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Abdur Rob Dulal’s maiden photography exhibition is being held at the MA Beg National Photography Gallery of Bangladesh Photographic Society (BPS) at 63/2 Science Laboratory Road, Dhaka. The exhibition, titled Child, was inaugurated on May 6. It will remain open from 10:00am to 8:00pm till June 2.
   Though the exhibition has been dedicated to primarily children, his lens has also captured images of women, old people and even landscapes.
   Dulal focussed on presenting the working people, particularly child labourers. ‘When I started photographing the working people, I was emotionally affected by the innocent faces of children,’ he said.
   Among the 29 photographs in the exhibition, most of them are of children with expressions of joy and happiness. He has captured both the free spirit of children in rural areas as compared to the harsh life they lead in the urban society. Children fishing in the river, playing in the mud, frolicking in paddy fields, climbing trees, wading in the sea, all create a wistful and nostalgic ambience.
   Dulal’s photographs of serene landscapes are equally beautiful. The photographs of children strolling through mustard fields, and on river banks and sea shores present the subjects with charming landscapes in the background.
   He had started photography without any formal training. It came to him naturally, he thinks. He owns a studio, Fotovista, and plans to arrange another exhibition soon in which he will present photographs on a variety of subjects.

The French Riviera was bracing for a jolt of star power as some of cinema’s hottest commodities prepared to descend on the 58th Cannes Film Festival.
   This year’s event, starting Wednesday, will see masters of the craft including David Cronenberg, Jim Jarmusch, Gus Van Sant, Robert Rodriguez and Wim Wenders battle for the coveted Palme d’Or top prize.
   After an uneven festival in 2004 when Hollywood money machines like a ‘Shrek’ sequel shared the limelight with the eventual winner — Michael Moore’s anti-Bush documentary ‘Fahrenheit 9/11’, organisers promise a vintage year.
   ‘The great filmmakers have taken the reins again,’ artistic director Thierry Fremaux told French weekly Journal du Dimanche ahead of the 12-day event.
   ‘They show the state of creativity today.’
   George Lucas will unveil his anxiously awaited ‘Star Wars III: The Revenge of the Sith’ in the official selection, three decades after he signed his first contract in Cannes.
   And ‘Sin City’, a slick thriller starring Bruce Willis and Mickey Rourke, will see its launch on the world market.
   Five Asian films are also in the running for the top prize, including ‘Shanghai Dreams’ by Chinese director Wang Xiaoshuai, one of the prominent figures of what has been dubbed China’s ‘Sixth Generation’.
   Other contenders include Japan’s Masahiro Kobayashi with ‘Bashing’, Taiwan’s Hou Hsiao-Hsien with ‘The Best of Our Times’ and a last-minute entry by South Korean director Hong Sangsoo with his ‘A Tale of the Cinema’.
   King-of-the-creepy Cronenberg (‘The Fly’) will show ‘A History of Violence’ starring Viggo Mortesen, Ed Harris and William Hurt while Van Sant will unspool a Seattle-based drama about a musician resembling the late grunge hero Kurt Cobain.
   Danish filmmaker Lars Van Trier has swapped Nicole Kidman for Bryce Dallas Howard — the daughter of director Ron — for the second chapter of his American trilogy ‘Manderlay’.
   The nine-member jury is nearly as star-studded as the films, including US Nobel laureate Toni Morrison, Spanish actor Javier Bardem, Mexican actress Salma Hayek and Hong Kong director John Woo, and led by the Sarajevo-born director Emir Kusturica as president.
   Other highlights this year will include a celebration of 100 years of Chinese cinema as well as African film’s 50th birthday party.
   And the ‘All the Cinemas of the World’ section will showcase undiscovered gems of international cinema with new features from countries including Morocco, South Africa, Mexico, Austria, Peru, Sri Lanka and the Philippines.

