At Busan Film Festival, Starring Roles for Hong Kong and Bangladesh :banana:
September 11, 2012, 3:08 PM HKT
By Dean Napolitano

The Hong Kong action movie “Cold War” opens this year’s Busan International Film Festival, one of more than 300 titles slated for the 10-day event starting Oct. 4.

“Cold War,” from co-directors Longman Leung and Sunny Luk and “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” producer Bill Kong, turns Hong Kong into a battlefield as five police officers are taken hostage, leading to a clash between the city’s two deputy commissioners over control of the crisis and rescue operation. Its star-studded cast includes Aaron Kwok, Tony Leung Ka-fai and Andy Lau, and it makes its world premiere at the festival before a general release later in October.

Busan’s closing film, also a world premiere, is “Television,” a satire from Bangladesh, directed by Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, that touches on potentially sensitive issues such as religion and modernization.

While the headline events are both international films, the festival will showcase a range of Korean cinema, including “Pieta,” a thriller about a loan shark who encounters a woman who says she’s his mother. Directed by Kim Ki-duk, it won the top prize at the Venice Film Festival last weekend.

A retrospective series focuses on eight vintage Korean movies, including three from the 1960s by Shin Sang-ok. Mr. Shin was kidnapped along with his actress wife in 1978, taken to North Korea and ordered to co-direct films with Kim Jong Il. He endured eight years there before he and his wife escaped during a visit to Austria. He died in Seoul in 2006.

One of this year’s oddities is a North Korean comedy, “Comrade Kim Goes Flying,” about a coal miner with dreams of becoming a trapeze artist. It is currently screening at Toronto’s film festival.

Tang Wei, a Chinese actress with a Korean following, is slated to host Busan’s opening-night ceremony. Hundreds of fans turned out in Busan last year when Ms. Tang attended the Korean premiere of “Wu Xia,” in which she starred as a village wife to Donnie Yen’s martial-arts master. She also appeared in “Late Autumn,” the 2010 romantic drama by Kim Tae-yong.

News Source:
The Wall Street Journal

Transgender-Hindu romance film, a smash hit in Bangladesh

A film about a love affair between a transgender person and a Hindu boy has become a surprise hit in Bangladesh, with distributors saying on Sunday that it will now be given a general release.

Kristin Deasy
July 10, 2012

"Common Gender," a new indie romance film in which a transgendered person falls for a Hindu boy, has been such a hit with audiences in Bangladesh that it will be given a general release, distributors told Agence-France Press on Sunday.

The film was initially released two weeks ago in only six theaters, where it attracted surprisingly large audiences.

Film distributor Enamul Karim told AFP it's been such "a resounding success" that an Indian producer is already eager to purchase rights to the film.

The webzine Jezebel found that "a little surprising" given the discrimination facing Southeast Asia's transgendered community, where they are known as "hijras."

This is a group that exists "in the margins of society and have little or no social status," according to a 2011 Oxfam report on the region.

The film's director, Noman Robin, told AFP he was inspired to make the film after seeing a transgendered person beaten "in front of hundreds of people" after trying to use a public bathroom.

Hijras are often denied legal access to health care, housing benefits, education, and employment, a situation the Oxfam report attributed mostly to bureaucratic complications caused by their inability to fit in a male or female gender category.

AFP said over 1,000 members of Bangladesh's transgendered community demonstrated for greater rights in Dhaka last fall, while Jezebel nodded to the community's landmark "Hijra Habba" anti-discrimination event in India last month.

News Source:
Alaska Dispatch

The Tempest – review
Shakespeare's Globe, London

Imogen Tilden
Tuesday 8 May 2012 16.58 BST

It's apt that in the middle of a dismally wet spring, a play that begins with a storm and ends with a sea voyage is performed by a group of actors from a land itself troubled by water. Dhaka Theatre's Tempest, adapted by Rubayet Ahmed, is short on words but strong on both music and dancing, reflecting the company's taste for mixing traditional forms of performance with more modern ideas.

Shakespeare's concerns in The Tempest are universal ones – power, love, betrayal, revenge and forgiveness – and these are sketched in broad brushstrokes by the multi-skilled company. The 13-strong cast (11 actors, two musicians) are dressed in pale traditional costumes with bright patches of colour – green, yellow, red. Gestures and stylised movements establish characters: Ariel, played by a woman whose hair flows down her back almost to her legs, is shrouded in a midnight-blue gauze to perform her magic, while Prospero's charms are evoked by two drummers who beat frenetic rhythms on double-headed hand drums while leaping and whirling.

