United News of Bangladesh

Amar Ekushey Book Fair 2023 has doubled the festive mood and joy among the students and the people who came to celebrate Pahela Falgun or Valentine's Day or both at the Dhaka University campus area on Tuesday. Since the morning students, people from different professions and irrespective of colour, creed or religion started gathering in the Dhaka University area wearing colourful Panjabi and Shari as the area has traditionally been a venue for Pahela Falgun and Valentine's Day celebration, while Boi Mela takes place at nearby Bangla Academy every year.  Besides the huge arrangements of Bosonto Utsab Udzapon committee at the Bakultola of Fine Arts faculty of Dhaka University, several programs have been arranged in Dhaka University area like ‘Somogit Bosonto Utsob' at the historical BotTola of Dhaka, three-day cultural festival at the department of political science and Sangit Utsab at the faculty of Business Studies of Dhaka University to welcome Spring, the king of all season.  Marking the special day, various floating stalls of flowers and food almost everywhere in the campus area have been set to meet the demands of visitors. Lower markets are busy stocking red roses for the day. Abid, an eleven-year-old boy who is selling flowers and floral bands walking around busy areas of campus, said that he came in this area from Mouchak of the capital in the morning to sell flowers hoping for better profit.  “My mother sent me here to sell flowers as many people from different area came here to observe the day and they buy flowers from us. From the morning I have bagged around 800 taka,” he said. Besides, flower sellers are also waiting to celebrate the day with massive stocks of roses and bouquets for people who are eagerly waiting to celebrate the day with their loved ones. The flower shops at the Shahabag crossing were seen very busy and filled with the traffic of customers.  

Rihanna was pregnant with her second child as she performed her Super Bowl halftime show Sunday. The singer’s representative confirmed the pregnancy shortly after she ended her 13-minute set at Super Bowl 57. She hovered high at times as she performed a number of hits including “We Found Love,” “Diamonds” and “Work” during a halftime break between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. The baby bump that was visible in the tight clothes she wore under her baggy red jumpsuit set off a wave of social media speculation that she might be pregnant again. Rihanna, 34, has a 9-month-old son with rapper A$AP Rocky. During her media preview Thursday, Rihanna said she was initially unsure about taking on the challenge of performing during a time when she was three months postpartum and wondered “should I be making major decisions like this right now? I might regret this.” “But when you become a mom, there’s something that just happens where you feel like you can take on the world, you can do anything,” Rihanna said. “The Super Bowl is one of the biggest stages of the world. As scary as that was, because I hadn’t been on stage in seven years, there’s something exhilarating about the challenge of it all.” Rihanna said had to figure out how to fit some of her biggest songs into her 13-minute set. “The setlist was the biggest challenge,” she said. “That was the hardest, hardest part. Deciding how to maximize 13 minutes but also celebrate — that’s what this show is going to be. It’s going to be a celebration of my catalog in the best way that we could have put it together.′ A nine-time Grammy Award-winner, Rihanna has 14 No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hits, including “We Found Love,” “Work,” “Umbrella” and “Disturbia.”

Something incredible has happened. Dhaka Art Summit, now in its sixth edition, is incredible – that has already been established through the excitement demonstrated by hundreds of thousands of art connoisseurs, collectors, practitioners, enthusiasts and just curious general public from Bangladesh and beyond. But what’s more incredible is getting the inspiration for the theme of the next Dhaka Art Summit from a visitor. Diana Campbell Betancourt, artistic director of Samdani Art Foundation and chief curator of Dhaka Art Summit, shared more on this with UNB in an exclusive interview.  

