New York, Sep 19 (AP/UNB) — Podcasts are exploding and the world of theater isn't immune. Now comes a digital hub that aggregates all that theater talk — the Broadway Podcast Network.

The network , unveiled Thursday, is the brainchild of Tony-winning producer and filmmaker Dori Berinstein and podcast host/producer Alan Seale.

Their new hub is home to 30 podcasts with hosts that include Donna McKechnie, Tonya Pinkins, Justin Guarini, Kerry Butler, Josh Lamon, Jennifer Ashley Tepper and Ilana Levine.

It will be the place to find episodes of "The Ensemblist," ''The Fabulous Invalid," ''Broadwaysted," ''Josh Swallows Broadway" and "The Theatre Podcast." Some 1,200 podcast episodes are available.

The podcasts range from interviews with Broadway stars to audition secrets. Berinstein says the goal is "to create a must-visit daily destination for anyone and everyone who loves theater."

Dhaka, Sept 19 (UNB) – Thursday remarks the 48th birth anniversary of country’s one of the most loved superstar, the iconic and stylish actor of Bangladeshi cinema Salman Shah.

To celebrate the late superstar’s 48th birth anniversary, a weeklong festival titled ‘Salman Shah Jonmo Utsab 2019’ (Salman Shah Birth Anniversary Festival- 2019) had been inaugurated at Modhumita Cinema Hall, one of the iconic cinema halls in the capital.

Zunaid Ahmed Palak, State Minister of Information and Communication Technology, was present as chief guest in the inauguration ceremony. Renowned and celebrated actor Shakib Khan inaugurated the event who mentioned Salman Shah as his inspiration.

Shakib Khan also addressed the long-running demand of the fans of Salman Shah to name a floor or road in the name of the iconic hero, saying he will convey the demand to BFDC authority.

Gaan Bangla TV and newly launched cinematic venture TM Films chairman Farzana Munni, Bangladesh Film Journalists’ Association president Falguni Hamid, film actress Bubli, film directors Sohanur Rahman Sohan, Arun Chowdhury, Chhotku Ahmed, Redowan Rony and many more attended the opening ceremony as special guests.

Private media house Dhooli Communication and TM is jointly organizing the festival in which seven popular films of Salman Shah will be screened at Modhumita from September 20 to 26. 

Among the films, ‘Keyamat Thekey Keyamat’ will be screened on September 20, ‘Tomakey Chai’ on September 21, ‘Maa-er Odhikar’ on September 22, ‘Chaowa Theke Paowa’ on September 23, ‘Tumi Amar’ on September 24, ‘Antorey Antorey’ on September 25 and ‘Sotter Mrittu Nai’ on September 26 on the concluding day.

Modhumita Cinema Hall management informed that four shows of ‘Keyamat Thekey Keyamat’, including morning show, will be screened on Friday (10am-12pm, 12pm-3pm, 3pm-6pm, and 6pm-9pm). The rest of the films will have three shows every day (12pm-3pm, 3pm-6pm, and 6pm-9pm).

From his first film ‘Keyamat Thekey Keyamat’, Salman Shah cemented his legacy as one of the heartthrob heroes in Bangladesh film industry. With having a career of only 27 films before tragically passing away on September 6 in 1996, the actor was considered as the ‘style icon’ and ahead of his contemporaries in the subcontinent.
 

Dhaka, Sept 13 (UNB) - James Cameron says the amazing box office performance of Avengers: Endgame gives him hope about the future of cinema as it proves that people are still interested in going to theatres to watch movies.

The superhero film became the world’s highest grossing movie by earning USD 2.796 billion at the box office, breaking the long standing record set by Cameron’s films Titanic and Avatar.

“It gives me a lot of hope. Avengers: Endgame is demonstrable proof that people will still go to movie theaters. The thing that scared me most about making Avatar 2 and Avatar 3 was that the market might have shifted so much that it simply was no longer possible to get people that excited about going and sitting in a dark room with a bunch of strangers to watch something,” Cameron told the Deadline.

Cameron is hopeful that if Endgame could earn record-breaking money at the box office, his long-delayed Avatar sequels could to do the same.

“Will Avatar 2 and 3 be able to create that kind of success in the zeitgeist? Who knows. We’re trying. Maybe we do, maybe we don’t, but the point is, it’s still possible. I’m happy to see it, as opposed to an alternate scenario where, with the rapid availability (of) custom-designed experience(s) that everybody can create for themselves with streaming services and all the different platforms, that might not have existed anymore,” he said.

