United News of Bangladesh

The Embassy of Japan and Japan Foundation, in collaboration with the Institute of Modern Languages (IML) of the University of Dhaka, and the American International University-Bangladesh (AIUB), presented the "Japanese Film Festival 2023" from March 9 to 12. The event featured six acclaimed Japanese films from a wide range of genres, including drama, musical romance, and anime. The festival 2023 was inaugurated at the IML. For the first time, the AIUB hosted the screening of two films on the closing day. During the screening, "Tokyo Night Sky Is Always the Densest Shade of Blue," a contemporary film by Japanese director Yuya Ishii, received great acclaim from the audience and critics alike.

After Art has returned with their 5th EP -  called Voices, with Sohini Alam, Francesca Alphonso, Armeen Musa and Amanda Sterkenburg.  This upcoming EP is a unique collaborative treat with great vocalists, and outstanding visual artists coming together from Bangkok, Dhaka, London, and beyond. It will be released on 20th March 2023 on all digital streaming platforms including Spotify, Apple Music, Beatport etc. through Akaliko Records, said a press release. After Art (@after.art.band)  is a sound artistes and composer (based in Bangkok, previously Kuala Lumpur, Dhaka and London). His current area of focus - generative music, and how frameworks can be applied to explore the connections between places, spaces and people. After Art said,  “My works revolve around connecting places, spaces and people. And what’s more “people” than ground-up collaboration with exciting singer-songwriters, bringing that very human instrument to the fore”. After Art’s Voices is a thoughtful project that has brought together artists from diverse The EP includes Vapour (a piece exploring space, both in terms of sound-stage but also, electronic flourishes), Wait (french poetry drifting in from AM radio mixes with Bengali classical) and Shadows Lengthened (plaintive glitched tape-loops), said the release.  PREVIEW Link (downloadable tracks): Listen to Voices (Early Access) on SoundCloud        

Jamie Lee Curtis comes from a strong acting lineage and now she has brought home an Oscar for her family. Curtis paid homage to her Oscar-nominated parents, Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis, after she won best supporting actress for her role as Deirdre Beaubeirdre in the blockbuster indie film “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” She plays an IRS agent who has several guises through different timelines in the multiverse. The veteran actor made her long-waited first Oscar nomination count. “My mother and my father were both nominated for Oscars in different categories,” Curtis said, beginning to cry as she accepted the award. “I just won an Oscar!” When Curtis was asked backstage if her parents are proudly looking down on her, the actor offered some serious candor in her response. Also Read: Ke Huy Quan wins Oscar in an inspiring Hollywood comeback “I don't believe in a world where people are looking down on us,” she said. “I think we are them in our actions, in our deeds and in our ideas. We build our own. We give them to our children, and that's how the world goes on. I am a product of them. I am a proud product of them. I know they would be incredibly proud of me.” Curtis’ nomination comes more than 60 years after her mother was nominated for her supporting acting work in “Psycho.” Her father received a nod in 1959 in the best actor category for “The Defiant Ones.” Jamie Lee Curtis, 64, became the eighth oldest in the category’s history to win. She surpassed Judi Dench, who held the slot for her role in “Shakespeare in Love.” Not bad for Curtis who had all but resigned herself to the idea that she was not going to be nominated for an Oscar in her career. The actor wore a face of surprise when she found out about her nomination in an photo she later posted on Instagram. Curtis has starred in a number of films including the “Halloween” franchise movies starting in 1978, along with other notable projects such as “Trading Places,” “My Girl,” “True Lies,” “A Fish Called Wanda,” “Freaky Friday” and “Knives Out.” But it was her performance in “Everything Everywhere All at Once” that ultimately landed her in the Oscars’ record books. “To all the people who supported the genre of movies I've made for all these years — the thousands, hundreds of thousands of people, we just won an Oscar together,” Curtis shouted as she raised her trophy. Last month, Curtis won at the SAG Awards for best supporting actress. Curtis beat Angela Bassett, Kerry Condon, Hong Chau and Stephanie Hsu in the category.

“Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” has had an Oscar wish come true. The director’s stop-motion, musical take on the puppet who longs to be a real boy won Netflix its first animated feature trophy on Sunday. The category has primarily gone to either a Walt Disney or Pixar-produced film for the past decade — with the exception of “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.” “Animation is ready to be taken to the next step. We are all ready for it. Please help us keep animation in the conversation,” del Toro said. Also Read: ‘Navalny,’ about dissident fighting Kremlin, wins doc Oscar “Pinocchio” was considered the contender to beat. It swept several awards including the Golden Globe and the top honor at the animation industry's Annie Awards. The movie beat out “Turning Red,” “Marcel the Shell with Shoes On,” “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” and “The Sea Beast.” The voice cast includes Ewan McGregor, Christoph Waltz, fellow Oscar nominee Cate Blanchett and Tilda Swinton. It earned rave reviews for a stunningly beautiful production that takes a dark look at issues of love and mortality between the titular puppet and surrogate father, Gepetto. A polar opposite of Disney's 1940 version, this “Pinocchio” references Catholicism, fascism and the ugliness of war. The movie was not about the titular character learning to be the perfect boy, del Toro said. “I think it’s a lesson that’s urgent in the world," he told reporters in the press room after. "We are saying disobedience is not only necessary, it is a virtue.” The Mexican-born del Toro, who won the Oscar for best director in 2018 for “The Shape of Water," has said animation is pure cinema. Animators have been hitting back in recent years against the stigma that animated movies are just a kids' genre. For del Toro, animators should be treated as artists — not technicians. He pointed out that in his “Pinocchio,” they are listed in the credits even before the main voice actors. “This is an art form that has been kept commercially and industrially at the kids table for so long,” del Toro said. “A win helps but it is about going forward as a community making it.” Co-director Mark Gustafson echoed that message on stage. “It’s so good to know this art form we love so much — stop motion — is very much alive and well,” Gustafson said. Del Toro, who has established two filmmaking scholarships, says he is now committed to financing a stop motion class for students from Mexico at the Gobelins animation school. Young people, particularly those who are Latin or part of a minority, are burdened with an inherent pressure to succeed. “The first duty of representation is to do it really well ... because you’re not doing it for you,” del Toro said. “You’re doing it for people that come after you and are looking for opportunities. If you don’t that, you’re closing that door.” When del Toro came in the 1990s to the U.S., he encountered “a lot of open and subtle racism.” He remembered “with great chagrin” an interview his cinematographer, Oscar-winner Guillermo Navarro, had with a talent agent. The agent “said to him 'Why do I want a Mexican? I have a gardener.” While things have improved for people of color, there is still a very tough glass ceiling to overcome. “You have to keep pushing it all the time. It doesn’t end with one generation. It doesn’t end with one person,” del Toro said. “But again, together you push that limit more and more and create opportunity.”

“Navalny,” a look at a Russian opposition leader following an attempt on his life, has won the Oscar for best documentary feature. Director Daniel Roher’s portrait of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny has shadowy operatives, truth-seeking journalists, conspiracy theories and Soviet-era poisons. It is a film with obvious political poignance following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Roher accepted his statuette by saying he dedicated it to Navalny and to all political prisoners around the world. "Alexei, the world has not forgotten your vital message to us all: We must not be afraid to oppose dictators and authoritarianism wherever it rears its head. Navalny's wife, Yulia, said: “Alexei, I am dreaming of the day you will be free and our country will be free. Stay strong, my love.” Also Read: Antiwar ‘All Quiet’ wins the Oscar for international film Navalny is a media savvy, anti-corruption campaigner in his mid-40s who has for many years been a headache for Russian President Vladimir Putin. He’s released numerous reports about corruption in Russia and the Putin administration and become a popular and rallying figure among like-minded Russians. Roher was able to sit down with Navalny during his brief stay in Berlin in 2020 and early 2021 as he was recovering from being poisoned and seeking the truth behind the unsuccessful murder attempt. The media has called Navalny the Kremlin’s fiercest critic. And he is seemingly undaunted by the intimidation and the arrests he’s endured. The film was a hit at the Sundance Film Festival, where it won both the documentary audience award and the festival favorite award. “'Navalny,' first and foremost, is about the passion, drive and inspiring heroism of Alexey Navalny, who even as we celebrate this award continues to languish in a penal colony,” said Amy Entelis, an executive vice president at CNN Worldwide. The film, presented by CNN Films and HBO Max, represents CNN's first Oscar. “Navalny” beat the other documentary nominees “All That Breathes’; “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed”; “Fire of Love”; and “A House Made of Splinters.”