‘Bangladesh is looking for you. Call up, join in and show’em you can! Become the Closeup 1’ — is Unilever’s slogan in search of talents, who are looking for a break in the music industry.
   The organisers have launched a mega talent hunt, ‘Closeup 1’ in the field of music which started on May 3. Registration will continue till May 23. Persons who are interested can call at 011021123 from 8:00am to 12:00pm or log in to www.closeup1.com.
   Bangladeshis between 16 and 30 can participate in this competition. Singers, who have already released cassettes or CDs, employees of Unilever Bangladesh Ltd, Asiatic MCL or any associate of Closeup 1, will not be allowed to take part in this competition. The primary selection will be held at eleven different centres in the country.
   The organisers will select two hundred singers for the final competition, which will be held in Dhaka. The talent search is getting tremendous response from the people, said the organisers.
   There will be lucrative prizes for the lucky winner. Music contracts worth lakhs of takas can change his or her life. In addition to releasing solo albums and music videos of the winner, he/she will be taken on concert tours by the organisers.
   According to the participants, this sort of talent hunt will not only encourage the amateur singers but will also be able to discover the real talents from all over the country. ‘This is really a great opportunity for us to prove our talent. Hopefully, the finalist will be able to bring a new dimension in the country’s music arena,’ said some of the participants at the registration.
   Though the quota for registration in the major cities has already filled up, eager hopefuls are still calling up to enter the competition.

Bangladesh Cultural Reporter’s Association has formed a new executive committee recently for 2005––2007 with Manirul Islam (Ajker Kagoj) and Jhutan Chowdhury (Anandadhara) as the president and secretary respectively.
   The other members of the committee are: vice-presidents––– Rafiq Mohammad (Inqilab), Sumon Rahman (Sarasari), Sheikh Saiful (Dainik Khabar) and Nabin Hossain (Amardesh); Kamruzzaman Babu (Prothom Alo) was selected as joint secretary, Hamid Mohammad Jasim ( Weekly Bichitra) as organisation secretary, Rezaul Haque Reza (Ananda Alo) as finance secretary, Himel Chowdhury (Naya Diganta) as cultural secretary, Mahbub Matin(Channel-i) as international secretary, Nihar Ahmed (Ittefaq) as literary editor, Ziaul Haque Sabuj (Sangram) as sports secretary, Anamul Haque (Orthakantha) as publicity and office secretary.
   Besides, the executive members are Supon Roy (NTV), Rezaul Karim Reza (Bangla Bazar), Abdullah Zehad (Chhayachhanda), Sugata Sarkar Pappu (Ajker Kagoj), Jahangir Sikdar (Binodonbhuban), Shah Alam Bhulu (Binodon Bazar) and Akash Babu (Television).

Walt Disney artist Joe Grant, who designed the queen/witch character in “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” died of a heart attack while at his drawing board at his home studio on Friday at the age of 96, Disney said in a statement.
   Besides his work on “Snow White”, Grant also served as co-story director on “Fantasia,” co-wrote “Dumbo,” and conceived “Lady and the Tramp.”
   Despite his advanced age, Grant remained active, working four days a week at Walt Disney Feature Animation.
   At the time of his death, he was developing several feature-length and short animation projects, Disney said.

9:00pm-10:00pm, Discovery
   The enigmatic ruins of Egypt have long been objects of fascination. Two days stand out in the quest to understand this ancient civilization. The discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun and the deciphering of the Rosetta Stone. Tutankhamun's Tomb And The Rosetta Stone is an enactment of events as they happened on those days. British archaeologist, Howard Carter holds the attention of the viewers as he sets out to make the most amazing archaeological discovery of all times in the Valley of the Kings.

The New York Post' brands this action-thriller as pure "killer entertainment.' And in the world of professional killers, the only retirement is in a body bag. Robert Rath (Stallone) is a master hitman, But he wants out of the game. One last hit job later, he falls for quirky surveillance expert Electra (Moore). But someone is determined not to let him live out the rest of his life in peace. Up-and-coming assassin Miguel Bain (Banderas) is out to make a name for himself by taking out both Rath and Electra.
   ASSASSINS
   HBO
   9:30pm
   Starring
   Sylvester Stallone, Antonio Banderas, Julianne Moore
   Genre: Action/Thriller