This adaptation sees human concerns take centre-stage – Miranda and Ferdinand's marriage is celebrated by a rousing song and dance, while the final tableau is not of Ariel being freed, nor of Prospero turning away from his magic, but of Caliban standing tall on a makeshift throne, clutching the conch shell Prospero has handed him, symbolising his kingship of the now-empty island.

My Bengali (the world's sixth most spoken language) is non-existent, alas, but plenty of the audience appreciated the generously done broad humour of the Stephano/Trinculo/Caliban scenes; likewise, the king and his three courtiers were strongly and likably played.

To my mind, the heart of the play lies in the relationship of Prospero and Ariel. Both here felt underplayed: Prospero lacked authority, while Ariel's presence was so diminished that she seemed little more than a supporting player. Their final scene, though, was beautifully realised – as Prospero grants Ariel her freedom, he stands behind her, arms loosely encircling her. She reaches up, stretching towards the infinite sky, poised to take flight, and laughs for joy.

News Source:
The Guardian

Further Reading:
http://bloggingshakespeare.com/year-of-shakespeare-the-tempest-globe

Mostofa Sarwar Farooki's Television to close Busan film fest

Press Trust of India
Sunday, September 16, 2012

In yet another sign of the growing strength of parallel cinema in Bangladesh helmed by a crop of young directors, Mostofa Sarwar Farooki's latest feature film Television, which deals with the theme of tradition versus modernity in a rural setting, has been chosen to bring the curtain down on the Busan Film Festival in South Korea next month.

It is for the first time that a Bangladeshi feature film gets the honour of being the closing film of Asia's biggest international film festival where Television will have its world premiere.

Understandably, 39-year-old Farooki, who has made just three feature films before Television, is elated.

"I believe that the selection of my film for the closing of the 10-day Busan festival, ending on October 13, is a recognition not only for the young directors of the new wave of cinema in Bangladesh but also for South Asia because it is not often that one finds a film from this region getting the honour of either to be the opening or closing film," the director told PTI over phone from Dhaka.

The film opens with a television being thrown into water by a powerful villageman. Even as people in the village are very curious about the idiot box, the man tries to keep the villagers away from what he considers 'sin'. However, by the end of the film, the 'television', which the man disliked so much, helps him reach a transcendental state where he and his God are unified.

However, Farooki insists religion is not important in Television, which stars Mosharraf Karim, Chanchal Chowdhury and Tisha, the faces you will find in the director's previous films also.

"What I am dealing with in the movie is a conflict between an imaginary world and a real world. I have tried to study whether the imaginary world at times overtakes the real world.

"The film is a study of two different times meeting at a critical point. At the end of the day, it is just a story of different angles of human relation," he said.

According to the executive programmer of Busan Film Festival, for a long time, Bangladeshi cinema was not ready to be featured or highlighted in international film festivals but the recent advent of young and coming of age filmmakers is changing this idea.

Film lovers in Delhi would recall Farooki's previous feature film Third Person Singular Number (2009), sensitively dealing with the plight of a single woman deserted by her husband in a male-dominated society, which was screened at the Siri Fort Auditorium at a festival organised by Bangladeshi High Commission a year ago.

That film too had its world premiere at the Busan Festival and it fetched him the best director award at Dhaka International Film Festival.

A veteran of TV filmmaking, Farooki made his debut in full-length feature with Bachelor (2003) which was screened at numerous international film festivals. Four years later, he directed Made in Bangladesh.

Farooki said the audio tracks of Television would be released soon and the film may be released commercially either in November or December.

Farooki would not be the only star at Busan. Another young Bangladeshi filmmaker Abu Shahed Emon's The Container is also competing in the Wide Angle Section of the festival.


News Source:
NDTV Online

Mostofa Sarwar Farooki's Television to close Busan film fest

Press Trust of India | Sunday, September 16, 2012 (New Delhi)



In yet another sign of the growing strength of parallel cinema in Bangladesh helmed by a crop of young directors, Mostofa Sarwar Farooki's latest feature film Television, which deals with the theme of tradition versus modernity in a rural setting, has been chosen to bring the curtain down on the Busan Film Festival in South Korea next month.

It is for the first time that a Bangladeshi feature film gets the honour of being the closing film of Asia's biggest international film festival where Television will have its world premiere.:banana:

Understandably, 39-year-old Farooki, who has made just three feature films before Television, is elated.

"I believe that the selection of my film for the closing of the 10-day Busan festival, ending on October 13, is a recognition not only for the young directors of the new wave of cinema in Bangladesh but also for South Asia because it is not often that one finds a film from this region getting the honour of either to be the opening or closing film," the director told PTI over phone from Dhaka.

