaka on Monday.  Tanazzeena Qureshi received the honorary MBE for her exemplary service to the Department for Work and Pensions team in the British High Commission in Bangladesh, ensuring that UK pensions and benefits are correctly paid to those in Bangladesh who are entitled to receive them.  Linus Pradip Gomes made an outstanding contribution as Butler for more than 30 years at the Residence of the British High Commissioner to Bangladesh, ensuring the success of high level entertainment and the comfort of the Residence’s many guests.  British High Commissioner Dickson said he is delighted to present these awards to  Tanazzeena Qureshi and Linus Pradip Gomes on behalf of the Queen.  "They have been two of our finest colleagues in their contribution to promoting British interests in Bangladesh. I congratulate them on their achievements and wish them all the very best," he said.

The United Group on Sunday awarded the team consisting leading heart surgeons who performed the  country’s first Mechanical Heart Implant on a 42-year-old woman successfully at the United Hospital. The beneficiary patient and her husband also came to share their experience after the country’s first Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) surgery at an event titled, Mechanical Heart Implant success & future planning’ arranged at the United Group Head office in the city. During the event, an update regarding the post-surgical conditions of the patient and the lifestyle practice was presented by Dr Rafiur Rahman and Dr Arif Mohiuddin.  This team of leading heart surgeons in Bangladesh has performed successful heart surgeries on more than 15,000 people with more than 98 per cent success rate since the inception of United Hospital bringing smiles on the faces of patients and their families. Read: Organ Donation by Living Donor: Which organs can be donated while alive? On March 2, Dr Jahangir Kabir, Chief Cardiac Surgeon and Director of the Cardiac Centre at United Hospital along with his skilled colleagues successfully implanted a mechanical heart pump or LVAD  in the heart of the patient. She was suffering from various heart complications for a long time known as chronic heart failure and even after she received treatment at home and abroad, her heart was becoming almost ineffective. The patient and her family members expressed their gratitude towards Dr Jahangir Kabir, his team, and overall United Hospital Cardiac Care Center for the exceptional management. To appreciate the milestone, Prominent Medicine specialist, the personal physician of honorable Prime Minister, Professor Emeritus Dr. ABM Abdullah and director (hospitals and clinics) of Health Services (DGHS) Dr Farid Hossain Miah were present.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday distributed the National Film Awards 2020 to the 32 winners in 27 categories. The award giving ceremony was held at Bangabandhu International Conference Center (BICC). Information and Broadcasting Minister Hasan Mahmud handed over the awards to the winners, on behalf of the prime minister, who joined the programme through video link from her official residence Ganobhaban. Chairman of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting  Ministry Hasanul Huq Inu and Information and Broadcasting Secretary Md. Mokbul Hossain were also present at the programme. Anwara Begum and Raisul Islam Asad jointly got the lifetime achievement award. The film Gor and Bishwasundari jointly bagged best film award. Read: Globetrotter Najmun Nahar wins 3 awards on Int’l Women’s Day Government-financed short film, Aarong, won best award in this category. Bangabandhur Rajnaitik Jiban o Bangladesh-er Abhyudoy was named  the best documentary film award. Gazi Rakayet won the best director award for Gor. His film Gor was named for awards in ten categories and Chayanika Chowdhury-directed film Bishwasundari for awards in eight categories. Siam Ahmed has been named the best actor award in the principal in Bishwasundari and the best supporting actor award went to Fazlur Rahman Babu in the same film. Deepanwita Martin bagged the best actress award for the principal in Gor. The best supporting actress award went to Aparna Ghosh for Gondi. Misha Sawdagor was awarded the best villain award for Bir. The best child actor award went to Mugdhota Morshed for Gondi and Mohammad Shahadat Hasan Badhon won the special award in the child actor category for Aarong. Read: Info Ministry announces national film awards 2020 winners Belal Khan won the best music director award for Hridoy Jurey. Mohammad Sahidur Rahman won the best dance director award posthumously for Bishwasundari. Mohammad Mahmudul Haque Imran won the best male singer award for the song Tui Ki Amar Hobi Re in the film Bishwasundari. The best female singer award jointly went to Dilshad Nahar Kona for the song Tui Ki Amar Hobi Re in the film Bishwasundari and Somnur Monir Konal for her song Bhalobasar Manush Tumi in the film Bir. The best lyricist award went to Kabir Bakul for his song Tui Ki Amar Hobi Re in the film Bishwasundari. Mohammad Mahmudul Haque Imran won the best music composer award for the song Tui Ki Amar Hobi Re in the film Bishwasundari. The best story writer award went to Gazi Rakayet for Gor. The best screenplay award went to Gazi Rakayet for Gor. The best dialogue award went to Fakhrul Arefeen Khan for Gondi. The best editor award went to Mohammad Shariful Islam for Gor. The best art director award was won by  Uttam Kumar Guha for Gor. The best cinematographer award jointly was bagged by Pankaj Palit and Mohammad Mahbub Ullah for Gor. The best sound director award went to Kazi Selim Ahmed for Gor. The best costume designer award went to Enamtara Begum for Gor. The best makeup artiste award winner was Mohammad Ali Bakul for Gor.

