United News of Bangladesh

The 19th edition of the Asian Art Biennale, the longest-running international art biennale event in Asia, is now all set to welcome the art enthusiasts from home and beyond at the National Art Gallery of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA) on Thursday. The month-long art extravaganza will be inaugurated by Prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who will virtually raise the curtain of the biennale as the chief guest of the opening ceremony at the National Theatre Hall of the academy at 10 am. State Minister for Cultural Affairs KM Khalid will chair the inaugural ceremony, which will be joined by Cultural Affairs Secretary Md Abul Monsur, President of the jury board of the event artist Rafiqun Nabi and jury board Jaroslaw Suchan as special guests. Sponsored by the Ministry of Cultural Affairs, the 19th Asian Art Biennale Bangladesh 2022 will include 649 pieces of art created by 493 artists from 114 nations, including 149 Bangladeshi artists. Three grand prizes and six honourable mention prizes will be announced at the opening ceremony. On Tuesday, a press briefing was held at the Seminar Room of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, where BSA Director General and chief coordinator of 19th Asian Art Biennale Bangladesh 2022 Liaquat Ali Lucky shared the details of the long-awaited flagship event of the organisation with the media. “This 19th Asian Art Biennale Bangladesh 2022 is dedicated to the country's founding President and the father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who envisioned and established Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy which has been organizing the Asian Art Biennale,  the largest art exhibition in Asia, for the past 40 years,” Lucky said at the press conference. The 19th edition will showcase two-dimensional and three-dimensional artworks such as paintings, prints, photographs, sculptures, performance arts, installations and new media arts, crafted and presented by the participating native and foreign artists who channelled their contemporary thoughts through these artworks, Lucky said at the press conference.  Read more: 19th Asian Art Biennale to begin March 1, 2021 Eyeing for a regular event like the previous years, BSA had to postpone the 19th edition several times, according to Lucky. “Due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, we had to change the schedule for this biennale more than three times. Although we held other major exhibitions within the period, we are really happy to finally host this grand festivity at this time,” he said.  The 19th edition will feature a two-day international seminar titled ‘Home and Displacement’ with the participation of local and foreign artists, art critics, jury and observers. The seminar will be held on Friday and Saturday at the National Art Gallery Auditorium and Seminar Rooms of the National Theatre Building of the BSA. In addition to the main exhibition at BSA, the Bangladesh National Museum will display 42 artworks of Bangladeshi legendary master artists from its collection as a part of the 19th Asian Art Biennale Bangladesh 2022. The international jurors of the 19th Asian Art Biennale - Iwona Blazwick from the UK, Jagath Weerasinghe from Sri Lanka, artist Nurseren Tor from Turkey, and Jaroslaw Suchan from Poland were also present at the press conference, alongside BSA Fine Arts Director Syeda Mahbuba Karim and BSA Secretary Salahuddin Ahmed. The 19th Asian Art Biennale Bangladesh 2022 will welcome its visitors till January 7, every day from 11 am to 8 pm.    

Popular Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone has received an invitation from the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) to unveil the 2022 Qatar World Cup trophy during the upcoming finals, according to Indian media reports. Although FIFA is yet to make an officially announcement regarding this, a source close to the internationally renowned actress reveals that she will be unveiling the trophy, according to the Times of India. Read more: Bollywood star Deepika quizzed in drug probe Deepika is said to be flying to Qatar to unveil the FIFA World Cup trophy at the final that is scheduled to be played at the Lusail Stadium in Lusail, Qatar, on December 18. If officially announced, this will be the first time an Indian celebrity will unveil the FIFA World Cup trophy. However, it is still unknown whether she will take part in any other cultural event or not. Read more: Unpredictable FIFA World Cup 2022: What we can expect more in the knockout rounds Deepika Padukone has participated as a jury member at this year’s Cannes Film Festival in France. She is the first Indian chosen to be the international face of iconic brands like Levi’s and Adidas, as well as premium labels like Louis Vuitton and Cartier.

Video streaming platform Bongo has launched short video clips for online media publishers to embed on their websites or mobile applications. Online media publishers are finding it hard to retain users as many have now moved away from reading to watching short videos and clips in this age of TikTok, Instagram reels and YouTube shorts. Producing videos daily or even writing articles is not an easy task. Bongo wants to make life easier for online media publishers by providing entertaining short clips which they can embed on their website or mobile app just as easily as embedded YouTube videos.  Grameenphone's self-service solution MyGP app and Brac Bank's Astha app already adopted this solution to showcase video content to their users. Read: ‘Hoyto-Noyto': A satire on the times From Bongo, online media partners can choose from more than 15,000 hours of content and a partner network of content creators that have more than 30,000 hours of content. They can choose the categories of content they want to showcase to their users. Bongo's library of content is already being used by other platforms such as Binge, Bioscope and other OTT platforms.