The film opens with a television being thrown into water by a powerful villageman. Even as people in the village are very curious about the idiot box, the man tries to keep the villagers away from what he considers 'sin'. However, by the end of the film, the 'television', which the man disliked so much, helps him reach a transcendental state where he and his God are unified.

However, Farooki insists religion is not important in Television, which stars Mosharraf Karim, Chanchal Chowdhury and Tisha, the faces you will find in the director's previous films also.

"What I am dealing with in the movie is a conflict between an imaginary world and a real world. I have tried to study whether the imaginary world at times overtakes the real world.

"The film is a study of two different times meeting at a critical point. At the end of the day, it is just a story of different angles of human relation," he said.

According to the executive programmer of Busan Film Festival, for a long time, Bangladeshi cinema was not ready to be featured or highlighted in international film festivals but the recent advent of young and coming of age filmmakers is changing this idea.

Film lovers in Delhi would recall Farooki's previous feature film Third Person Singular Number (2009), sensitively dealing with the plight of a single woman deserted by her husband in a male-dominated society, which was screened at the Siri Fort Auditorium at a festival organised by Bangladeshi High Commission a year ago.

That film too had its world premiere at the Busan Festival and it fetched him the best director award at Dhaka International Film Festival.

A veteran of TV filmmaking, Farooki made his debut in full-length feature with Bachelor (2003) which was screened at numerous international film festivals. Four years later, he directed Made in Bangladesh.

Farooki said the audio tracks of Television would be released soon and the film may be released commercially either in November or December.

Farooki would not be the only star at Busan. Another young Bangladeshi filmmaker Abu Shahed Emon's The Container is also competing in the Wide Angle Section of the festival.


News Source:
NDTV Online

Sorry,the double post was an accident and the admin may have disabled my deleting option.

Bangladeshi director beams into Busan with ‘Television’

BUSAN: Bangladeshi director Mostofa Sarwar Farooki cried when told that his film about a village elder’s fight against the influence of television would this year close Asia’s biggest film festival.

“My eyes were full of tears,” said Farooki, who was in Seoul working on post production when news came through that the world premier of his film “Television” would conclude the 17th Busan International Film Festival.

“People don’t know Bangladesh as a film-making country so it really means a lot, not only for me but for all the young Bangladeshi filmmakers. I knew everyone would be celebrating.” It will be the first time a Bangladeshi film has closed the festival, an honour previously taken by some of Asia’s most acclaimed directors including Hong Kong’s Wong Kar-Wai in 2000 with “In the Mood for Love” and China’s Zhang Yimou with “Not One Less” in 1999.

It also serves as considerable recognition for the 39-year-old director who has just four films under his belt, and who says his path into the industry was forged by a combination of accident and desire.

“The first short film I made was to impress a girl,” Farooki told AFP on the sidelines of the festival. “But then she left me, so I got involved with a new relationship and that was with cinema.”

Having first tried to sate his artistic ambitions by dabbling in writing and theatre, Farooki came to international attention in 2003 with “Bachelor”, which travelled to festivals in Rome and Mumbai.

“I tried so many things but I failed. I was a terrible student,” he said.

“I never made it to university. I was a drop out. I tend to learn through experience so my first two films were my educational process. It was like I had jumped in the water to learn how to swim.” What makes Farooki’s work different is its contemporary take on the lives and troubles of young Bangladeshis, as opposed to the Bollywood copies or pirated films that dominate its cinema.

His gritty drama “Third Person Singular Number” (2009) was seen by more than one million people in his homeland, said the director.

Farooki said Bangladeshi cinema was currently undergoing a major upheaval with production numbers more than halved over the past decade from 80 to around 35 films per year.

“We are seeing a transitional process,” he said. “But real filmmakers are coming in and they are making real films, not just trying to copy Bollywood.”Critics who caught early preview screenings of “Television” in Busan were left charmed by the comedy-drama, and impressed by Farooki’s talents.

The film opens with a local elder (Shahir Kazi Huda) trying to enforce a ban on televisions in his village, and expands to touch on the clash between generations and their interests.

“It’s a conflict between the traditional and modern world and this takes place everywhere,” said Farooki of his film.

The director said his own cinematic education had come, ironically, thanks to the rampant piracy that has given young Bangladeshis the opportunity to see films from all over the world.

“Thanks to piracy we really started to learn about film language,” said Farooki. “But no one thought we could make films, or that if we did, that people would come to see them.”

Farooki’s successes are fast helping alter such opinions, with a growing band of young filmmakers in the country and an audience eager to see their films.

Another Bangladeshi filmmaker, Abu Shahed Emon, was at Busan this year with his short documentary “The Container”, which is vying for the Asian Short Film Award. Farooki said more filmmakers were ready to follow in their path.

