United News of Bangladesh

In partnership with the British Council, award-winning arts company Komola Collective has recently staged “Indigo Giant”, a gripping drama written by Ben Musgrave, at Bangladesh Mohila Samity Complex. From September 8-10, audiences had the opportunity to enjoy the performance by Komola Collective’s ensemble of theatre-artists from diverse backgrounds and creative disciplines. Indigo Giant projects a story inspired by eminent writer and dramatist Dinabandhu Mitra’s epic play “Nil Darpan”. Also read: 23rd Young Artists' Fine Arts Exhibition ends Translated and produced by Leesa Gazi, Indigo Giant revisits forgotten moments from the history of the British period, while touching down on the irrefutable emotional whirlwind of the then Bengalis, said a media release on Sunday. Quazi Nawshaba Ahmed, Md Sohel Rana, Sharif Siraj, Dr Sydur Rahman Lipon, Mamdudur Rahman Mukto, Mitali Das, Sadman Syed, Shipra Das Roma and Shishir Rahman portrayed different roles in the drama directed by Naila Azad. Also read: ‘The Fabelmans': Steven Spielberg debuts autobiographical film at Toronto Film Festival “It has born out of a dialogue between Bengali and British theatre artistes”, said Leesa Gazi about the drama. “Indigo Giant aims to form a living bridge between the trailblazing 19th-century Bengali play Nil Darpan and contemporary attitudes to indigo and multi-national commerce.” The event was supported by the GCRF QR Rapid Response Scheme, University of East Anglia, The Charles Wallace Bangladesh Trust and Living Blue.

The 23rd edition of the Young Artists' Fine Arts Exhibition came to an end at the National Art Gallery of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA) Saturday. Known as one of the flagship art events of the BSA, the month-long biennale exhibition is organised by the BSA's fine arts department. It showcased 422 artworks by 356 artists this year. Since 1975, the biennale exhibition has earned recognition from art lovers around the whole nation as a festivity and celebration of modern artworks and crafts.  

Read: International art exhibition held in Kathmandu paying tribute to Sultan An immersive virtual reality (VR) installation has begun at the Drik Studio in Dhaka's Panthapath, reimagining the future of libraries as interactive spaces that engage visitors through multisensory forms of storytelling. Goethe-Institut Bangladesh, in partnership with The Tech Academy, is hosting "The Infinite Library." The VR installation takes visitors through a cave with access to small chambers that double as portals, or micro worlds, that allow one to travel in time. It seeks to embed human stories within a much grander narrative, one which includes the birth of the planet and the evolution of all life forms. The "Library" part of the installation is conceived as a living organism, a kind of embodiment of knowledge that introduces itself to visitors personally before inviting them to explore its house. This includes a QR code game, holograms, 3D-printed objects, audio-visual works, and the project's central piece: a vast VR library set in a cave.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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        

After releasing nine fusion songs since its launching in February this year, season one of Coke Studio Bangla comes to its conclusion with the launch of the latest song, “Hey Samalo.” The team of Coke Studio Bangla released this song at a gala event and exclusive screening for 500 fans at hotel Radisson Blu Dhaka Water Garden on Thursday night. A tribute to the undying spirit and the rebelling nature that can be found among all Bangladeshi netizens, the song came as a majestic fusion of Salil Chowdhury's 1946–1948 Tebhaga movement–inspired original song of the same name and Abdul Latif's 1952 Language Movement–inspired the song "Ora Amar Mukher Bhasha." The biggest artistic collaboration of the season, “Hey Samalo” is sung by 15 prominent Bangladeshi singers - Bappa Mazumder, Samina Chowdhury, Shayan Chowdhury Arnob, Sunidhi Nayak, Rituraj Baidya, Dilshad Nahar Kona, Warda Ashraf, Armeen Musa, Sanzida Mahmood Nandita, Masha Islam, Rubayat Rehman, Jannatul Firdous Akbar, Sinha Hasan, Ripon Kumar Sarkar (Boga Taleb), and Animes Roy. The music video of the song also contains musicians belonging to the Mro community in Naikhongchari of Bandarban, who performed a mesmerizing flute performance and a Raibenshe folk martial dance. Shayan Chowdhury Arnob, Music Producer of Coke Studio Bangla said, “We tried to explore something different for the finale by using Gono Sangeet in an effort to bring musicians and artists from different genres and backgrounds in unison. Everyone synced together beautifully, and the bond we created through this song was the real magic.” “This song brings out the undying spirit of the Bangladeshi people and I hope our audience will feel the same passion we felt when we sang together,” he added. “Bengalis have always fought for their rights throughout their lifetimes, whether it was during the anti-British movement, the struggle for independence from Pakistan, the fight for the mother tongue, or the anti-dictatorship movement. We wanted to close the first season with the spiritual strength that our nation never lost,” Coke Studio Bangla Creative Producer Syed Gousul Alam Shaon said about the song. The maiden season of Coke Studio Bangla featured a total of 10 songs from different genres including its rocking opener “Nasek Nasek,” followed by “Prarthona,” “Bulbuli,” “Bhober Pagol,” “Chiltey Roud,” “Bhinnotar Uthshob,” “Shob Lokey Koy,” “Lilabali.” “Dokhina Hawa” and lastly, “Hey Samalo.” The season featured a star-studded lineup of Bangladeshi legendary musicians, such as Momtaz Begum, Bappa Majumdar, Pantha Kanai, Dilshad Nahar Kona, Samina Chowdhury, Mizan, Tahsan Khan and more, along with new promising singers from music industry such as Animesh Roy, Boga Taleb, Nandita, Makhon and others. Also read: Coke Studio Bangla concert held at Army Stadium

In Hollywood, the world’s pre-eminent industry for commercial cinema, everything must meet a high bar in terms of quality and technical proficiency. The same exacting standards and production values informing a film must also usually reflect in its trailer – a crucial element that acts as the centrepiece of all activities aimed at promoting a movie once it is made. The same would apply to more contemporary innovations or interpretations of the trailer, e.g. teasers, that are well-suited to the age of social media. This is the story of a young man from Laksham in Cumilla, Bangladesh - Jisan Kamrul Hasan, and how his relentless pursuit of a dream has taken him all the way to Culver City, California - the most populous as well as economically advanced of the 50 constituent states that comprise the United States of America - and the home of Hollywood. Culver City itself is a hub of film and television production, best known as the home of the renowned Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, or MGM Studios. But how did Jisan end up there? Read: 'Let no one mistake us for the fruit of violence' begins at Drik Gallery More importantly, what was this young Bangladeshi motion graphic designer’s journey like, on the road to getting to work on the teasers and trailers for some of the most popularmovies and series in recent times, from the critically acclaimed “Last Night in Soho” to the graphic-intensive hit "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” from Marvel Studios. Following a recent interview with a leading national daily, Jisan became known to the nation, and naturally many in the entertainment industry as well as netizens are waiting for an opportunity to give vent to their curiosity to learn more about Jisan and his journey. “My journey actually started at a very early age back in 2002, when I was stunned by the majestic visuals in “The Lord of the Rings.” I wondered about the motion graphics, and I decided that I would learn this,” Jisan said in a telephone interview with UNB from his Hollywood home, engaging at length on different topics. It wasn't until 2007 though, that Jisan would even get his first personal computer. “At this stage though, things started moving very fast in my lane in life. Soon, sometime in 2008, I moved to Dhaka and began practising Photoshop on my own, thanks to YouTube.