United News of Bangladesh

After a 35-year cinema ban, Saudi Arabia's film industry is rapidly evolving, marked by the success of the Red Sea International Film Festival. This transformation was celebrated when Roula Dakheelallah, star of *My Driver and I,* received the Chopard Emerging Saudi Talent award on Thursday.  “My heart is attached to cinema and art; I have always dreamed of a moment like this,” said Dakheelallah, reflecting on her journey from volunteering in small productions to her first major film role.  Saudi Arabia's cultural shift began in 2018 with the reopening of cinemas, ending a ban imposed under ultraconservative religious influence. The kingdom has since invested heavily in its film sector, building cinemas and launching programs to support local talent. The Red Sea International Film Festival, launched in 2019, showcases Saudi films and international productions, attracting stars like Viola Davis and Priyanka Chopra Jonas.  These developments align with Vision 2030, a reform initiative aimed at reducing the kingdom's reliance on oil. As part of the plan, Saudi Arabia aims to construct 350 cinemas with over 2,500 screens. By April 2024, 66 cinemas were already operating in 22 cities.  Allu Arjun arrested over woman’s death at 'Pushpa 2' Screening The industry’s growth includes the opening of Al Hisn Studios near Riyadh, a production hub with film studios and workshops for carpentry, blacksmithing, and fashion. “These facilities will stimulate filmmakers,” said actor Mohammed Elshehri, emphasizing that creators now have the resources to bring their visions to life.  Media company Telfaz11, a key player in this transformation, has partnered with Netflix to produce original Saudi content. Films like Mandoob (Night Courier) and Naga explore sensitive social issues, marking a shift in Saudi storytelling. “When you tell your story naturally, it will resonate globally,” said Elshehri.  Some films like “The Goat Life” remain unavailable domestically. Even “My Driver and I, a story about a Sudanese driver caring for a girl, initially faced resistance due to its sensitive themes.  Filmmaker Ahd Kamel and Dakheelallah represent a growing number of women shaping Saudi cinema. “I see the change in Saudi cinema, a very beautiful change,” Dakheelallah remarked. “We need to guide the truth of this artistic movement at a steady pace.”   

Selena Gomez is having an exciting year, and it’s ending on a high note with an engagement to music producer and songwriter Benny Blanco. The Grammy- and Emmy-nominated artist shared the news on Instagram Wednesday, posting a photo of her engagement ring and a warm embrace with her fiancé. The caption read, “Forever begins now.” Celebrity fans sent their congratulations, with rapper Lil Nas X writing “So happy for you both” and Taylor Swift saying “Yes I will be the flower girl.” Well-wishes were also sent by Gwyneth Paltrow, Lily Collins and Padma Lakshmi. Gomez became a Golden Globe double nominee Monday for her roles in “Emilia Pérez” and “Only Murders in the Building.” In 2020, Gomez started the Rare Impact Fund and her Rare Beauty line of cosmetics, pledging to donate 1% of all sales to the fund to help expand mental health services and education for young people. Blanco and Gomez worked together on the 2019 song “I Can’t Get Enough,” which also featured J Balvin and Tainy. In 2018, Blanco released his first song — “Eastside” — with Khalid and Halsey, and the trio performed it at the 2018 American Music Awards. Among the songs he’s credited on as a writer and producer include Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream,” Kesha’s “Tik Tok,” “Circus” by Britney Spears and Maroon 5’s “Moves Like Jagger.”

Papia Sarwar, one of Bangladesh's most renowned and prolific Rabindra Sangeet artistes, passed away at a private hospital in the capital on Thursday. She was 72. She breathed her last at the hospital around 8 am, her husband Sarwar Alam told media. The Ekushey Padak-winning revered singer , who had been battling with cancer for three years, was admitted to the ICU and placed on life support following a deterioration in her health condition on Wednesday. ‘Ei Padma Ei Meghna’ lyricist Abu Zafar no more She is survived by her husband and two daughters- Zaara Sarwar and Jisha SarwarPapia Sarwar . Born on November 21 into a musically inclined family in Barisal, Papia Sarwar pursued Rabindra Sangeet at Visva-Bharati University in Santiniketan in 1973 through a scholarship offered by the government of India. She was the first recipient of this scholarship after the country's independence. Earlier, she had received her initial music training from renowned mentors Atiqul Islam, Waheedul Haq, Sanjida Khatun, and Zahidur Rahim at Chhayanaut in 1966, later continuing at the Bulbul Academy of Fine Arts (BAFA). Throughout her illustrious musical career, Papia Sarwar earned widespread admiration and numerous accolades for her expertise in Rabindra Sangeet. In 1996, she established a music group named Geetosudha to share her knowledge with aspiring learners. Ex-Chief Justice Ruhul Amin dies at 83 Her modern song, ‘Nai Telephone Nai Re Peon Nai Re Telegram’, gained immense popularity among Bengali music enthusiasts. Besides, she became a well-known and beloved figure in the television industry through her regular musical performances. For her outstanding contributions to the country’s music scene, Papia Sarwar was honoured with the Rabindra Award from Bangla Academy in 2013, a Bangla Academy Fellowship in 2015 and the Ekushey Padak in 2021.

