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Only one and a half years old, Amarante has already managed to claim its place in the elite Bangaladeshi fashion market. With fresh innovative designs and a novel approach in defining the modern world of sari, it is fast becoming one of the hot spots for sari shopping. There is no dearth of variety in the collection of saris at Amarante. It is certainly incredible to see how the simple saris available can leave a lasting impression on one’s mind.
   Amrante is a sister concern of Pride and called ‘a pride boutique. ‘We thought of targeting a different market, consisting of people who are more into exclusive clothes’ says Abdul Momen the director of the Pride group. ‘The attire offered at Amarante is aimed at women who have distinctive tastes, prefer a unique look when it comes to saris’, he continued. After seeing the saris presented at the show room it is obvious that this statement it truly accurate.
   At Rapa Plaza, Amarante has a warm and pleasant outlet with a characteristic feel to it. Even if a sari does not cater to one’s individual taste, the manner in which it is exhibited certainly manages to grab attention. The elegant saris placed on display at the entrance only give a taste of the vast collection of saris available inside. The best part about the arrangement is the fact that the main saris can be viewed in full length and this leaves nothing to the imagination.
   A vast range of saris are available at different price levels. ‘To ensure exclusiveness, about four to six saris are made with each design and a great deal of effort is put in them, to make sure that a totally individual look is created’ says Bizly Hoque the product development and design manager of the Pride group. Since the saris are aimed at a more selected group of people, the prices are also a bit on the higher end. The cheapest sari available costs around Tk 1000, but with the outstanding quality and individuality of designs it is certainly worth the buy. On the more expensive side, saris cost up to Tk 6000.
   ‘At Amarante, simplicity is the key’, says Bizly. No matter what the price range it is this simplicity that makes Amarante special. Saris with mirror and patti work cost around Tk 1050. These are the kind of saris one can easily wear to family gatherings and other reunions. For Tk 1350 saris with multicoloured block prints and intricate zari embroidery are available. The zari embroidery itself manages to raise the sophistication of the sari.
   The hand-stitched saris have a distinctive feel to them and are slightly on the higher end when it comes to prices. ‘The tasks of hand-stitching are given to different producers in Dhaka, Rajbari and Jessore’ says Bizly. These saris are available in an array of colours but the bright ones are ideal for Eid and other social occasions.
   ‘We take great pride in our ethnicity, and manage to blend our saris in a manner that ensures our traditions are not forgotten,’ says Momen. The immense collection of saris that simply give a traditional vibe proves this statement. Cotton, kota, silk, half silk, Saris with karchupi work, are all available at Amarante. ‘There is an abundance of floral motifs on Amrante saris this season’ says Bizly. These motifs are present on many of the materials and come in different sizes, shapes and designs. In some embroidered saris the flowery motifs continue throughout the six yards and manage to portray an extravagant look.
   Amarante is a Greek word meaning ‘a flower that never dries’. Likewise the saris available will surely remain trendy, chic and manage to stand out even after a particular style goes out of fashion. With the unquestionable quality offered, immense experience of Pride along with the new outlook towards clothes, Amarante certainly has a fruitful future to look forward to.

