Shaniz Chowdhury

Thirteen years after the delirious and dark cult horror movie, “Orphan”, director William Brent Bell brings its prequel to theatres “Orphan: First Kill.” The plot of the movie is set several years before the events of the first movie, revealing further details on the protagonist’s criminal, dark psyche.

The 74th Emmy Awards laid down the red carpet once again this year, to honour the biggest names in television. The ceremony took place at the Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles, in front of a live studio audience. Veteran SNL cast member, Kenan Thompson, took charge as the evening’s host.  

In "Elvis", Baz Luhrmann intended to revisit the highs, lows, flaws and double-edged fame of Presley’s life . However, those stories are swiftly eclipsed by Presley’s infamously underhanded manager, Colonel Tom Parker.

“Prey” presents itself as a prequel to the much-adulated “Predator” series, originally helmed by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Director Dan Trachtenberg along with co-writer Patrick Aison were able to recapture the magic which made the franchise so popular and enduring in the first place.

The 79th Venice International Film Festival will begin on August 31. In the meantime, the 23 films, which the festival will be showcasing this year, has already been announced. The movies, competing for this year's Golden Lion at the festival, ranger from biopics to thrillers. Let us take a look at the 6 most-anticipated movies that will be screened at the grand event this year

The Russo Brothers have once again taken the big screen by storm with “The Gray Man”, an espionage thriller with a star-studded cast. The film is based on a novel of the same name by Mark Greaney, and so far, this movie has been one of the biggest that Netflix has churned out in its history.

“Stranger Things” returned this May after a three-year hiatus, and the new season is significantly more expansive in terms of its premise on trauma and loss. What was particularly interesting about the show this time around, was its new format—where it split the final season into two different volumes. Season 4, Volume 1 consisted of a total of 7 episodes, with much longer runtimes than the traditional “Stranger Things” format. The split can almost be likened to that of a video game with multiple levels, where each new level puts forth a greater level of intensity and difficulty for our favourite characters.

In India, tobacco is an incredible money-making business. Pan Masala is an Indian smokeless tobacco product that is both addictive and carcinogenic. The government, anti-tobacco crusaders, and civil society are increasingly scrutinizing both the smoking and smokeless groups of the industry. To get around the legislation and health-conscious detractors, both groups have turned to subtle and deceitful methods of surrogate advertising.

Hafsa Tasnim, a student of Bangladesh Agricultural University, received the IVD Bangladesh Volunteer Award 2021 for her activities in community development. The event, titled “Volunteering Contributions towards Community Development in Bangladesh”, was organised by the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives, UNV Bangladesh, UNFPA, VSO, and WaterAid.

Following two years of pandemic interruptions, the Cannes Film Festival resumed its pulse for the 75th time. After two weeks of film screenings, the festival ended yesterday. Here are six award-winning films from the festival, which have made their mark in history.

Marvel has dropped a new trailer of “Thor: Love and Thunder”, the fourth Thor film which picks up after the ending of “Avengers: Endgame.” The last time, we saw Thor in the pantheon of suffering - the downfall of Asgard and the death of his brother, Loki.

The 75th Cannes Film Festival is being held from May 17 to May 28 in the French Riviera. This year, 18 films are contending for the prestigious Palme d'Or. In 2021, the honour went to the French body horror drama “Titane,” directed by Julia Ducournau.

Tod-Learn is a ‘learn through play’ based educational platform designed for kids aged two to six years. Early childhood education occurs before the age of eight, when a child’s brain develops faster than at any other point in their lives, so these years are critical – it is the period which determines their moral outlook, emotional intelligence, and cognitive skills, among other things.  A Tod-Learn subscription has many products to offer, including age-appropriate weekly activity worksheets and lesson plans. Anonta Kibria Khan, who is at the helm of Tod-Learn talked to us about how she started the platform and its journey so far.

This summer, film studios are armed with a variety of spectacular movies.

The 64th Grammy Awards was a night of wonder and as pointed out by host Trevor Noah, a concert where awards are doled out and people’s names are kept out of people’s mouths. It was an intentional jab at Will Smith infamously slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars.

Adnan Mehedee Khan is the Director of Project Development & Communication in Jolputul Puppets, a non-profit organisation that hosts puppet shows. He also works with mPower Social Enterprises Limited as Manager of Communications & External Relations.

Working first-hand with the Health Ministry and icddr,b, Shayan Chowdhury led data analysis projects that traced the Covid-19 outbreak, hospitalisations, deaths, and mobility to inform actionable policy for lockdowns, public health communications, and healthcare decisions.

Beyonce kicked off the ceremony from a tennis court in Compton, in honour of tennis champions Venus and Serena Williams, whose childhood is the main theme of “King Richard”.

Founded in 2019, SHAPE is an innerwear brand that works with South Asian body types, to celebrate intimacy and inspire confidence. It was recently selected for the Stanford Seed Spark incubation programme.

As we celebrate Women’s History Month, you might be fumbling in the dark trying to grasp the what, why and how of events.