Papia Sarwar, one of Bangladesh's most renowned and prolific Rabindra Sangeet artistes, was admitted to the ICU and placed on life support at a private hospital in the capital following a deterioration in her health condition on Wednesday. The Ekushey Padak-winning revered singer has been battling cancer for the past three years, said her husband Sarwar Alam. He said the artist is nearing the end of her life, with doctors losing hope and her family preparing for the inevitable. Alam mentioned that their two daughters, Zaara Sarwar and Jisha Sarwar, live in the USA and Canada, respectively. The final decision will be made after their return. Papia Sarwar has been battling a complex health condition for a long time, and she was taken to Delhi, India, for advanced treatment last year. Born on November 21 into a musically inclined family in Barisal, Papia Sarwar pursued Rabindra Sangeet at Visva-Bharati University in Santiniketan in 1973 through a scholarship offered by the government of India. She was the first recipient of this scholarship after the country's independence. Earlier, she had received her initial music training from renowned mentors Atiqul Islam, Waheedul Haq, Sanjida Khatun, and Zahidur Rahim at Chhayanaut in 1966, later continuing at the Bulbul Academy of Fine Arts (BAFA). Throughout her illustrious musical career, Papia Sarwar earned widespread admiration and numerous accolades for her expertise in Rabindra Sangeet. In 1996, she established a music group named Geetosudha to share her knowledge with aspiring learners. Her modern song, ‘Nai Telephone Nai Re Peon Nai Re Telegram’, gained immense popularity among Bengali music enthusiasts. Besides, she became a well-known and beloved figure in the television industry through her regular musical performances. For her outstanding contributions to the country’s music scene, Papia Sarwar was honoured with the Rabindra Award from Bangla Academy in 2013, a Bangla Academy Fellowship in 2015 and the Ekushey Padak in 2021.

Although 2024 may not have been the strongest year for television, it still delivered some remarkable new series. Despite delays in highly anticipated shows like the final season of Stranger Things and The White Lotus, there were fresh comedies, dramas, reality shows, and remakes that resonated with audiences and critics alike. Here's a look at 10 standout new series from 2024 worth exploring before the year ends: Nobody Wants This Netflix's Nobody Wants This brought Adam Brody back into the spotlight. In this romantic comedy by Erin Foster, Brody stars as Noah, a rabbi navigating the challenges of dating Joanne (Kristen Bell), a non-Jewish woman. Despite hurdles such as family expectations and career conflicts, the duo’s chemistry shines through. The series also boasts a stellar supporting cast. Supacell Netflix's British series Supacell offers a refreshing take on superhero narratives. Created by Rapman, it follows a group of Black, working-class Londoners who discover they have superpowers linked to a shared family history of sickle cell disease. The show explores themes of racial disparity, poverty, and societal neglect, earning a renewal for a second season. Taylor Swift 'Eras' tie-in book is a smash, selling more than 800,000 copies in first week The Penguin Max’s The Penguin, a spin-off from The Batman (2022), shifts focus to Colin Farrell's portrayal of Oz Cobb. Set in Gotham’s criminal underworld, the series also features Cristin Milioti as Sofia Falcone, earning her critical acclaim and a Golden Globe nomination. Matlock CBS reimagined the classic Matlock with Kathy Bates in the lead. Bates plays Madeline Kingston, a retired lawyer who resumes her career under an alias, driven by both financial need and personal vengeance. Addressing age-related stereotypes with humor and depth, the series streams on Paramount+. The Valley Bravo's The Valley, a spin-off of Vanderpump Rules, revisits the lives of Jax Taylor, Brittany Cartwright, and Kristen Doute. While showcasing their personal and marital struggles, the new cast members also bring drama and intrigue. The series streams on Peacock. Mr. & Mrs. Smith Amazon’s Mr. & Mrs. Smith, starring Donald Glover and Maya Erskine, reinvents the concept of the 2005 film. Playing spies posing as a married couple, their evolving relationship forms the crux of the series. With star-studded guest appearances, the show garnered numerous Emmy and Golden Globe nominations. A list of mispronounced words provides a retrospective of 2024, from Kamala to Chappell Ripley Netflix’s Ripley, a neo-noir adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s novel, stars Andrew Scott as the titular con artist. The series captures Tom Ripley’s journey of deceit and murder as he becomes entangled in the luxurious lifestyle of a wealthy heir in Italy. English Teacher FX's English Teacher, created by and starring Brian Jordan Alvarez, centers on Evan, a high school teacher navigating modern-day challenges like societal labels and gun safety. The series, streaming on Hulu, is praised for its humor, social commentary, and memorable soundtrack. Shōgun FX’s Shōgun, based on James Clavell’s novel, is set in feudal Japan. With stunning production value and standout performances by Hiroyuki Sanada and Anna Sawai, it swept 18 Emmy awards. Initially planned as a limited series, its success has led to the announcement of two additional seasons. Presumed Innocent Jake Gyllenhaal makes his TV debut in Apple TV+’s Presumed Innocent. Playing Rusty Sabich, a prosecutor accused of murder, Gyllenhaal is joined by Peter Sarsgaard in this adaptation of Scott Turow’s novel. The series has become the platform’s most-watched drama and will return for a second season.