Harry Styles won album of the year at Sunday’s Grammy Awards, taking home the top honor on a night that Beyoncé dominated and became the ceremony’s most decorated artist. Beyoncé won her 32nd award, breaking a 26-year-old record. But as in years past, the album of the year honor eluded her. Styles took home three awards Sunday. “I’m so inspired by every artist in this category,” said the teary-eyed singer. “A lot of different times of my life, I’ve listened to everyone in these categories. It’s so important to remember that there is no such thing as best.” Still, Beyoncé stands alone on her Grammy throne and had the support of the room throughout the night, with winners frequently referencing her and her influence on them. “I’m trying not to be too emotional,” the superstar said after her historic win as her husband Jay-Z stood and applauded her. The singer thanked her late uncle, her parents, Jay-Z and her children for supporting her. “I’m just trying to receive this night. I want to thank God for protecting me. Thank you, God.” Beyoncé won for best R&B song for “Cuff It,” dance-electric music recording for “Break My Soul,” traditional R&B performance for “Plastic Off the Sofa” and dance-electric album for “Renaissance,” which is also nominated for album of the year. Lizzo won record of the year for “About Damn Time,” delivering a rousing speech that brought many in the audience, including Beyoncé, Taylor Swift and Adele, to their feet. “Me and Adele were having a good time, rooting for our friends. This is an amazing night. This is so unexpected,” Lizzo said, dedicating her award to Prince. “I wanted to make the world a better place, so I had to be that change to make the world a better place. Now, I look around and see these songs are about loving your body and feeling comfortable in your skin and feeling good.” Jazz singer Samara Joy won best new artist, shrugging off challenges by such acts as Wet Led, Anitta and Maneskin. The New Yorker was virtually in tears when she collected the award and noted that her little brother was her date. “I’m so, so grateful. Thank you.” She has released two albums as a lead artist and also won the Grammy for best jazz vocal album earlier in the night. Also Read:Grammys fashion: Lizzo, Doja Cat, Styles wow on red carpet Beyoncé missed being in the room when she tied Solti’s record, which stood since 1997. Host Trevor Noah said she was on her way to the ceremony but blamed Los Angeles traffic for not being in person to accept it. The song was written by several writers including Beyonce, The-Dream, Nile Rodgers and Raphael Saadiq. Once Beyoncé — the night’s leading nominee — finally arrived, Noah presented her with the best R&B song award at her table. Veteran singer-songwriter Bonnie Raitt shrugged off big-name rivals like Adele, Taylor Swift and Beyoncé to win the song of the year award. “I’m so surprised. I don’t know what to say,” a visibly stunned Raitt said, adding that the song “Just Like That” explores organ donation. It capped a night when Raitt won two other Grammys — for best Americana performance and best American roots song. A who’s who of hip-hop royalty took the stage for an epic, rousing 15 minute tribute to the genre’s 50th anniversary. The performance included Grandmaster Flash doing part of his seminal hit “The Message,” Run DMC, Chuck D and Flavor Flav along with Ice-T, Queen Latifah, Busta Rhymes and Nelly all taking the stage. It ended with everyone on the stage and LL Cool J shouting “multi-generational! Fifty years!” Bad Bunny opened the show with a festive, high-energy performance that brought many of the audience including Taylor Swift who rose to her feet and danced near her table at Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena. Styles won the main telecast’s first award for best pop vocal album for “Harry’s House.” The singer said recording the song was one of the “greatest experiences of my life. It’s been my greatest joy.” Sam Smith and Kim Petras won best pop duo-group performance for their song “Unholy.” Petras said Smith wanted Petras to make the acceptance speech because “I’m the first transgender woman to win this award.” “I want to thank all the incredible transgender legends before me who kicked these doors open for me so I could be here tonight,” said Petras, who made a reference to friend and Grammy-nominated musician Sophie, who died after an accidental fall in Athens, Greece in 2021. “You told me this would happen. I always believed in me. Thank you so much for your inspiration, Sophie. I adore you, and your inspiration will forever be in my music.” Petras thanked Madonna for being a tremendous supporter of LGBTQ rights. “I don’t think I could be here without Madonna,” Petras said. “My mother, I grew up next to a highway in nowhere Germany. And my mother believed me that I was a girl. I wouldn’t be here without her and her support.” During the in memoriam segment, the Grammys recognized the lives of Loretta Lynn, Migos rapper Takeoff and Christine McVie with several star-studded performers paying them homage. The touching performances included Kacey Musgraves singing “Coal Miner’s Daughter” in tribute to Lynn; Quavo and the Maverick City Music hit the stage to honor his nephew Takeoff with the song “Without You;” and Sheryl Crow, Mick Fleetwood and Bonnie Raitt performed “Songbird” to remember McVie. Kendrick Lamar won sixth career trophy for best rap performance for “The Heart Part 5” and also won best rap album for his studio offering, “Mr. Morales & The Big Steppers.”   “You know, as entertainers, we say things to provoke thoughts and feelings and emotions,” he said. “So making this record is one of my toughest. … I would like to thank the culture for allowing me to evolve in order to make this. I finally found imperfection with this album.”  