The Strengthening Political Landscape project financed by the UK and USA, implemented by Democracy International (DI), Sunday awarded certificates to 23 young political leaders from across Bangladesh at a "Young Leaders' Fellowship Programme" graduation ceremony in the city.The graduates are affiliated with Bangladesh Awami League (AL), Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jatiya Party (JaPa).Graduating fellows completed four-month training on different aspects of political leadership, democratic processes, and tolerance.They also implemented joint field assignments solving community issues and demonstrating cross-party cooperation.This is the 15th class of young leaders graduating from the Young Leaders Fellowship Program (YLFP), which is made possible through support from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the UK's Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office, and implemented by DI. With the inclusion of these 23 young leaders, 374 fellows matriculated through the programme.At the graduation ceremony AL Office Secretary Barrister Biplab Barua, BNP Organising Secretary Emran Saleh Prince, Jatiya Party Joint Secretary Golam Mohammad Raju, USAID Deputy Mission Director in Bangladesh Randy Ali, and DI's Chief of Party Dana L Olds handed over certificates to the fellows.The leaders voiced their sincere support for empowering youth leadership in parties to build a more inclusive political landscape in Bangladesh.Dana Olds said: "During the fellowship programme you forged relationships across parties, and worked together to address citizens' priority concerns; and, in the process learned that while you are competitors, you are not enemies."

The National Film Awards 2020 has received only 27 film submissions this year, the lowest in recent years. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, which presents the awards every year to encourage filmmaking, called for film submissions in August, and the deadline ended Sunday. Md Mominul Haque, the secretary of the Bangladesh Film Censor Board, said 27 films were submitted, including 14 full-length, seven short and six documentary films. For the 2019 awards, 43 movies were submitted, including 29 full-length, 11 short-length, and three documentary films, he said. "The ongoing pandemic and the closure of major cinema halls amid repeated lockdowns were the main reasons behind the low submissions." The full-length films submitted for the award are "Bir," "Shahenshah," "Gor (The Grave), "A Great Leader," "Holud Boni," "Gondi," "Unoponchash Batash," "Rupsha Nadir Banke," "Amar Maa," "Chal Jai," "Joy Nogor er Zamindar," "Subarnarekha," "Hridoy Jure" and "Bishwoshundori." "Kothay Pabo Tare," "Ator," "Fera," "Shada Golap," "Arang," "The Squares," and "Amar Babar Naam" are the short films. The documentary submissions are "Swadhinatar Daakticket," "Rathyatrar Baki Itihash," "Political Life of Bangabandhu and Emergence of Bangladesh," "Biography of Nazrul," "The Front Pearsman Fazlul Haque" and "Neel Mukut. " The National Film Awards are given in 28 categories – lifetime achievement, best film, best short film, best documentary, best film director, best actor (leading), best actress (leading), best actor (leading), best actress (supporting), best actor-actress (antagonist), best actor-actress (comedy), best child artist, a special award in the child artist category, best music director, best choreographer, best singer, best singer, best lyricist, best composer, best storyteller, best screenwriter, best dialogue writer, best editor, best art director, best cinematographer, best photographer, best costume designer and best decorator.

Runner Motors has recently won three prestigious awards from the Indian multinational automotive company Eicher Motors.  Read Quantum Foundation awards 58 winners of World Meditation Day competition The awards are highest commercial vehicle sales in the international market for the fiscal year (FY) 2020-21 (17th consecutive year), highest truck sales in the overseas market, and best service dealer award for FY 2020-21 in South Asia (fourth consecutive year). The award was presented at the "Annual Dealer Conference 2020-21," virtually hosted by Volvo Eicher Commercial Vehicle.  READ: BINA and scientist Dr Shamsun Nahar receive prestigious IAEA awards Runner Motors is the leading authorised distributor of Volvo Eicher Commercial Vehicle in the international market. Hafizur Rahman Khan, chairman of Runner Group, Reazul Haque Chowdhury, managing director, and other high officials were present at Annual Dealer Conference, according to a press release. READ: Mobile World Congress 2021: Huawei wins 5 awards

Bangladesh Youth Leadership Center (BYLC) has launched the BYLC Volunteer Awards 2021 to recognize the contributions of individuals and organisations working for social issues within their communities. The awards aim to foster a spirit of community service and active citizenship among youth, while promoting exemplary practices in community leadership. Through this award, BYLC hopes to encourage partnerships between youth change makers, community members, and other stakeholders to contribute in achieving the government’s vision of SDGs by 2030, said a BYLC press release. Individuals and organisations who have positively impacted the community through their outstanding contributions are eligible to apply to the BYLC Volunteers Awards 2021. READ: Climate action: BYLC holds World Environment Day Creative Competition Individual change makers will be awarded in the categories of: Inclusivity, Community Leader, Emerging Leader, and Action Against Anti-social Behavior. For organisations, the award category is Social Innovation. Contributions of applicants will be evaluated in six criteria: role, impact, reach, engagement, challenges, and inspiration. READ: BYLC to host Youth Leadership Summit 2021 To apply for BYLC Volunteer Awards 2021, applicants need to fill out and submit the registration form by July 25, 2021.