Renowned filmmaker Mostofa Sarwar Farooki’s latest venture, 840, is slated for nationwide release on December 13. The filmmaker shared the information in a Facebook post on Sunday evening. The trailer of the film “840: Democracy Pvt Ltd” was released on Friday night. Mehazabien set to debut on silver screen with ‘Priyo Maloti’ Featuring a stellar cast, including Nasir Uddin Khan, Marzuk Russell, Fazlur Rahman Babu, and Zakia Bari Mamo, the film also highlights local talents from Rajshahi and Naogaon. Farooki, known for his sharp satirical lens, had previously captured attention with his film 420, which critiqued contemporary social and political anomalies. Chhayanaut to publish all content across various social platforms The film is produced by Nusrat Imrose Tisha in association with Impress Telefilm.

Ernest Hemingway has returned to Cuba... in a way. Eighteen white-bearded men who resemble the late U.S. author arrived in Havana to visit some of his favorite places when he lived on the island decades ago. The members of the Hemingway Look-alike Society on Saturday visited the author’s favorite bar in Havana, “El Floridita,” where the music immediately picked up, and tourists and locals gathered around to take photos. Earlier, they went to the San Francisco de Paula municipality and Finca Vigia, a former home to Hemingway that is now a museum. There, they played baseball with children. “That is the reason for our visit: the kids and their families,” said Joe Maxy, from Tennessee, who is one of the bearded men honoring the author of “The Old Man and the Sea.” The visit comes as Cuba and the United States are in the midst of tense relations. Washington maintains sanctions on the islands, and things are unlikely to change as Donald Trump prepares to assume the presidency in January. After former President Barack Obama lifted some restrictions in 2017, Trump largely shut down U.S. cooperation with Cuba and hit the country with new sanctions. The U.S. generally prohibits Americans from traveling to Cuba for tourism, although it gives some permits. Taylor Swift 'Eras' tie-in book is a smash, selling more than 800,000 copies in first week The look-alikes arrived in Havana on Friday when they took part in a ceremony at the Hemingway marina in honor of Diana Nyad, the first swimmer to cross the Gulf of Mexico from Cuba to Florida, and they will leave the island on Sunday. Hemingway lived in Cuba from 1939 to 1960.

Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy has launched a month-long cultural festival to promote cultural diversity across the country. The festival began with performances including July Uprising Performance, Songs of Mass Uprising, and the traditional Wangala Festival, according to a media release signed by Sabina Yesmin, public relations officer of Shilpakala Academy on Friday. ‘July Uprising Performance’ in Dhaka The performance, titled “Shono Mohajan Amra Hazarjon,” honours the voices of students and citizens in their fight for pluralistic democracy and secular culture. The academy’s Fine Arts Department is organising the event, which will take place at Dhaka University’s Bakultala and surrounding areas on December 6-7. The event will feature 41 artists and performers. Notable participants include Afsana Sharmin Jhumpa, Abu Naser Rabii, and Sumona Akter. This unique presentation, themed “1971/2024 Shono Mohajan Amra Hazarjon,” will be live-streamed on Shilpakala Academy’s official Facebook page and YouTube channel. ‘Songs of Mass Uprising’ in Gazipur The academy will hold Songs of Mass Uprising at 4 pm on Friday at the Rajbari field in Gazipur. Organised by the academy’s Music, Dance, and Recitation Department in collaboration with the Gazipur District Administration, the event will showcase performances by garment workers and a cultural group. Performers Imam Hasan Shanto and Lamia Islam Tanha will present the piece titled Moner Govire Mon Koto Oshohay, Protibadi Mon Mone Shadhinota Chay. Read:Shilpakala Academy publishes expenditure details for Lalon Festival 2024 Abdus Samad, father of Shaheed Zakir Hossain, a martyr of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, will inaugurate the event, which will also be live-streamed. ‘Wangala Festival’ in Netrokona The Indigenous Cultural Academy of Birishiri, Netrokona, in collaboration with Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, is hosting the Garo community’s traditional Wangala Festival on Friday afternoon. Dr. Syed Jamil Ahmed, Director General of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, will attend as the chief guest, with Netrokona’s Deputy Commissioner Banani Biswas in charge. Principal Manindra Nath Marak, an educationist, writer, and researcher, will join as a guest. Garo cultural groups from Dhobaura, Gopalpur, Arapara, Gohalidhew, and Uttarael will perform to showcase the community's vibrant heritage. Upcoming Events As part of the month-long celebrations, a nationwide instrumental music festival will take place simultaneously at the divisional level on Saturday.

Netflix, renowned for redefining global entertainment, continues its legacy of diverse storytelling to the new year with a captivating start. This January, the platform unveils a vibrant lineup of originals, including films, series, animations, documentaries, and reality shows. The new releases promise to immerse viewers in genres spanning mystery, thriller, adventure, romance, comedy, and action. With a blend of fresh and recurring shows, this selection reaffirms the platform’s creative brilliance and universal appeal. Let’s dive into the English original highlights on Netflix shaping buzzworthy content in January 2025! Must-stream Netflix English Originals Premiering This January . Missing You / Mystery Thriller / January 1, 2025 Directed by Sean Spencer, this British-American TV series highlights an adaptation of a novel by Harlan Coben. Screenplay by Victoria Asare-Archer, this mystery series follows detective Kat Donovan who stumbles upon her long-lost fiance’s profile on a dating app- a decade after his sudden disappearance. Read more: Top 12 South Indian Movies Releasing in November 2024 The limited series, which stars Rosalind Eleazar as the lead character, features an additional cast that includes Richard Armitage, Jessica Plummer, Lenny Henry, Marc Warren, Steve Pemberton, Lisa Faulkner, Matt Willis, Ashley Walters, and James Nesbitt. Coben and Asare-Archer, along with Nicola Shindler, Richard Fee, Danny Brocklehurst, and Producer Guy Hescott, also executive produced the thriller series. Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl / Animated Adventure / January 3, 2025 Based on the characters from the Wallace and Gromit series by Nick Park, this British stop-motion film flourishes with Merlin Crossingham and Park as the directors. This installment marks the sixth film in the beloved franchise, the first since 2008's ‘A Matter of Loaf and Death’. ‘Vengeance Most Fowl’ is the second feature-length production after ‘The Curse of the Were-Rabbit’ (2005) and the sequel to ‘The Wrong Trousers’ from 1993. Park jointly developed the story with Mark Burton who did screenwriting for the animated film. Read more: November 2024 Bollywood Movies: Top 10 Must-Watch Hindi Films You Can’t Miss The animal sci-fi movie focuses on Gromit, whose growing unease about Wallace's reliance on his inventions leads to startling revelations. Wallace's creation of an intelligent gnome challenges their bond and raises the question of how far technology can go when left unchecked. Bankrolled by Aardman Animations, the family movie features a voice-over cast that includes Ben Whitehead, Peter Kay, Lauren Patel, and Reece Shearsmith. Jerry Springer: Fights, Camera, Action / Documentary / January 7, 2025 Helmed by Luke Sewell, this two-part documentary series pulls back the curtain on the sensational true story behind ‘Springer Show’, one of the most outrageous and biggest hits of the 90s. The late Jerry Springer, a former Cincinnati mayor and accomplished news anchor, hosted the legendary daytime talk show that enthralled viewers for 27 seasons. Known as a televised circus of outrageous melodrama, it delivered explosive tales of love triangles, surprise family connections, and the infamous flying chairs. Read more: Top 10 Netflix English Originals to Watch in November 2024 The jaw-dropping series explores the show’s unravels of the Springer Show's meteoric rise and controversial legacy. Featuring rare firsthand accounts and eye-opening revelations from insiders, it exposes the hidden truths beneath the show's sensational surface. Executive produced by Sophie Jones, Alicia Kerr, and Sophie Leonard, this documentary series thrives with Catherine Murnane as producer. American Primeval / Western Thriller / January 9, 2025 Screenplay written by Mark L. Smith, this western TV series boasts Peter Berg as its director. Smith and Berg also serve as executive producers with Eric Newman. This riveting thriller delves into the intense struggle for dominance in the American West, unraveling the violent conflicts and ideological clashes between religion and culture. Read more: Amazon Prime Originals List for November 2024: Exclusive Shows, Films and Web Series Starring Taylor Kitsch, Saura Lightfoot Leon, Jai Courtney, Shea Whigham, Betty Gilpin, and Dane DeHaan, the series production is spearheaded by Film 44 and Grand Electric.