“I hope the film gives people a new look at Bangladesh,” he said.

“From an audience and a filmmaker’s point of view we have a bright future. So many young people are making interesting videos and television films,” he said.

“With support from top festivals like Busan and a little bit of support from our government, I hope this energy will be channeled on to the big screen.”

Once Farooki had finished his post-production work on “Television”, he returned to a huge celebration in Bangladesh. He said his Busan experience had given him further confidence about his own talents.

“I don’t want to be a filmmaker who presents an exotic picture of a part of the world that people are not familiar with,” he said.

“First and foremost I am a storyteller. I want to tell stories with all their complexities, where there is no black and white, no good and bad guy. I want to discover the complexities of the human condition.”


Source:
AFP

Bangladesh film tackles past culture

Tuesday, Oct 16, 2012
DHAKA

An old Bangladeshi tradition of wealthy middle-aged men taking teenage boy singers as lovers is rediscovered in a new cinema-released film.

Homosexuality is illegal in Bangladesh thanks to an law established in British colonial times. But 150 years ago rich Muslim landlords in rural areas regularly openly took in ‘ghetu’, adolescent male singers, during monsoon season, AFP reports.

The film, Ghetuputra Komola (pleasure-boy Komola) is the last made by well-respected Bangladeshi filmmaker Humayun Ahmed before he died in July. It tells the tale of a Muslim man who becomes obsessed with a ghetu and his jealous wife.

AFP interviewed musician Abdul Quddus Bayati who remembers the ghetu culture from his youth. ‘They would have sex and nobody would bother. There was no protest from the Muslim clergy. Their [the clergy’s] gaining of strength is a relatively new thing,’ he said.

"Ghetuputra Komola", which has had a limited release in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka, was last month selected as the country's entry for the chance to compete in the best foreign film category at next year's Oscars.

Source:
AFP

Star Cineplex Movie Theater at Bashundhara City now has full 3-D movie capabilities. The Amazing Spiderman in 3-D is coming soon!

sorry for the out of topic


The Aswang Chronicles

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3ZIOo2WYKGQ/UDrqR211uaI/AAAAAAAAK5c/XaMO_XHRpgI/s1600/tiktik+titlecard.jpg

Official Trailer with English Subs
Xk2rccJ_vl0

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

It's like 300 film of gerard butler in 2007

Star Cineplex Movie Theater at Bashundhara City now has full 3-D movie capabilities. The Amazing Spiderman in 3-D is coming soon!

Thats great news...first 3d movie theatre in bd!

Are You Listening! invited to Int'l Documentary Festival of Amsterdam

Staff Correspondent


Kamar Ahmad and Sara Afreen's documentary “Are You Listening!” (“Shuntey Ki Pao!”) has been invited to the 25th edition of International Documentary Festival of Amsterdam (IDFA). The film has also been invited as the opener at the world's oldest documentary festival, Dok-Leipzig, in Germany.

The film, featuring the everyday lives of people in a small village in the Sundarbans, has already won a number of awards and recognition from IDFA, Switzerland and Asian Film Forum for Documentary.

Since its launch in 1988, IDFA has been dedicated to the screening and promotion of groundbreaking, creative documentaries. It has consistently served up the latest works of the world's leading documentary-makers. At present, it is the largest film festival of its kind.

In reaction to a Bangladeshi film being invited to two of the festivals, filmmaker Morshedul Islam said, “It's a great moment of achievement for Bangladeshi filmdom and of course the biggest one for documentary films. It indicates that the young filmmakers are going to usher in a new era for Bangladeshi films.”

The silver jubilee celebrations of IDFA will be held from November 14 to 25. Every year, around 1,20,000 people attend the 11 day-long festival. The programme consists of more than 300 titles selected from more than 3,300 submissions.

Kamar and Sara will attend IDFA soon after attending Dok-Leipzig. At Dok-Leipzig, “Are You Listening!” will be screened as one of 12 selected films for the prestigious 'Main International Competition'.

News Source:
The Daily Star

updates on Shunte Ki Pao!(Are you listening!)
http://www.dw.de/%E0%A6%B2%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%87%E0%A6%AA%E0%A6%B8%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%B6%E0%A7%87-%E0%A6%AC%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%82%E0%A6%B2%E0%A6%BE-%E0%A6%9B%E0%A6%AC%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%B0-%E0%A6%93%E0%A7%9F%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B0%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%B2%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%A1-%E0%A6%AA%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%B0%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%AE%E0%A6%BF%E0%A7%9F%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B0-%E0%A6%85%E0%A6%A8%E0%A7%81%E0%A6%B7%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%A0%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%A4/a-16344087
http://dill-riaz.com/the-premiere-of-are-you-listening-at-docfest-leipzig/
http://www.dok-leipzig.de/festival/festival-news?start:int=6
http://www.dok-leipzig.de/festival/festival-news?start:int=5

Farooki's "Television" bags Jury Award in Dubai

Wednesday, December 19, 2012


Renowned Bangladeshi director Mostafa Sarwar Farooki's film "Television" has received the Special Jury Mention Award at the 9th Dubai International Film Festival, says a press release. South Korean filmmaker Kim Ki-duk won the Best Director Award for his film "Pieta", while "Inside"-- a film by Turkish director Zeki Demirkubuz-- received the Best Film Award.