The 4th Bangla-India international film festival began at Delhi’s Siri Fort auditorium on Friday. The festival was inaugurated by Shaban Mahmood, Minister (Press) at the Bangladesh High Commission in India as the chief guest. Shaban Mahmood spoke at the discussion moderated by popular filmmaker Ashish Ranjan Das and said programme like these increase people to people contact and usher better understanding of each other. The film festival that started in 2017 was interrupted by the pandemic for a few years. Read: 9th Dhaka International Mobile Film Festival begins Saturday The three-day long film festival will showcase films from Bangladesh and West Bengal, said a media release. Recently released popular Bangladeshi cinema Hawa will be screened on February 5. In addition, two feature films of acclaimed director Gautam Ghose will also be screened at the festival.

Bangladesh and South Asian region’s biggest art and painting biennale exhibition platform Dhaka Art Summit (DAS)’s 6th edition will begin at the National Art Gallery of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA) on Friday after three years of hiatus due to Covid-19 pandemic. Salman F Rahman, the private sector and investment adviser to the Prime Minister, will inaugurate the nine-day event while State Minister for Cultural Affairs KM Khalid, Director General of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy Liaquat Ali Lucky will be present as the special guests. Director of Dhaka Art Summit and President of Samdani Art Foundation Nadia Samdani MBE, Trustee of Dhaka Art Summit and Samdani Art Foundation Rajeeb Samdani, and Managing Director and CEO of Golden Harvest Agro Industries Limited Mohammad Saker Shamim will also join the opening ceremony among the special guests. The nine-day-long summit will feature workshops, performance seminars and diverse exhibitions with the participation of renowned art critics and art collectors from home and abroad, with a vibrant panel of over 160 local and international artists. Topics like climate change and gender relations will be a key focus of this year's event. A press conference was held at Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy's National Art Gallery auditorium on Wednesday, where the Samdani Art Foundation's Nadia Samdani, MBE and Rajeeb Samdani briefed the media about the event details of the 6th edition. “The theme of the 2023 Dhaka Art Summit is ‘Bonna’ (flood). In riverine Bangladesh, ‘Bonna (flood)’ is not just a name for disaster but a lot more, hence young girls are named ‘Bonna’ (flood). At this year’s DAS, ‘Bonna’ (flood) will be presented through the character of a young girl, in a different way: with questions that go against conventional binary thinking about necessity and non-necessity, recovery from disaster and reconstruction, kids and adults, women and men, and more. The participating artists' exhibitions will reveal the full significance of this connection,” Rajeeb Samndani told UNB. Read more: Fifth Dhaka Art Summit ends in style Artists participating in the 6th edition of the Art Summit include – Sumaiya Vali, Antony Gromley, Asfika Rahman, Vinodbihari Mukherjee, Bhasha Chakraborty, Chitraprasad, Daniel Boyd, Damasus Hacha, Faisal Zaman, Ganesh Paini, Ghazaleh Avarzamani, Habik Chuhen, Habiba Nowroz, Jamal Ahmed, Jaydev Roja, Jani Rusika, Kabir Ahmed Masum Chishti, Kamruzzaman Swadhan, Lala Rukh, Lapdiang Saiyem, Marina Perez Simao, Nabil Ahmed, Nazmun Nahar Kaya, Paul Taburet, Rupali Gupta and Prasad Shetty, Purnima Akhtar, Rafiqun Nabi, Safiuddin Ahmed, Sahej Rahal, Tanya Goyal, Veronica Hapchenko, Yasmin Jahan Nupur. , Rizvi Hasan, Ganesh Pine and others. Art Summit started its journey in 2012. A flagship venture by the Samdani Art Foundation, the Summit’s aim is to establish a profound relationship with Bangladeshi and South Asian arts to the world and to showcase the country's artists and artistic expertise in the international arena. The 6th edition of Dhaka Art Summit will be open to the visitors at National Art Gallery from 10 am to 8 pm till February 11.