Kim Kardashian and Ye have reached a settlement in their divorce, averting a trial that had been set for next month, court documents filed Tuesday showed. The former couple and their attorneys filed documents asking for a judge’s approval of terms they have agreed on, including $200,000 per month child support payments rom Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, to Kardashian. The two will have joint custody, and neither will pay the other spousal support, according to the documents filed in Los Angeles Superior Court. READ: Russia bans 100 Canadians including Atwood, Jim Carrey The judge declared the two legally single at Kardashian’s request in March, ending their eight-year marriage, but issues of property and custody remained that were to be worked out in a trial starting Dec. 14. The two have four children whose ages range from 3 to 9 years old. Kardashian and Ye will equally split the expenses for the kids’ private security and private school, including college, according to the settlement proposal. They will also each pay their own debts the settlement said. The two had a pre-nuptial agreement and kept their property largely separate. The couple began dating in 2012 and had their first child in 2013. West proposed later that year using the giant screen at the empty waterfront ballpark of the San Francisco Giants, and the two married May 24, 2014, in a ceremony at a Renaissance fortress in Florence, Italy. The two appeared to be headed for a cordial split with agreed-upon terms when Kardashian first filed for divorce in February of 2021. Neither discussed the split publicly until early this year, when Ye started lashing out on social media against Kardashian, her family, and then-boyfriend Pete Davidson. Among his complaints were that he was not being allowed to make major parenting decisions and was been excluded from birthday parties and other events for their children. READ: Restricted from Twitter, Instagram; Kanye to buy conservative social network Parler Ye, who has fired two lawyers since the divorce filing, also raised several technical issues and demands, including seeking the right to question any new husband of Kardashian’s under oath, which Judge Steve Cochran promptly rejected. The settlement comes soon after several companies have cut ties with Ye ove r offensive and antisemitic remarks that have further eroded an already withering public image. His latest lawyer, Nicholas Salick, did not immediately reply to a request for comment on the settlement. It was the third marriage for Kardashian, the reality TV superstar, businesswoman and influencer, and the first marriage for the rap and fashion mogul Ye. Theirs was one of the most closely followed celebrity unions in recent decades.

Film actress Pori Moni on Tuesday gave statement against three people including businessman Nasir U Mahmood and Tuhin Siddique Omi, in a case filed over rape and murder attempts on her. Dhaka Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-9 Judge Hemayet Uddin recorded her statement and fixed January 11 to hear the rest of the statement. Read: Actress Pori Moni's petition for cancelling narcotics case dismissed Actress Pori Moni appeared at the court whith her husband actor Shariful Islam Razz. Of the accused, Omi and Shah Shahidul Alam were present but Nasir appealed for time mentioning illness. On June 9, ,2021 Pori Moni   in her verified Facebook page uploaded a status seeking justice from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, claiming that the six people attempted to rape and kill her at the Uttara Boating Club. On June 14, Pori Moni filed a sexual assault complaint against six people, including Nasir and Omi, with Savar Model Police Station. Later, Nasir and four others were arrested from Uttara by a team of detectives. Read: SC clears way to continue trial against Pori Moni On September 6,  the investigating officer in the case, submitted a charge-sheet against the three accused to the Dhaka Chief Judicial Magistrate's Court. But, on Dec 1, Pori Moni filed a no-confidence petition seeking further investigation. On December 13, Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-9 Judge Md Hemayet Uddin accepted the charges in the case rejecting Pori Moni’s no-confidence petition.. The court fixed March 3, 2022 for beginning trial in the case.  