The chief of the jury, Cannes award winner South Korean director Li Chang Dong, said he "fell in love" with Farooki's film.

The film was one of the selections for “Muhr Competition”.

Television, starring Nusrat Imroze Tisha, Mosharraf Karim and Chanchal Chowdhury in lead roles - will be released in mid-January in Bangladesh, Farooki informed.

News Source:
The Daily Star

BTV’s 48th anniversary celebrated

Staff Reporter

As the state run television channel, Bangladesh Television (BTV) had a brilliant start in 1964 and reached its peak in 1980s. But very unfortunately, BTV has lost its glorious past and now has turned into a neglected channel against the backdrop of over 20 local private and hundreds of global satellite channels.
This was said by the participants at a reunion programme arranged by private satellite channel, Channel i on its roof-top early in the morning on December 25 to celebrate the 48th anniversary of BTV. BTV started broadcasting as Pakistan Television in the then East Pakistan on December 25, 1964.
Seasoned artistes like Syed Hasan Imam, Iqbal Bahar Choudhury, Masud Ali Khan, Mustafa Zaman Abbasi, Dr Enamul Huq, Laila Hasan, Rezwana Chowdhury Bannya, Indramohan Rajbangshi, Afroza Banu and others took part in the discussion.
Moreover, employees of BTV like Noazesh Ali Khan, Syed Lutfe Ali, Monoj Sengupta among others were also present in the programme.
The reunion programme was wrapped up with rendition of songs by senior artistes like Mustafa Zaman Abbasi, Rezwana Chowdhury Bonya and others.

http://thenewnationbd.com/newsdetails.aspx?newsid=61360

BTV must compete with pvt channels
Says prime minister

http://www.thedailystar.net/photo/2012/12/26/2012-12-26__met04.jpg

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday asked the state-run Bangladesh Television (BTV) authorities to upgrade its standard to compete with the private television channels in the country.

She gave the directive at the inaugural programme marking the completion of 48 years of BTV through video conferencing from her official residence, Gono Bhaban.

Hasina said the authorities of BTV, the only terrestrial TV channel of the country, will have to give more attention to their programmes to attract more viewers.

The prime minister urged the BTV authorities to take further initiatives to broadcast more programmes relating to agriculture, trade, weather and climate change, healthcare, and women and children.

She said the BTV will also have to take more initiative to involve the people with the government activities and inspire them in the spirit of the War of Liberation.

Hasina said the standard of BTV has increased over the years with the addition of modern technology and new programmes.

“The BTV is also ahead in broadcasting programmes related to education and it will have to be attentive to make such programmes more attractive and effective,” she said.

“We've taken massive prorgrammes for BTV's technological advancement, creative development and network expansion,” she added.

Later, Hasina talked to Information Minister Hasanul Huq Inu, who was at the Rampura TV Station, through video conferencing.

http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=262611

Folk Singers' Cry for Help
Bangla Film Uttorer Shur

Sunday, January 13, 2013
Afsana Tazreen

With hordes of films thrust upon us, selecting to watch a meaningful film seems to have become a herculean task. Messy plots and weak scripts fail to grab your attention for more than five minutes. In this bleak scenario, “Uttorer Shur” felt like a breath of fresh air.

The story revolves around the lives of Chand Miah, a folk singer, his wife Ambia and their seven-year-old daughter Ayesha. The film is set in a remote village of the drought-ridden north western district of Rangpur.

Chand Miah, a folk singer by birth, struggles to cope with the changing tastes of his audience. With a majority of the villagers caught in the sticky web of Bollywood music, Chand Miah finds it a grueling challenge to make ends meet singing Bhawaia songs on his dotara.

Orphaned at a very early age, Chand Miah is raised by his grandfather who is a folk singer as well. He accompanies his grandfather to his musical soirees where he listens with rapt attention. As he feels the magic of music pulsating under his fingertips as they stroke the strings of the dotara, he decides to become a folk musician.