Nothing — not Tom Cruise’s snub nor Austin Butler’s lingering Elvis Presley inflections — has caused quite as much a stir around this year’s Oscars as the best-actress nomination for British actress Andrea Riseborough. Riseborough was unexpectedly nominated for her performance as an alcoholic Texas single mother in the scantly seen indie drama “To Leslie,” a pick that shocked Oscar pundits and has since brought scrutiny from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. For a movie that has grossed $27,322 at the box office, “To Leslie” and Riseborough have made a lot of noise. At issue is the way Riseborough’s candidacy was promoted. Though many awards contenders are backed by orchestrated campaigns paid for by their film’s studio, Riseborough rose into the Oscar ranks thanks largely to the grassroots efforts of “To Leslie” director Michael Morris and his wife, actor Mary McCormack. They urged stars to see the film and either host a screening or praise Riseborough’s performance on social media. And a whole lot of them did. So what’s the big deal? Cronyism in Hollywood isn’t exactly news; it’s more or less the modus operandi. But Riseborough’s nomination — and the strong response it’s engendered — has disrupted this year’s Oscar season, with potential repercussions for the Academy Awards in March and the bids of all future Oscar hopefuls. Read: Michael Jackson's nephew to star in King of Pop biopic WHO IS ANDREA RISEBOROUGH? For about 15 years, the 41-year-old Riseborough has been a regular presence in film, television and London theater, but she’s sometimes hard to register because of her chameleonic performances. She appeared in Mike Leigh’s “Happy-Go-Lucky” (2008). She made an impression as Riggan’s girlfriend in “Birdman” (2014). She played Stalin’s daughter in “The Death of Stalin” (2017). In “Mandy” (2018), alongside Nicolas Cage, she played his character’s kidnapped girlfriend. Riseborough had several other notable credits in 2022, including David O. Russell’s “Amsterdam” and as Mrs. Wormwood in “Matilda the Musical.” She’s been doing acclaimed work in adventurous independent film for long enough that an Oscar vote for her may have also been partly for her unassuming body of work. HOW UNEXPECTED WAS RISEBOROUGH’S NOMINATION? Almost no one expected Riseborough’s late-breaking campaign to actually land her a nomination. It wasn’t totally out of left field, though. Riseborough’s performance in “To Leslie” had been nominated for an Independent Spirit Award. But she wasn’t expected to be in the mix in what was generally considered the hardest category to break into this year. Riseborough was nominated along with Cate Blachett (“Tár”), Michelle Williams (“The Fabelmans”), Ana de Armas (“Blonde”) and Michelle Yeoh (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”). “I’m astounded,” Riseborough told Deadline shortly after the nominations were announced. “It was so hard to believe it might ever happen because we really hadn’t been in the running for anything else. Even though we had a lot of support, the idea it might actually happen seemed so far away.” Two highly regarded performances were left out: Viola Davis in “The Woman King” and Danielle Deadwyler in “Till.” That the category’s most glaring snubs were both Black women has been a point of discussion. “Till” director Chinonye Chukwu, in a post on Instagram, suggested the system had failed. “We live in a world and work in industries that are so aggressively committed to upholding whiteness and perpetuating an unabashed misogyny towards Black women.” WHAT MADE RISEBOROUGH’S CAMPAIGN DIFFERENT? Most every acting nominee participates in some kind of Oscar campaign to help highlight their performance and get voters to watch their film. It’s a game that’s played. The playwright and screenwriter Jeremy O. Harris noted on Twitter: “Do people not realize that what the actresses did for Andrea Riseborough happens in private every night for months starting in October for every movie/performance (with) a chance.” REad: Angela Bassett’s Oscar nomination for “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” first acting nod for a Marvel movie There are rules that limit the kinds of events that are held and even how much someone can email promotions to academy members during the voting period. Most campaigns have veteran strategists behind them and a substantial amount of money. Those pushing Riseborough, though, managed to draw attention to her without such backing. Instead, they counted on A-listers to spread the word. Kate Winslet, Charlize Theron, Jennifer Aniston, Gwyneth Paltrow, Amy Adams and Courtney Cox all hosted screenings for the film. “You should be winning everything,” Winslet told her in a virtual Q&A. Other stars like Edward Norton, Susan Sarandon, Mira Sorvino and Rosie O’Donnell added their praise for her on social media. Those who supported Riseborough saw in the campaign — no billboards on Sunset, no “For Your Consideration” ads, just a deep Rolodex — a groundbreaking way to circumvent traditional Oscar rituals. In a since-deleted post, actress Christina Ricci wrote of the backlash to Riseborough’s nomination: “So it’s only the films and actors that can afford the campaigns that deserve recognition? Feels elitist and exclusive and frankly very backward to me.” DID THAT BREAK ANY RULES? There is no public