Albania’s president on Sunday granted citizenship to British pop star of Albanian origin Dua Lipa for what he said was the artist’s role in spreading Albanians’ fame internationally through her music. President Bajram Begaj said Lipa was granted citizenship ahead of Albania’s 110th anniversary of independence from the Ottoman Empire. Begaj said he considered it an honor to do so because Lipa has made Albanians famous throughout the world. “I will be an Albanian with papers too,” Lipa said before taking her citizenship oath at Tirana city hall. Read more: Russia bans 100 Canadians including Atwood, Jim Carrey Lipa was born in London in 1995 to immigrant Albanian parents Anesa and Dukagjin Lipa from Kosovo. Lipa, who started singing at five years old, was musically influenced by her father, a former singer and guitarist of a rock band. She started to post her songs in YouTube when she was 14. Her first debut studio album was released in 2017. In 2019 she won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist. Together with her father, she co-founded the Sunny Hill Foundation in 2016 to raise funds with annual concerts held in her native Kosovo to help people experiencing financial difficulties. Read more: House of the Dragon: Why do Targaryens have silver hair? “It is an indescribable great joy with such acceptance, love and everything,” said Lipa. The artist then took a passport photo, was fingerprinted and signed an application form for an identity hard and passport. Lipa will wrap up her annual concert tour in Tirana’s main Skanderbeg Square on Monday to commemorate Independence Day.

After going through much drama and controversies regarding its General Secretary candidacy since the election at the beginning of this year, the full executive committee of Bangladesh Film Artistes’ Association finally got together on Sunday night at the association office, BFDC in the capital. Two members of the Misha-Zayed panel, actress Moushumi and actor Ali Raj took the oath on Sunday, at the meeting of the executive committee of the association under President Ilias Kanchan. Read: ‘Agantuk’ wins Film Bazaar Award in Goa The fight between Zayed Khan and Nipun Akter over the position of General Secretary has been resolved recently after the verdict of the court, and now the members of both panels are united under the leadership of Kanchan as President and Nipun as the GS, according to the members. “It feels great to have everyone together as a united force,” Moushumi stated to the media after taking the oath. “After everything we have gone through since the election, now we are finally united.” Ilias Kanchan said, “I am glad to have everyone together as a team and this is what I desired from the beginning. I have experienced agony during the past nine months, and now, today, the suffering has ended.” “With the presence of our entire association's members tonight at this meeting and as everyone has vowed to act in the best interests of artists, we can gladly leave behind the conflicts and move forward,” Kanchan aspired. Regarding his presence in the meeting and forgetting all the past conflicts, Dipjol told the media, "I have never wanted any conflict between artists. Since the dispute over the post of General Secretary has reached the court and now there is no obstacle for Nipun to perform her duties as the GS of the association, I have decided to participate in the meeting and stay with its activities as I have always said that I will obey the verdict of the court.” Read: ‘Hoyto-Noyto': A satire on the times The meeting was attended by a number of actors, including Riaz, Symon, Anjana, Emon, Joy Chowdhury, Keya, Jadu Azad, Shahnoor and others.

Biplob Sarkar-directed Bangladeshi feature film ‘Agantuk’ (The Stranger) has recently been conferred as the unanimous winner of the Prasad DI award by the Film Bazaar Recommends jury in Goa, India in the Viewing Room section. The Viewing Room presents Indian and South Asian films, in-production or completed, looking for film festivals, world sales, distribution partners and also finishing funds. A total of 247 films were selected for the Viewing Room this year, out of which 30 films made it to the Film Bazaar Recommendations Section which includes 20 full-length, 2 mid-length and 8 short films.  Film Bazaar, held on November 20-24, dedicated to discovering, supporting and showcasing South Asian content is increasingly becoming a place of great interest for young filmmakers from South Asia. This event provides Film Bazaar with an opportunity to interact with renowned producers, distributors, sales agents and festival organisers from around the world. Read more: ‘Hoyto-Noyto': A satire on the times This win will allow the recipients to make a complete DI DCP and to use Qubewire to transmit the film to film festivals and exhibitors. However, due to visa complications, director Biplob Sarkar could not attend the Film Bazaar and receive the award in person. “The Prasad Lab in Hyderabad, India is a pioneer in film and video post-production for our creative industry over the years, and this is a great opportunity for us to conduct the post-production works of our film,” Biplob Sarkar told UNB.  With editing being completed, the director and producers are now preparing for other post-production works. After completing the post-production at Prasad Lab, the target is to focus on its distribution and compete in global film festivals around the world, he added. The story of Agantuk revolves around a 10-year-old boy named Kajal, living in a rural area of Bangladesh with their mother and terminally ill grandmother struggles with their gender identity.  Kajal’s father, Javed, has been absent for a long time.  One day, Javed returns home. This change in dynamics creates a rift in the family; Kohinoor doesn’t interact with Javed and Javed’s mother doesn’t recognize him. This return forces Kajal to share the bed with their grandmother.  Read more: Chanchal returns to theatre with Aranyak's 'Rarang' – 'cry to rise up' Kohinoor fears Kajal’s mental state, worrying about their cross-dressing as well as their attachment to their father. This hits a crescendo one night when Javed demands that Kajal be sent away to boarding school. ‘Agantuk’ features eminent actress Ferdousi Mazumder, alongside Sahana Rahman Sumi, Ratan Dev, Mahmud Alam, Ehan, Rafsan, Hriday, Hasimun and Nayeema Tasnim in the major roles. The film is produced by Ramya Rahim Chowdhury, Tazul Haque, Saifur Rahman Lenin and Biplob Sarkar. It received a government grant for the 2019-2020 fiscal year. In 2019, Biplob Sarkar's short documentary ‘Life Is Elsewhere’ won the Tarek Shahriar Best Independent Short Award at the 15th International Short and Independent Film Festival held in Dhaka. In 2020, another of his documentaries ‘Bismritajan’ won Exposition Young Film Talent Grant organised by Liberation War Museum. Earlier, he had worked as coordinator and faculty moderator of the film department at Pathshala South Asian Media Institute. He had also worked as chief assistant director in 'Meghmallar' and 'Chander Amavasya' directed by Zahidur Rahim Anjan.