Being an artiste, Chand Miah opts for an unconventional lifestyle. Marriage is not on his mind until he meets Ambia. An olive-skinned beauty with long tresses like ebony, Ambia reminds us of “Natorer Banalata Sen”, a timeless Bengali beauty created by Jibonanda Das. But life has not been very kind to her either. Landing in the household of her uncle and aunt after her parents die, young Ambia is abused and starved. She goes without food for days. One day she as she contemplates taking her own life, fate intervenes and her path crosses with that of Chand Miah.

The two get married and have a daughter, Ayesha, who is the apple of her father's eye. Like her father, Ayesha also inherits a passion for music and begs to accompany her father to his performances, which are not too many. Ambia expresses her displeasure at Ayesha's growing addiction towards music. The film takes the viewer through the travails of the family.

The film steers effortlessly through its course under the skilful direction of Shahnewaz Cacoly, who made her debut as a director on the big screen with “Uttorer Shur”. The film, made under the banner of Impress Telefilm, has been screened in various international film festivals like Goa International Film Festival, Kolkata International Film Festival (2012) and Third Eye Mumbai Film Festival (in Mumbai), where it was lauded by the critics.

The director portrays each dimension of human emotions with utmost care and empathy. The despair of the fallen musician strikes the audience with an intensity that is almost physical. Experiencing joy in the simple pleasures of life, like eating hilsa makes us realise how much we actually take for granted.

The simplicity of the storyline helps the audience relate to the film in spite of its rural backdrop. “Uttorer Shur” can help us gain a perspective on life and soothe our restless urban souls shrouded in the smog of discontentment.

News Source:
The Daily Star

Asian TV takes off

After months of test transmission under the theme “Your Channel”, Asian TV is set to begin its official airing today (January 18). The launching ceremony will take place at 3:30 pm today, at the Hall of Fame, Bangabandhu International Conference Center in Dhaka.

At a press conference last Wednesday, the new channel's Head of Programme and Entertainment, Kamruzzaman Babu, read out a written statement. Also present at the conference were actors Ilias Kanchon, Saberi Alam and many others.

The press was informed that the launching ceremony would include performances by top stars of the country, including Shakib Khan, Apu Biswas, Nobel, Richie, Sadia Islam Mou, Bidya Sinha Meem, Shokh, Sajal, Nawsheen, Ishana, Hridoy Khan, Kona, Moushumi Hamid and Nipun.

After the official airing begins, Asian TV will telecast plays, reality shows, musical programmes, talk shows, cartoons etc.

It was also revealed that the channel would air a reality show on dance, titled “Star Dance”, which will feature the popular stars of the country. “Star Comedy”, another programme in the pipeline, will also follow the same format. Renowned singers would also perform regularly on the programme, “Golpe Gaane”.

Among Asian TV's list of serials are: “Bhalobashar Kahini”, “Second Innings”, “Bishakha” and “Kancher Canvas”. Other shows include “Anondo Barta”, an insight into the country's media scene, and a children's cartoon called “Katush Kutush”. Asian TV has also begun working on producing a science fiction film, titled “Porobashini”.

Source: Daily Star

SA TV unveils its prestigious show

On 14 January, the 25th satellite channel of the country -- SA TV (which is expected to be inaugurated on 19 January) announced its prestigious show, the world famous reality show called the IDOL. Idol has finally come to Bangladesh and will be aired on SA TV as the “Bangladeshi Idol”. A press conference was held at the Ruposhi Bangla Hotel in the city in this regard where Chairman of Delta Bay Distribution and Production Fakhruddin Raji, Managing Director Moinul Hossain Mukul, Vice President Saydikur Rahman, Director (Finance) Ali Md. Zakaria, Advisor Kha. Ma. Haroon, Managing Director of SA TV Salahuddin Ahmed, CEO Salahuddin Zaki, Advisor Zafor I Khan, Head of Program Zerin Altaf, head of News Scott Kraig were present. They spoke about the concept of the show as well as the vision of the soon to be aired channel SA TV.

IDOL is one of the most successful television format franchises running across the world. It’s locally produced versions have aired more than 129 series in about 43 territories so far. Essentially, Idol is a knock-out music talent show with several stages where contestants go through auditions, eliminations, a group stage, and a live spectacular or grand finale. This television talent show is unlike any other because it showcases a contestant’s life story and follows it from auditions to the final, thereby involving the audiences into the heart of the format.

