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A ten-day long exhibition tilted “Winter Art Exhibition” featuring nine well known artists from SHAKO (Women Artists Association of Bangladesh) was inaugurated at the Art and Soul Gallery in Gulshan on the 16th of this month. The participants of the exhibition are Shulekha Chaudhury, Naima Haque, Fareha Zeba, Farida Zaman, Rebeka Sultana Moly, Nasreen Begum, Farzana Islam Milky, Kanak Chanpa Chakma and Kuhu.
   The exhibition is aimed at celebrating the women artists of our nation for their gift, insight and devotion. The countless visages of Bangladeshi women such as sorrowful, thoughtful, blissful, and inquisitive—are being distinguished through unique artworks in this show.
   Kuhu’s Drawing 2 in charcoal is a realistic work, which depicts an attractive young woman with sharp features adorned in jewellery.
   This painting illustrates the sensuality of a woman and the element of intrigue that creates an aura around a woman. The finer details of the painting are exquisite and eye catching.
   One also stops to see Rebeka Sultana Moly’s Untouchable Beauty in acrylic. Here is a woman, bedecked with flowers, who has a questioning look. This painting is quite moving and the wonderful use of colours leaves a mark in the viewer’s mind.
   One’s attention goes to Nasreen Begum’s oriental artwork. In the watercolour, titled Sakhina, Nasreen depicts an exquisite belle with huge flowers in her hair and a prominent bindi.
   The painting is in various tones of brown and celebrates the beauty and mystique of women.
   Yet, the exhibition is not just about pretty faces and
   fantasy but there is also a very serious and dark side to the exhibition. For instance, in Fareha Zeba’s acrylic on ply board depicts an anxious woman with a man’s intimidating figure standing behind, trying to control her.
   In a similar vein, Shulekha Chaudhury in her acrylic painting, Amar Shomoy, portrays a lady who has accepted defeat and seems to be attempting suicide.
   In shades of red, black and yellow, there are many blades in the background and she is up to her knees in water. Her body language expresses her desire to be left alone. This series of picture brings out the socio-economic difficulties faced by women of our country and upholds their pain, triumphs, failures and sad demises.
   The exhibition is a true fête of womanhood in all its affluent diversity, Farida Zaman’s acrylic on canvas, titled Fisherwoman to Karnaphuli, an acrylic painting by Kanak Chanpa Chakma’s which depicts a woman from the hill tracts.
   Naima Haque’s untitled work, which depicts a tribal woman, reminds us of the multiple roles that women have in our society. Farzana Islam Milky’s metallic sculpture pieces are another fine memento of how women are the crux of our culture.
   The exhibition is open till the 26th of December from 11am to 8pm.

The gala ‘Lux-Channel I performance award 2004’ was held at the Sarjah Cricket Stadium in the United Arab Emirates on December 9.
   Organised by Channel I the show presented a huge number of Bangladeshi artistes, and was attended by an audience of more than 35,000.
   ‘The theme of the show was Morur Buke Bangladesh and it was like watching a replica of Bangladesh in the United Arab Emirates,’ said the managing director of Channel I, Faridur Reza Sagar at a press conference on Saturday held at Hotel Sheraton.
   ‘It was the biggest Bangladeshi show ever organised in a foreign country. It wasn’t just a show presented by Channel I; it was a show representing the whole country as a whole. The recorded programme will be aired by Channel I on two consecutive days, December 29 and 30 at 7:50pm at the request of thousands of television viewers in Bangladesh and from across the world’, said the Managing Director of Impress Telefilm Limited.
   Abdul Mukit Majumdar, director of Impress Telefilm said that they had started planning the programme six months ago. Afzal Hossain, who was the MC, said, ‘It was really hard to believe that we could successfully manage such a huge show. We couldn’t accommodate everyone who wanted to attend the show.’
   Hasan Abidur Reza Jewel, the director of the show said that in all aspects it was an event of international standard. Lighting, sound system and all other equipments used for the show were of the highest quality, Jewel said.
   The awards, meant for all Bangladeshi films but only Channel I dramas and other programmes, were given in 19 categories, including best film, best drama, best actor and actress, best director, best playback singer, best advertisement model and best music band. However, in the future, the organisers plan to award other TV channels, in the above mentioned fields.

Bangladesh Short Film Forum will organise two national seminars in the ongoing independent and short film festival in the city on December 26 and 27 at Sufia Kamal Auditorium of the Bangladesh National Museum in Shahbagh.
   A seminar on the role of digital filmmaking in the developing countries will be held at 4:00pm on December 26. Noted filmmaker Tareque Masud will present the keynote paper while filmmaker Tanvir Mokammel will chair the function. Manzare Hasin Murad, Morshedul Islam, Sajjad Zahir, Zahidul Rahim and Mainul Huda will speak in the seminar.
   Noted Indian filmmaker Amar Kanwar will participate in the 6th Alamgir Kabir Smarak Baktrita, a lecture session on films. The seminar will be held at 4:00pm on December 27.
   The filmmaker will present an article titled The Network Within, on a different aspect of documentary film making. Fabrigio Ferrari of Italy, Asuda Yashi of India and Ferdous Azim and Mahmudul Hossain of Bangladesh will be present as discussants.
   Litterateur Hasnat Abdul Hye, the chairman of the festival, will preside over the seminar.