evidence that Riseborough or anyone on her behalf clearly broke academy regulations. The screenings and endorsements that propelled Riseborough are commonplace. Some have speculated that Riseborough may have received a boost because of the strong passion of her supporters, who might have made her their top nominee. But if the academy found that anyone violated the rules about contacting academy members “directly and in a manner outside of the scope of these rules,” the academy’s board of governors “may take any corrective actions or assess any penalties, including disqualification,” according to academy bylaws. “Furthermore, any academy member who has authorized, executed or otherwise enabled a campaign activity that is determined by the board of governors to have undermined the letter or spirit of these regulations may be subject to suspension of membership or expulsion from the academy.” Oscar nominations have rarely been rescinded but it has happened. In 2014, composer Bruce Broughton, nominated for best original song, was disqualified after it was revealed he had emailed music branch members to call attention to the song’s submission. At the time, Broughton, a former governor for the academy, was a member of the music branch’s executive committee. HOW HAS THE ACADEMY RESPONDED? The academy has not commented on Riseborough’s nomination. But on Friday, it announced that it will conduct a review of the campaign procedures arounds this year’s nominees “to ensure that no guidelines were violated, and to inform us whether changes to the guidelines may be needed in a new era of social media and digital communication.” “We have confidence in the integrity of our nomination and voting procedures, and support genuine grassroots campaigns for outstanding performances,” the academy added.  

Season 15 of the popular children’s television show, Sisimpur, is about to hit television screens beginning the first week of February as Halum, Tuktuki, Ikri and Shiku return with fun new stories and a new friend, Julia. The new season, supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and produced by Sesame Workshop Bangladesh, will support children in developing their literacy and numeracy skills, as well as focusing on diversity, equity, inclusion, their emotional well-being, and self-care skills. The new season will also feature special episodes with sign language, said a press release issued on Monday. In this new season, Halum, Ikri, Shiku and Tuktuki return to share new stories and are joined by a new friend named Julia, a four-year-old Muppet who has autism. The introduction of Julia is a special addition to this new season for building autism awareness in Bangladesh and reminding us that all children are amazing. New episodes of season 15 will premiere on Duronto Television from February 3, 2023. The slogan for the season is “Fifteen comes on rhythm, together let’s proceed on.” There will be edutainment stories and content focusing on foundational literacy, numeracy, the importance of nutritious food, problem-solving, gender equity, autism, and other key topics. The new season will feature some fantastic new animated content on mathematics, science, and healthy habits. Additionally, there will be live-action film segments featuring children and their caregivers, as well as segments with Ikri for learning the alphabet, and segments with Tuktuki for learning numbers. Season fifteen of Sisimpur features narrative formats like “Shikhu’s World of Science” and “Ikri’s Playtime.” Since, an overarching theme of this new season is ensuring access and participation for all children, families will see characters from a range of backgrounds and ethnicities, as well as children with different abilities, plus several episodes will feature sign language. It will be amazing to see a new character named Julia join the Sisimpur friends of Halum, Ikri, Shiku, and Tuktuki. Season 15 of Sisimpur was officially launched on Monday by the chief guest, Director General of the Directorate of Primary Education Mr. Shah Rezwan Hayat and the guest of honor, USAID Mission Director Ms. Kathryn Davis Stevens. The event was held at Bangladesh Film Archive’s Auditorium located at Agargaon where Director-Training of the Directorate of Primary Education Dr. Uttam Kumar Das, Member-Primary of the National Curriculum and Text Board (NCTB) Prof. Dr. AKM Reazul Hassan and Chief Operating Officer of Shuchona Foundation Dr. Saqui Khandoker attended as special guests. Read more: Making the virtual world a safer place for kids! Director of Bangladesh Television Mr. Jagadis Esh, Executive Director of Maasranga Television Mr. Ajoy Kumar Kundu, Co-Chairman of Asiatic Ms. Sara Zaker and Chief of Party of this project Mohammad Shah Alam were also present at the event. Familiar friends from Sisimpur Bahadur, Ikri, Shiku, Tuktuki, Halum, and their new friend Julia brought joy and fun to the day. Made possible through the generous support of the American people through USAID, the Early Childhood Development Mass Media Activity, Sisimpur, has been helping children across Bangladesh grow smarter, stronger, and kinder since 2005. The Ministry of Women and Children Affairs is providing support in the airing of Sisimpur, and the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education provides support for implementing its school-based programs.