The managing Director of Delta Bay Mainul Hossain Mukul said “Bangladesh has seen its fair share of successful and popular musical talent hunt shows and shows to search for stars for mainstream artists, instrumentalists, child prodigies, rock stars, rock bands etc, covering almost every possible genre. Now it is believed that the market is matured enough to be introduced to international reality show brands. Delta Bay Productions and Distribution Pvt. Ltd is the pioneer in grand scale international reality shows, being the first ever franchisee for shows of such level and grandeur. After successful completion of the first season of Bangladesh’s first ever international reality show Ke Hote Chay Kotipoti (franchise of the globally phenomenal show – Who Wants to be a Millionaire), our next project aims to take the Bangladeshi music industry to the next level.”

Director of SA TV Salahuddin Ahmed in his speech said, “We had to spend a huge amount of money to get the rights for this show. But we want to entertain our viewers with innovative programmes of international standard and that’s why we are really happy to be able to broadcast music reality show Bangladeshi Idol on our channel.”

Four eminent singers of the country will judge the show. They are: Ferdousi Rahman, Andrew Kishore, Ayub Bachchu and Mehreen. The audition of the show will start from February and people belonging from the age of 18 till 28 will be able to participate on it.

Source: The Independent

Daleng Dale - MMJ

lW6YMrMwySo

City FM 96.0 to be launched today
→ Culture Desk
City Fm 96.0, a new radio station is going to be launched by Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu today at a city restaurant as chief guest.

The inaugural programme of the station will also be graced by Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, MP and Information Secretary Hedayet Ullah Al Mamun as special guests.

About the station, Saidur Aftab, managing director of City Fm said, “The station will be a voice of all Bangladeshis. As the entire team of the station is young yet promising, we expect it to be a mouthpiece of the younger generation.”

“The station starts its journey in an attempt to chant the youth and keep our glorious history in mind. It will literally be the first info-tainment station of the country,” said Sadeq Sami, coordinator of the station.

Manger of City Fm Himan Chowdhury said, “We shall never compromise with the quality of the programmes.”

Source: Daily Sun

^^ How many FM radio stations in BD now? Like 7?

^^ How many FM radio stations in BD now? Like 7?

10 legal radio stations in Dhaka.

Bangladesh’s Impress Group Launches Project to Back Young Filmmakers

by Clarence Tsui


The South Asian country’s leading media conglomerate will finance and distribute the feature debuts of six emerging local directors.

HONG KONG – Bangladesh’s budding filmmakers have received a further boost with one of the country’s leading corporations pledging to back projects from first-time directors.
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Launched on March 30 in the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka, Impress Boutique Cinema will finance directorial debuts from six of the country’s upcoming directors, said director Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, whose own first film Third Person Singular Number was produced by Impress Group as well.

Chosen by Farooki, the six projects are Amitabh Reza’s Proxy, Abu Shahed Emon’s Jalal’s Fathers, Adnan ad Razeev’s X, Golam Kibria’s Camphor, Akram Khan’s Who Are You and Robiul Alam Robi’s Hardcash.

Jalal’s Fathers, a social drama exploring the psychological state of a child, will be the first one to begin production, Farooki added, with shooting slated to commence in May. The plan is for all six films to be completed by March 2014, he said.

“When I was traveling to different festivals, I was dreaming of something like this,” said Farooki, whose Third Person premiered at Rotterdam in 2009 and second film Television was the closing film at the Busan International Film Festival last October.

“I felt compelled to tell the world that we have some exciting people in the pipeline. Then a few months back, I approached Faridur Reza Sagor and requested him to produce and finance this debut feature project,” he continued (Sagor is the managing director of Impress Group’s filmmaking arm, Impress Tele-film, and digital satellite channel Channel i, and the producer of Golam Rabbany Biplob’s On the Wings of Dream, which was screened at Toronto in 2007).

Impress Group is one of the largest business conglomerates in Bangladesh, with business interests ranging from textiles and pharmaceuticals to media and entertainment.
With young directors still locked out of the mainstream because of logistical challenges (such as high taxation and ramshackle post-production and exhibition systems) or financing limitations (audiences rarely venture beyond Bollywood imitations), they often now turn to privately-owned television platforms like Impress’ s Channel i to fund their small-budgeted, digitally-shot work.

“Over the last few years, Bangladesh has seen a tremendous rise of interest in filmmaking,” said Farooki. “Though there is still no exclusive film school in Bangladesh -- there are some faculties in the private universities, but they seriously lack proper standards -- young filmmakers have been preparing by helping each other and learning from one another."

“Then there is the advantage of digital technology. It helped them to start making short films or telefilms. It helped them to practice the art of storytelling and taking their stories directly to the audience.”

The Boutique Cinema project represents yet another sign of how the Bangladeshi media industry is waking up to a new wave of young directors coming through the ranks and gaining a foothold in the film festival circuit. More than a decade after the late Tareque Masud’s The Clay Bird won the Fipresci prize at the Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes, directors like Farooki and Ishtiaque Zico (whose short film 720 Degrees was selected for Venice in 2010) are shifting some of the attention usually focused solely on the mammoth cinematic juggernaut in neighboring India.