A record 58 countries from four continents are vying for nominations in next year’s best foreign-language film Oscar category, including first time entrants Iraq and Fiji, officials said.
   Organisers of cinema’s top awards unveiled the entrants for the 2006 Academy Awards’ foreign movie section some three months ahead of the announcement of the nominations for the 78th annual Oscars.
   The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences had invited 91 countries to present a film for consideration for the 2006 Oscar for best foreign film and the winner will be unveiled at a star-studded show in Hollywood on March 5.
   Iraq entered ‘Requiem of Snow,’ a Kurdish language film from director Jamil Rostami about Kurds praying for rain in a drought-parched area of the country.
   France’s hopeful in the race for the coveted golden statuette is ‘Joyeux Noel’ (‘Merry Christmas’), a World War I drama directed by Christian Carion, the Academy said.
   The film beat out the hit documentary ‘March of the Penguins’ for France’s official entry in the Oscars race.
   Instead, Italy submitted Cristina Comencini’s film ‘La bestia nel cuore’ (The Beast in the Heart), which deals with the issues of childhood incest and lesbianism.
   Islamic Iran entered Reza Mir Karimi’s ‘So Close, So Far,’ the story of a self-absorbed neurosurgeon who sets off into the desert to locate and reconcile with his 18-year-old son, and a finale involving divine intervention.
   Hong Kong submitted ‘Perhaps Love,’ by director Peter Chan Ho-Sun, while China’s entry is ‘The Promise,’ by Chen Kaige.
   India, famed for its Bollywood film production centre, fielded the fantasy folk-tale ‘Paheli,’ by Amol Palekar, as its official entry. The film tells the story of a bride who meets a ghost on the way home from her wedding and eventually ends up taking the spirit as her lover.
   Japan entered ‘Blood and Bones’ by director Yoichi Sai, the story of a violent and hard-drinking fish factory worker who becomes a loan-shark.
   South Korea’s official entry was ‘Welcome to Dongmakgol,’ by celebrated director Park Kwang-hyun, a Korean war drama about soldiers from both sides of the divide who lives among villagers who know nothing of the war.
   The Central American nation of Costa Rica submitted its first Oscar entry, ‘Caribe,’ from Esteban Ramirez.
   South Africa’s entry is ‘Tsotsi,’ directed by Gavin Hood, a crime drama about a teenage gangster who faces moral dilemmas after inadvertently kidnapping a baby during a carjacking.
   Spain, which won this year’s best foreign-language film Oscar for Alejandro Amenabar ‘The Sea Inside,’ entered Montxo Armendariz’s fantasy tale ‘Obaba.’

The second Fazlul Haque Smrity Award 2005 has gone to Chashi Nazrul Islam, a veteran filmmaker and Ahmed Zaman Chowdhury, a well-known cine-journalist. The recipients also received a certificate and a crest along with Tk 25,000 each as prizes.
   Chashi Nazrul took the prestigious award as the best film director for his film Megher Pare Megh, based on the war of 71’. This award was given in the Lifetime Achievement Award category.
   Ahmad Zaman also received the prestigious award in recognition of his contributions to the field of cine-journalism. This award was under the Film Journalism category.
   The awards were presented by poet Shamsur Rahman and Rabeya Khatun, well-known litterateur and Fazlul Haque’s wife.
   The Fazlul Haque Smrity Committee organised an award giving ceremony at the Ball Room of Hotel Sheraton on October 26.
   The recipients in their speeches stated that ‘we have grabbed a number of awards so far but this one is special for us. We are really very honoured to have won this prestigious award’.
   Poet Shamsur Rahman, chief guest; Rabeya Khatun, special guest; and others were present and spoke on the occasion. The event was presided over by Mohammad Jahangir, while Ali Imam moderated the event.
   The speakers at the ceremony recalled sweet memories of their association with Fazlul Haque who, they noted, had made tremendous contributions to the field of cinema as well as cine-journalism.
   Fazlul Haque was the editor and publisher of Cinema, a newspaper themed on cinema reporting. The paper was first published from Bogra in 1950 and later shifted to Dhaka at 2 AC Roy Road. The last issue of the paper was published in 1959.
   He was the pioneer of cine-journalism in Bangladesh, and also its first film maker. His first film, President, was based on a story on children. The film was highly appreciated by all and earned him considerable popularity.
   The Fazlul Haque Smrity Committee has decided to present the award every year in the two categories, namely, film journalism and best film director.

The Inspiration School of Design and Technology (ISDT) arranged its annual exhibition at its campus in Gulshan yesterday at 11:00 in the morning.
   Theatre personality Ramendu Majumdar was present as chief guest in the inaugural ceremony while Alamgir Jalil, principal of the school were present among others.
   The students of this design school are displaying their own designed apparels, including salwar, kamij, sari, skirt, fatua, panjabi, t-shirts and bags at the exhibition, which will remain open till October 27.

11-year-old movie fan gets to join his favorite action hero in this enjoyable, mega-buck action spoof.
   Young Danny is given a magic movie ticket that whisks him right into the action alongside his hero, Jack Slater (Schwarzenegger, Erasure).
   Fighting side by side, they're an unbeatable movie team--- until the bad guys steal the magic ticket and they're suddenly dumped on the dangerous streets of New York City. Is Arnold as invincible off-screen as on?