The air crackled with quiet intensity as AKM Itmam, the rising star of “Boli (The Wrestler)”, settled into a chair at The Daily Star’s premises. He was a whirlwind of energy, a man with a flight to catch in less than 24 hours, yet he exuded a calm focus that belied his hurried schedule.

Arijit Singh, the renowned Indian playback singer, recently shared Bangladeshi singer Angel Noor’s song “Abar Dekha Hobe” on his X (formerly Twitter) handle, captioning it with high praise, “What a song.” 

Local cinemas have been awaiting welcoming new releases, from the beginning of the new year. Continuing this momentum, two government-funded films are hitting theatres nationwide today.

The 23rd edition of the Dhaka International Film Festival (DIFF) is set to commence tomorrow, January 11. The nine-day festival will run until January 19, featuring 220 feature and short films from 75 countries across 10 categories. Among them, 44 films from Bangladesh will be showcased.

The Dhaka International Film Festival is returning for its 23rd edition, scheduled to run over nine days from January 11 to January 19 next year.

Iqbal Hossain Chowdhury's film “Boli” (The Wrestler), which won an award at the Busan Film Festival, has been selected to represent Bangladesh in the Best International Feature Film category at the 97th Academy Awards.

The film has been screening at Mississauga’s Central Parkway Cinema, marking its international debut since Saturday (September 27). Confirming the news, director Iqbal Hossain Chowdhury said, “We’ve released the film on a limited scale in Canada. The first show premiered yesterday and audiences will be able to watch it throughout the week.”

Director Iqbal Hossain Chowdhury's film “Boli” (The Wrestler) recently received the limelight on an international scale as it was featured at the Shanghai International Film Festival under the International Panorama category. 

Describing "Boli," the judges of the New Currents section at the Busan festival acclaimed, "Iqbal Hossain Chowdhury's film 'The Wrestler' is like a gripping single-round wrestling match, where the story is magically told."

Traditionally, nations around the world host such celebratory events to honour the achievements of their cinema in film festivals. This is the first time that Bangladesh has arranged such a celebratory night to grace the Bangladeshi films during an international film festival.

Actor Nasir Uddin Khan is gearing up for his highly anticipated film, "Boli" (The Wrestler), as he showcased his commitment to the role by taking a daring plunge into a swimming pool, executing a flawless somersault. The film is directed by Iqbal Hossain Chowdhury. 

One of showbiz’s most sought-after stars, Afran Nisho took home the Best Actor in Negative Role award at the Blender's Choice-The Daily Star OTT & Digital Content Awards 2021. The actor won the award for his stellar performance in the Chorki web-series “Morichika”.