Boosted by the growing stature he nurtured in the festival circuit, Farooki is now readying to shoot a new “urban psychological thriller” titled Camera, after shopping another project, Biscuit Race, at Goa’s Film Bazaar and the Dubai Film Market late last year.


The Hollywood Reporter

Busan 2012: Festival Closer 'Television' Ushers in New Era for Bangladeshi Cinema

by Lee Hyo-won


Director Mostofa Farooki's wry comic drama reflects the South Asian film sector's move toward mainstream entertainment.

Television may take its name from an an old-fashioned character who believes TV is evil, but this year’s Busan closer also mirrors a more forward-thinking trend in the film sector in Bangladesh: the development of homegrown movies from telefilms.

Beginning about 10 years ago, the advent of satellite TV has allowed filmmakers to experiment with new styles working for the small screen. “There is no film school in Bangladesh, so we had to learn from their mistakes,” said Television director Mostofa Farooki. "About 20 young filmmakers have become established names and created a huge audience for the genre. We hope we can channel this energy from TV to the big screen. We are still trying to create our own syntax, own vocabulary, own visual style. We are still trying to find our own way of expression.”

Television was selected by BIFF for the Asian Cinema Fund in 2000 and received postproduction support from Korean giant CJ Powercast. “The selection really gave me a boost and the confidence [to make the film], and plus it gave me the money, which is of course essential,” Farooki added.

He said he still cannot define the genre of the film, which mixes comedy, drama and satire to tell the story about religious views and generational gaps. Actress Nusrat Imrose Tisha, who is married to Farooki, said she was excited to show how the roles of Bangladeshi women are changing through Television.

The film also pushed the envelope a bit, by featuring a non-professional actor in the lead role: Shahir Kazi Huda, an environmental consultant who had done small stints in films and commercials, had to quit his job and undergo rigorous training to create his character, including picking up a local dialect. “I am very honored for the opportunity to work on the movie,” said Huda.

BIFF director Lee Yong-kwan says Television was an easy choice as the closing film.
“It was first of all very entertaining as a movie, in both its subject matter and storytelling. It was selected by not only BIFF but also representative experts from around Asia for the Asian Cinema Fund, for a reason,” he said. “A new trend can be industry-related or artistic, and the fact that a country is creating domestic films through telecinema is monumental. BIFF felt compelled to showcase this movement.”


Farooki, whose feature Third Person Singular Number premiered at BIFF in 2009, says he is inspired by a large number of filmmakers, from Korea’s Kim Ki-duk and Lee Chang-dong to Taiwan’s Hou Hsiao-Hsien and France’s Robert Bresson.

Lee pointed out that Television in turn offers Korean filmmakers something to learn about satire, which isn’t particularly a forte for local movies.

“Bangladesh is creating new waves in cinema and I am looking forward to the audience’s reaction when they see the film during the closing ceremony on Saturday. Such films allow us to endorse foreign cultures and to promote communication among Asians,” he said.

The Hollywood Reporter

10 legal radio stations in Dhaka.

Minus Bangladesh Betar? Thats cool.

Minus Bangladesh Betar? Thats cool.

Including BBC Bangla and Bangladesh Betar.

^^ That means 8 FM channels with Radio Foorti being the biggest and most popular.

DW to produce New TV series in Bangla

Deutsche Welle (DW), a German broadcast station, will produce new science and technology show in Bangla from April 13 (Saturday) to be telecast on Ekushey TV for Bangladesh. The announcement came from a press conference at a hotel in the city on Wednesday. German Ambassador in Dhaka Dr Albrecht Conze, DW Distribution Executive for South Asia Tobias Grote-Beverborg, DW Bangla chief Debarati Guha and Ekushey TV chairman Abdus Salam were, among others, present at the press conference. — UNB

Habib - Ek Mutho Valobasha + Habib Wahid - Chokhe Chokhe

http://img442.imageshack.us/img442/7523/artworks000038020412yu6.jpg

LYRICS : Susmita Biswas Sathi
album: Bolchi tomake
lebel: Sangeeta
year : 2008

https://soundcloud.com/susmita-biswas-sathi/08-habib-wahid-chokhe-chokhe

https://soundcloud.com/susmita-biswas-sathi/06-habib-ek-mutho-valobasha

:applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause:

fabulous music.
_________

i am not as talentuous as good as habib but this is my composed music:

https://soundcloud.com/benoitthierry45-1

greatings from BENOIT . strasbourg. france.