The war movie that abhors war has won an Oscar for best international film, along with three other statues. “All Quiet on the Western Front,” starring Felix Kammerer and directed and co-written by Edward Berger, earned nine nominations, including best picture. It also won for cinematography, production design and original score Sunday night. “I think it might feel incredible but I don’t quite know yet because I haven’t processed it yet,” Berger said backstage. “I'm a little bit on autopilot.” Also Read: 'Everything' wins best picture, is everywhere at Oscars Berger was joined onstage by Kammerer as well as others involved in the film. “This was your first movie and you carried us on your shoulders as it was nothing,” he told the 27-year-old Austrian actor. “Without you, none of us would be here.” The Netflix film is based on the classic 1929 novel of the same name by Erich Maria Remarque. Set during World War I, it follows the life of a young German soldier who enlists in the army with his friends. But the realities of war shatter his hopes of becoming a hero and he focuses on his own survival. “We tried to make a film about our past, about our responsibility in Germany and with our history,” Berger said. “Our urge was to talk about our guilt and our shame that we’ve brought and the terror that the two wars have caused in the world. Hopefully, at some point we will stop making the same mistakes in the future.” The German-language film doesn't hew exactly to Remarque's novel. Instead, it deviates into political issues against the backdrop of the war. It premiered last year, when Russia invaded Ukraine in the biggest military conflict in Europe since World War II, lending an unexpected relevancy to the movie. “It's absolutely terrible,” cinematography winner James Friend said of the war in Ukraine. “It's a lesson that we can just sort of learn from really.” "All Quiet on the Western Front” won seven BAFTA trophies, including best film. Berger said he was happy, proud and grateful that Hollywood embraced the movie. “I think we do have a little bit of an inferiority complex as German moviemakers because we feel like a small country with less stars and less visibility as opposed to England and America,” he said. “I hope this gives me and a few others a bit of confidence to say, ‘Let’s just do it, let’s just do our movies.’” The original American movie starring Lew Ayres debuted in 1930 and won Oscars for best picture and best director. It was later made into a television movie starring Richard Thomas and Ernest Borgnine, winning an Emmy and a Golden Globe. “All Quiet on the Western Front” beat out “Argentina, 1985” from Argentina, “Close” from Belgium, “EO” from Poland and “The Quiet Girl” from Ireland.

M.M. Keeravani has brought the spotlight back to India after a historic Oscar musical win. Keeravani won best original song for his joyously energetic anthem “Naatu Naatu” from the film “RRR.” The music was written by Keeravani and lyrics by Chandrabose. “It's just the beginning of everything,” Keeravani said backstage. “For the world, particularly the Western world, folks are more on India and Asian music. It's just long due. I feel very happy to open doors and the world to embrace my culture.” “Naatu Naatu” is the first song from an Indian film to earn a nomination and win in the best original song category. Also Read: Deepika Padukone introduces ‘Naatu Naatu’ at Oscars Keeravani delighted the Oscar audience by saying he grew up listening to The Carpenters and then began singing the band's “Top of the World” with new lyrics, including “'RRR' has to win/Pride of every Indian.”  

Bollywood star Deepika Padukone was on hand at the Oscars on Sunday to introduce the performance of best original song nominee (and later winner) “Naatu Naatu,” from “RRR.” In presenting the song, she noted its anti-colonialist themes — but it’s also “a total banger,” she said. The “Naatu Naatu” performance featured playback singers Kaala Bhairava and Rahul Sipligunj flanking a squadron of high-energy dancers. The film’s lead actors, N.T. Rama Rao Jr. and Ram Charan, did not perform. While Padukone is best known for her Hindi-language films, she got her start in South Indian cinema — her first movie was the Kannada-language “Aishwarya.” Already a global celebrity, the 37-year-old has had a major year outside of India. She also served on the jury at the 75th Cannes Film Festival last May and walked out the World Cup trophy alongside former Spain keeper Iker Casillas at the final in Qatar. She most recently starred opposite Indian superstar Shah Rukh Khan in the hit “Pathaan,” which brought in $5.9 million at the North American box office alone in its first weekend.