Once there was a fairy tale kingdom, where the king was so ataraxic about his tenants that he wasn’t even concerned about the existing crises like the food crisis and price hikes in the realm. The bureaucracy of the whole system, hiding money in the name of development, was responsible for these circumstances. These things were ironically illustrated in ‘Hoyto-Noyto’, a drama staged at the Teachers and Students Cultural Centre of Rajshahi University (RU) on Monday (21 November, 2022) evening. The stage drama was organized by ‘Samakal Natyachakra’ of Rajshahi University, where the members of the organization performed in the different characters of the fairy tale realm. That was such a comedy-drama, where the irregularities were presented so ironically and in such a brilliant way that the spectators can relate these things with their surroundings. Read more: Chanchal returns to theatre with Aranyak's 'Rarang' – 'cry to rise up' In drama, the tenants were asking the king what they should do as they don’t have any food to eat. The bureaucrats of the throne replied that they should eat food by chewing and drinking while having food, and while not having food they should eat by ‘not chewing’ and ‘not drinking’. In another part of that drama, the minister of the realm said that the taxes on ‘luxurious products’ like rice, oil, vegetables, salt, and sugar were increased. That’s how the authorities are solving the existing problems mocking the life of the mass people. They also showed where and how the donations are gone in the name of mass people’s development. However, the plot was written by Radharaman Ghosh and directed by Mithu. ‘Samakal Natyachakra’ of Rajshahi University was launched on 25 November, 1981. Since then, they have been producing more than 70 stage and street dramas. Read more: 'Wolfed Down': One-woman theatrical show memerises Dhaka audience

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court (SC) on Monday cleared the way for actress Nipun Akter to serve as the general secretary of the Bangladesh Film Artistes’ Association (BFAA). A three-member bench of the Appellate Division led by Chief Justice Hasan Foyez Siddiqui passed the order staying the High Court (HC) verdict declaring actor Zayed Khan's candidacy for the post of general secretary in the election legal. At the same time, the court accepted Nipun's leave to appeal petition against the verdict of the High Court allowing her to file an appeal. Senior Advocate Ahsanul Karim and Nahid Sultana Juthi stood for Zayed while Senior Advocate Rokonuddin Mahmud and Barrister Mostafizur Rahman Khan for Nipun. Read: Appellate Division asks Zayed, Nipun to follow Chamber Judge order Earlier on March 6, Justice Obaidul Hassan, chamber judge of the Appellate Division stayed the HC order that validated Zayed as general secretary of the BFAA for four weeks. The chamber judge also ordered status-quo over holding the post.      On March 2, the HC cleared the way for Zayed to serve as the general secretary of the BFFA after striking down the decision of the Election Appeal Board of the association. Nipun again took the fight to the court and filed an appeal before the Appellate Division. The association election was held on January 28. Read: BFAA election: Chamber judge stays HC order after Nipun's appeal Zayed was declared the winner for the general secretary post, after he defeated Nipun in a close contest. But Nipun launched a legal fight challenging legality of Zayed's candidacy and accusing him of vote fraud.