STAR Cineplex, the only international standard multiplex cinema theater in Bangladesh, will be shortly screening the much acclaimed,
   ‘The Message’, a 1977 epic on the birth of Islam, starring Anthony Quinn, Irene Papas and Michael Ansara.
   The Message, directed by Moustapha Akkad is a compelling drama about the beginning of Islam.
   It may be mentioned here that the celebrated director of the film Moustapha Akkad recently died in a bomb attack in Iran. The film is currently with the Bangladesh Censor Board waiting for clearance.

Aamir Khan, tying the knot with Kiran Rao within a month’s time - as revealed a source close to the actor. This will be the Bollywood superstar’s second marriage. He separated from his first wife Reena Dutta ending 16 years of marriage.
   The couple has two children - Junaid and Ira. Aamir met Kiran for the first time on the sets of Ashutosh Gowariker’s ‘Lagaan’, after that a relationship bloomed slowly between them but reportedly they have been living together for last two years. Aamir is now away in London with Kiran to deliver a lecture at the Cambridge University. As per source, after returning from London, they will marry.
   Source : Debasis Jana

Charka, an apparel house has introduced shawls or chadar as its chief attraction for this winter.
   The chadars are available in different designs and colours. Shawls made from khadi of Comilla are also available in their collection.
   Charka has fatuas and short punjabis made from khadi and coarse cotton handloom.
   The chadars, priced from taka 180 to taka 350, fatua (for male) from taka 290 to 550, fatua (for female) from taka 290 to taka 650 and short punjabi from taka 490 to taka 1050, are available at the outlet of Charka on Sat Masjid Road in Dhanmondi.

Venue:
   Shawkat Osman Memorial Hall
   Central Public Library, Shahbagh
   
   Today
   11:00am
   Path Chaltei Ananda, (documentary, 28 minutes), director: Manzare Hassin, Bangladesh
   The Wet Corner of the Street, (fiction, seven minutes), director: Payam Aziz, Iran
   No Gray Twilight, (experimental, eight minutes fifteen seconds), directors: Richard L Bucher and Kathryn L Bucher, USA
   Here I Lie, (fiction, 10 minutes), Sweden/UK
   Searching for a Dream, (documentary, 26 minutes), director: Sahraa Karimi, Slovak
   
   3:00pm
   A Son of the Empire, (documentary, 25 minutes), director: Makbul Chowdhury, Bangladesh/UK
   Balikar Gollachhut, (independent shorts, 52 seconds), Rubaiyat Hossain, Bangadesh
   Ek Aakash, (fiction, 16 minutes), director: Sudhakar Reddy Yakanti, India
   Strike Back, (fiction, 29 minutes), director: Jonas Embring, Sweden
   My Childhood as a Dream, (animation, eight minutes), director: Mohammadreza Maktabi, Iran
   
   5:00pm
   Holly-Bolly, (fiction, 12 minutes), director: Dilshad Hussain, UK
   Super-superman, (animation, nine minutes), Michal Nhrin, Slovakia
   Taker Mainuddi, (independent shorts, five minutes), Rafsanjani, Bangladesh
   Kosmos, (experimental, five minutes and fifteen seconds), director: Thorsten Fleisch, Germany
   Good news, (fiction, 17 minutes), director: Altaf Mazid, India
   King Konrad, (fiction, 30 minutes), director: Daniel Wallentine, Sweden
   
   7:00pm
   The Game, (animation, nine minutes), director: Joanna Kozuch, Slovakia/Poland
   X-Fire, (independent shorts/animation), directors: Kabir Ahmed and Masum Chisty
   Disappearance in America: A Trilogy, (21 minutes), USA
   Zaleha Ayam Pateh, (fiction, 23 minutes), directors: Shahrul Azli and Mohammad Shukur, Malaysia
   The Imposter, (fiction, 28 minutes), director: Hanna Anderson, Sweden.

How do we want to see our beloved Bangladesh? How does the civil society view the various problems in the country? What do
   the people think about these problems? Based on these questions BBC and Channel I have introduced a different kind of programme, BBC-Bangladesh Dialogue which deals with subjects like, justice, local government, education, corruption, health, business, law and order and administration. The programme is broadcast from BBC Bangla service radio on Thursdays at 8:00pm and aired on Sundays at 8:00pm on Channel I. A total of eight episodes will be broadcast.