Ruth E. Carter made history: The costume designer behind the “Black Panther” films became the first Black woman to win two Oscars. Carter took home best costume design Sunday night at the 95th Academy Awards for the Marvel sequel “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” Carter also won in 2018 for “Black Panther,” which made her the first African American to win in the category. In her acceptance speech, Carter thanked the film's director Ryan Coogler and asked if “Black Panther” star Chadwick Boseman could look after her mother, Mabel Carter, who she said died “this past week.” Boseman died in 2020 of cancer at 43. “This is for my mother. She was 101,” Carter said. "This film prepared me for this moment. Chadwick, please take care of mom.” Carter then paid tribute to her mother backstage. Also Read: Michelle Yeoh makes history with best actress Oscar win “I had a great relationship with her in her final years. The same relationship I always had with her. I was her ride-or-die. I was her road dog. I was her sidekick," she said. "I know she’s proud of me. I know that she wanted this for me as much as I wanted it for myself.” “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” grappled with the grief of losing Boseman, its superhero. In her career, Carter has been behind-the-scenes in some of Hollywood’s biggest films. She’s garnered Oscar nominations for her work in Spike Lee’s “Malcolm X” and Steven Spielberg’s “Amistad” and received praise for her period ensembles in other projects such as Lee Daniels’ “The Butler,” Ava DuVernay’s “Selma” and the reboot of “ROOTS.” She’s created costumes for Oprah Winfrey, Denzel Washington, Eddie Murphy and even Jerry Seinfeld for the “Seinfeld” pilot. Carter played an influential role as lead costume designer in making “Black Panther” a cultural phenomenon as she infused the pride of African diaspora into the character’s stylish and colorful garments to help bring Wakanda to life. She wanted to transform the presence of Queen Ramonda - played by Oscar nominee Angela Bassett - as a queen in the first film to being a ruler in the sequel. "Angela always wanted to play a queen, so to amplify her, we added vibranium … we gave her the royal color of purple, and adorned her in gold as she wore the crown at the UN,” Carter said. “When she sits on the throne, she’s in a gray one shouldered dress. The exposed shoulder shows her strength – Angela, she got those guns, right?” Carter said she was able to pull off the win against a “tough lineup.” She was up against designers from “Elvis,” “Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris,” “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” and “Babylon.” She got her start in 1988 on Lee’s “School Daze,” the director’s second film. They’ve since collaborated on more than 10 films, including “Do the Right Thing” and “Jungle Fever.” She’s also worked with Robert Townsend on “The Five Heartbeats” and Keenen Ivory Wayans on “I’m Gonna Git You Sucka.” “I pulled myself up from my bootstraps," Carter said. "I started in a single parent household. I wanted to be a costume designer. I studied. I scraped. I struggled with adversity in an industry that sometimes didn’t look like me. And I endured.” Through the Oscar-nominated “Malcolm X," she reached new heights new heights. That film, starring Denzel Washington, propelled her into the “Hollywood makeup,” offering her more opportunities to work with directors who had different points-of-views and scripts. Carter's wish is that her historic win Sunday will offer more opportunities to women of color. “I hope this opens the door for others … that they can win an Oscar, too,” Carter said.

Oscar winners announced Sunday: Best picture: “Everything Everywhere All at Once” Best actress: Michelle Yeoh, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” Best actor: Brendan Fraser, “The Whale” Best supporting actor: Ke Huy Quan, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” Best supporting actress: Jamie Lee Curtis, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” Original song: “Naatu Naatu” from “RRR” Film editing: “Everything Everywhere All at Once” Best director: Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” Best animated feature: “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” International feature film: “All Quiet on the Western Front” (Germany) Documentary feature: “Navalny” Live action short: “An Irish Goodbye” Cinematography: James Friend, “All Quiet on the Western Front” Makeup and hairstyling: “The Whale” Costume design: “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” Documentary short: “The Elephant Whisperers” Animated short: “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse” Production design: “All Quiet on the Western Front” Music (original score): Volker Bertelmann, “All Quiet on the Western Front” Visual Effects: “Avatar: The Way of Water” Original screenplay: “Everything Everywhere All at Once” Adapted screenplay: “Women Talking” Sound: “Top Gun: Maverick”