The newly urban woman in Mrinal Sen's cinema
For the legendary Bengali auteur Mrinal Sen, cinema often went hand in hand with agitprop, meaning the use of political messaging as an aesthetic element.
3y ago
Once Upon a Time… in Bangladeshi Cinema
Iqbal Karim Hasnu, an author and film critic, currently based in Toronto, is also the founding editor of Bangla Journal, an annual semi-academic bilingual (Bangla and English) publication coming out of Canada.
4y ago
The hidden gems from TIFF
One of North America’s most regarded film events, the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), has wrapped up with Oscar buzz for
4y ago
TIFF 2019: Made in Bangladesh, a melodramatic social-realism film relevant to its times
Made in Bangladesh left an impression at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) where it was selected as part of the
4y ago
Mrinal Sen & his “Post-Mortem” of the Postcolonial Bengali Middle-Class
I first watched Mrinal Sen's Interview (1971) during my undergrad years in an attempt to watch as many “intellectual” films from the campus library as I could.
5y ago
The global showcase of films
The last trimester of the calendar year is possibly the most exciting time for film lovers—prestige release season! The season opens with Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), which has premiered and showcased contenders such as La La Land, The Imitation Game, and Room.
5y ago
Viewership in review
As you enter one of the inner rooms of Shilpakala's Gallery-1, you notice a television with a tap attached to its screen.
5y ago
The state of printmaking in Bangladesh
The tradition of printmaking has a longstanding history in Bangladesh, and in South Asia. Though the technique originated in China, printmaking quickly became a popular mode of artistic reproduction in the subcontinent. Woodblocks dabbed in paint, for example, were used to stamp patterns on fabrics—a design form known as “block print”.
5y ago
July 20, 2018
The men of Humayun Ahmed's films
A skilled storyteller in his own right, Humayun Ahmed's narrative prowess was eminent in his films. During the 90s when rampant commercialisation resulted in over-glammed, action-packed, blockbuster-style cinema led by testosterone-fuelled heroes, Ahmed's films exhibited a knack for well-rounded and socially relevant narratives.
July 13, 2018
A mad, mad, world
At 40, Unmad is the longest running satire magazine in South Asia. Apart from its reputation as a household essential for Bangladeshi teenagers, it has also been a sole platform for the artistic tradition of cartoon and satire to flourish.
July 6, 2018
Carnival of grotesque
The walls of artist-run space, Kalakendra, host artist Nisar Hossain's drawings and prints this month. Part of the third instalment of the gallery's “Drawing and Thinking” series, Bikargrostho Shomoyer Roikhik Boyan (Linear Text of a Delirious Time), curated by Wakilur Rahman, opened on June 30, 2018 in the presence of special guest, artist Rafikun Nabi. Notable artists such as Sheikh Afzal, Abul Barq Alvi, Shishir Bhattacharjee, and Rashid Amin were also present at the event.
June 29, 2018
Is there any ideology behind romance?
Watching telefilms on Eid is a household tradition for TV-owning families all over Dhaka. The popularity of Eid special telefilms marked a shift from state-sponsored programmes on BTV (though Ittadi still remains a classic) to a variety-based, commercial-heavy, television culture.
June 8, 2018
Dark Flows the River Turag
The waters of the Turag flow alongside Dhaka's industrial suburbs of Tongi, Gazipur and Savar, lined with dyeing and finishing factories. The river was once surrounded by agricultural land and the water was used mainly for fishing and transportation. Nowadays, the area is mostly inhabited by people who directly or indirectly work in the textile industry.
May 25, 2018
Will the white man ever stop trying to “save” us?
A few days ago, I came across a viral video by Mikko Foundation, an organisation run by a brother-sister duo from Seattle with a “burning desire to give back to community.” The video showed the founder, who is white, trying to persuade locals in Gulshan neighbourhood to wear t-shirts designed by the organisation, supposedly as a humanitarian gesture of giving back to a struggling community.
May 18, 2018
What do public sculptures speak of?
In the May of 2017, the statue of a saree-clad, blind-folded Lady Justice was pulled down from the Supreme Court premises and moved to an annex building due to pressure from the religious group, Hefazat-e-Islam. The incident brought to notice various issues and highlighted the active role public art plays in national discourse. It is of importance, then, to understand how this role comes into being.
May 11, 2018
Love and Loss in Giasuddin Selim's “Swapnajaal”
Giasuddin Selim's comeback movie stars Porimoni and newcomer Yash Rohan as love-struck teenagers Shuvra and Apu respectively. The story is set in Chandpur in the 90s and follows the lovers' relationship through various trials. But within its layers, larger themes lay afloat, waiting to be addressed but never completely getting its due.
May 4, 2018
The illustrious life of Satyajit Ray
Satyajit Ray started as a graphic illustrator before his emergence as a Bengali film icon. He designed book covers, film posters and illustrated children's books among other things and even created two award winning Bangla fonts. What is profound in his work is the sophisticated experimentation with various artistic styles and traditions, both local and foreign, without compromising an aesthetic of authenticity. His forays into graphic design and calligraphy continued throughout his career and often webbed strongly into his filmmaking. Satyajit Ray was indeed a master of visual art in its broadest terms.
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