Sharmeen Akhee, an actress on the small screen, suffered burn injuries in an explosion in the bathroom of a make-up room at a shooting spot in the capital on Saturday. The explosion occurred from electrical sparks in the bathroom of the shooting spot near Pallabi police station in Mirpur on Saturday afternoon, leaving her seriously injured. She was first taken to Islamia hospital and later shifted to the high dependency unit (HDU) of Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery around 6:45pm. She is currently receiving treatment at the hospital, said Dr Samanta Lal Sen, Chief Coordinator of the burn institute. He said that her condition was critical as her respiratory tract was affected with 35 percent burns.

OTT (Over-the-Top) platforms have revolutionized the service of watching TV with web content on the Internet. OTT offers users an alternative way to watch their favorite TV shows, movies, and other content. Nowadays, different local OTT platforms have become increasingly popular in Bangladesh. The emergence of new forms of Bengali serials following the trend of international web series is giving a power boost to the entertainment industry. In his legacy, the Bangla OTT platform Binge offers a wide range of available content.  The popular playwright and director Vicky Zahed's first web series 'Silence' is going to be a more blazing example of this evolution. The web series stars a bunch of popular and talented actors from old to new generations. Let’s get updated about this thriller series which is waiting to be released on Binge screen in the upcoming February month. Vicky Zahed: A Storyteller Who Plays with the Psychology of his Audience The birth date of Vicky Zahed is August 29, 1990. He spent his entire childhood and adolescence in Dhaka. Although he studied textile engineering, he went straight to visual media after his studies from the Bangladesh University of Textiles. Taking this new career turn was not very pleasant. On the other hand, he had to fight a lot with himself and his family in addition to pursuing his career against the tide. Read More: Angela Bassett’s Oscar nomination for “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” first acting nod for a Marvel movie After several works, 26-year-old Vicky Zahed finally got the limelight in 2016 for the short film 'Moments'. In line with its popularity, 'Maya', 'Doyal', 'Durbin', and 'Aaj Amar Pala' were released one by one. Through these works, he basically tried to understand his audience as well as taught himself. With 'Dwitiyo Shuchona', 'Priyo Adnan', and 'Kaikobaad', he continued to redefine the thriller genre in Bangladesh. Each of his creations comes with fresh themes, concepts, and storylines which have entertained the fans of the Bangla thriller genre. The drama 'Chirokal Aaj' and the web film series ‘Punorjonmo’ finally marked a long milestone in his career. Vicky became the focus of patronage for many prominent figures in the entertainment industry. Punorjonmo-3 became one of the most viewed videos on YouTube within just 12 hours of its release. Even those who did not know Vicky till then watched the film and went back to watch its first parts. Read More: Top 10 Upcoming English TV Shows on Netflix in February 2023 Now, Vicky Zahed’s creations come first, when it comes to crime, thriller, supernatural, and suspense dramas or movies in Bangladesh. This is very obvious for him to be a devoted fan of Alfred Hitchcock, the father of the modern thriller genre in Hollywood. He candidly admits his interest in playing with the psychology of the audience. Even to critics, he is unabashed, straightforward, and spontaneous in his storytelling.