Vice President Kamala Harris and breakout pop star Chappell Roan were among the year's most talked-about people. Their names were also among the most mispronounced. On Wednesday, the language-learning company Babbel and closed-captioning company The Captioning Group released a list of the words that news anchors, politicians and other public figures in the U.S. struggled with the most in 2024. The list also provides a retrospective of the year’s most discussed topics and people, from pop culture to politics. “It’s a nice way to kind of look back into the year and see everything that has happened,” said Esteban Touma, a linguistic and cultural expert at Babbel. Roan — whose hits include “Good Luck, Babe!” — shot to fame this year and is nominated for six Grammy awards. According to the list, her name is pronounced CHAP-uhl ROHN, not SHA-pel ROW-an. During Harris' unsuccessful run for president this year, her great-nieces took to the stage at the Democratic National Convention to clear up how to say her first name, pronounced COM-a-la. Also making the list was U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, whose last name still leaves people tongue-tied. During his 2020 presidential run, his campaign made posters and T-shirts with the pronunciation “Boot-Edge-Edge” to help. Other words on the list include: — Dutch Kooikerhondje, pronounced COY-ker-HUND-che, is a breed of dog that made it's way into the lexicon this year. This is largely because Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani has a Kooikerhondje called Decoy who won the hearts of fans while delivering a ceremonial first pitch. — The name of the actress Zendaya, who starred in “Challengers,” is often mispronounced as zen-DIE-uh, but it should be zen-DAY-a. — Online fast-fashion giant Shein is SHE-in, not SHEEN. — Newly discovered exoplanet Speculoos-3b is pronounced SPEK-yuh-lohss three bee. — Phryge, the mascot of the Paris Olympics, is pronounced FREE-je. It was a nod to the Phrygian cap, an emblematic accessory of the French revolutionaries. — Semaglutide, the drug in weight-loss medications Ozempic and Wegovy, is pronounced sem-ah-GLOO-tide, not SEE-mah-gloo-tide. — The last name of Irish actor Barry Keoghan, who starred in “Saltburn,” is pronounced key-OH-gin. Nancy Niedzielski, chair of the linguistics department at Rice University in Houston, points out that most of the words on the list are not English, so it’s not surprising that they would be mispronounced in the U.S. The key to pronouncing them correctly, she said, would probably just be hearing them spoken, she said. “There aren’t really tricks short of knowing how orthology works in that language,” she said. Several of the words on the U.S. list, including Keoghan, Phryge and Shein, also made the list for the U.K., which Babbel compiled with the help of the British Institute of Verbatim Reporters, an organization for subtitling professionals. Other words on the U.K. list include flygskam, a Swedish term pronounced FLEEG-skam, popularized by climate activist Greta Thunberg, which translates as “flight shame,” and the Chagos Islands, pronounced CHAY-goss, which made the list after the British government this year returned sovereignty of the long-contested Indian Ocean archipelago to Mauritius. Touma, a native Spanish speaker, said if you can't pronounce a word, it's important to just keep trying. “One of the problems we have is our mouths are not trained to do these sounds that come from different languages,” he said. Touma admitted even he struggles with some words, including Harris' first name. Even though he knows the correct pronunciation, he said, it's hard to get it correct in the moment when he's in a conversation. As Roan's music gained popularity over the year, it was interesting cultural moment to watch as people learned to pronounce her first and last name, he said. “The way we create understanding with each other is just trying to do these things,” Touma said.