Avatar released in 2009 at the beginning of the 3D technology and became a box office sensation thanks to its visuals. But the major concern for the director, known for his trademark big budget spectacles, would be the delay in the first Avatar and its sequels.

The second Avatar film will be released by Disney on December 17, 2021, with Avatar 3 arriving on December 22, 2023. There are other sequels in the pipeline provided these two movies work at the box office.

Dhaka, Sept 2 (UNB)- BizNext PLUS, a Dhaka-based communication and image management company, has teamed up with an upcoming Bangla feature film “Padmapuran” as a promotional partner at home and abroad.

‘Padmapuran’ is a full-length film now being prepared for screening soon.

Arpita Chowdhury, chief executive officer of the BizNext PLUS, and Rashid Polash, director of the film, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Saturday evening in Banani Club Ltd for jointly working on promotion.

Guests including senior journalists who joined the ceremony signed the first poster of the film as part of its promotion amid hope for spreading awareness message on climate change and its effects on people.

Rashid Polash said BizNext PLUS has partnered with his film for all of its promotional activities as the story revolves around the mighty river Padma. The story

relates to climate change and how a dying river influences an entire population, their lives and livelihood, he said.

Arpita Chowdhury of Biz Next PLUS said, “It’s a great honour to be part of the film that I am sure will draw the attention of both critics and cinema lovers.”

Hassan Shahriar, former President of the National Press Club and President Emeritus of the Commonwealth Journalists Association (CJA) said story-line of the film ‘Padmapuran’ has already attracted their attention and the songs of the film are great.

Farida Yasmin, incumbent general secretary of the National Press Club, said she was touched by the film’s story and was in particular happy that it featured strong characters by women.

Syed Ishtiaque Reza, editor-in-chief of GTV and Sarabangla.net, Khairul Anwar Mukul, head of news of NTV, Rejonaul Huq, head of news of Maasranga Television, Zahid Newaz Khan, chief news editor of Channel I, Zahirul Alam, chief news editor of NTV, Shahrif  Shahabuddin, editor-in-chief of the Bangladesh Post, also attended the ceremony among others.

The film’s lead character is newcomer Sadia Afreen Mahi while acclaimed actors Shompa Reza and Chompa have played very important roles in the story.

Other actors include Sumit Sengupta, Joyraj, Kayes Chowdhury, Hedayet Nannu. The screenplay has been written by Raihan Shoshi while it has been produced by Punnah Films.

Dhaka, Aug 30 (UNB) - Joker director Todd Phillips has revealed he spent an entire year trying to convince Warner Bros to let him make a violent and edgy film on the iconic DC villain, reports The Indian Express. 

The film, which earned an expected R-rating by MPAA for “strong bloody violence, disturbing behaviour, language, and brief sexual images”, is an origin story of the Clown Prince of Crime, with Joaquin Phoenix playing the title role.

Phillips said it was “a year-long process” from the time the script was completed “just to get the new people on board with this vision”.

“There were emails about: ‘You realise we sell Joker pajamas at Target’. There were a zillion hurdles, and you just sort of had to navigate those one at a time…

“At the time I would curse them in my head every day. But then I have to put it in perspective and go, ‘They’re pretty bold that they did this’,” the filmmaker told the Los Angeles Times.

He said while the audiences may be acquainted with R-rated films thanks to Deadpool series, Joker is a different animal.

Phillips drew his references from matter-of-fact R-rated adult dramas such as Taxi Driver and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, among others.

He said, “The movies that I grew up loving, these character studies from the ’70s, you couldn’t get those movies made in this climate. I said to myself, ‘What if you did a movie in that vein, but made it about (comic book) characters?'”

But when the film crossed that hurdle, another followed.

According to LA Times, Phoenix agreed to play the title role after a “drawn-out, four-month process” came to end.

The Oscar-nominated actor signed on the dotted line once he was assured that he would be allowed to play “a complex flesh-and-blood character in shades of gray rather than a black-and-white cartoon villain”.

“That’s really the only thing that’s worthwhile. The other thing is connect-the-dots and paint-by-numbers, and who the (heck) cares about that? There are certain areas of the character that frankly still aren’t clear to me, and I’m fine with that.

“There’s something enjoyable about not having to answer a lot of those questions. It requires a certain amount of participation from the audience that feels different,” Phoenix said.

Joker is set to have its world premiere in competition at the Venice Film Festival. It will also be showcased at TIFF and NYFF, before opening in US theatres on October 4.