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Around Tinsel Town
>> BAFTA
The British Academy Film Awards was held at London’s Royal Festival Hall on Sunday, where German-language antiwar drama ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ led the pack of nominees and won seven prizes, including best picture. Irish tragicomedy ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’ took four trophies, including best British film, while the rock biopic ‘Elvis’ also won four.
‘Elvis’ star Austin Butler won the Best Actor award for his performance as the legendary singer, while Cate Blanchett won the Best Actress trophy for the movie ‘Tar’.
Meanwhile, Indian docu-filmmaker Shaunak Sen’s climate change documentary ‘All That Breathes’ lost the Best Documentary award to Daniel Roher’s ‘Navalny,’ which details the 2020 assassination attempt on Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
Here’s the complete list of winners at the BAFTAs 2023
>> Berlinale 2023
The Berlinale 2023 is currently taking place in the German capital of Berlin. Here are a few highlights from the festival this week:
> From ‘Golda’ to ‘The Fabelmans’ to ‘Blackberry,’ the films at Berlin festival blur the lines between fiction and reality
> Steven Spielberg wins lifetime award, and unveils plans of his new HBO series
> Sonakshi Sinha, Vijay Varma attend ‘Dahaad’ premiere
> Film offering close-up of Ukraine’s bloody Eastern Front to premiere on the first anniversary of invasion
> ‘Survival of Kindness’ star Hussein’s inspiring journey from refugee camps to the red carpet
> Two films attempt to document the torture of political prisoners in Iran
> ‘Green Night’ marks Chinese star Fan Bingbing’s return to cinema
> Kristen Stewart takes on jury president duties in Berlin
> Sean Penn film ‘Superpower’ catches Zelenskiy at moment of Russian invasion
> Film stars show solidarity with Iran protesters
> Virginia Woolf’s ‘Orlando’ inspires transgender film
> Helen Mirren: Starring in ‘Golda’ like playing British monarch
> Remember the 2011 quake: ‘Suzume’ to Japan’s young
> ‘Limbo’ unearths traumas of Australian indigenous communities
>> Dadasaheb Phalke Awards 2023
The Dadasaheb Phalke International film festival awards ceremony was held at a five-star hotel in Mumbai on Monday. The ceremony saw SS Rajamouli’s blockbuster film ‘RRR’ bag the Film Of The Year award, while Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor took away the top acting awards for their performances in ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’ and ‘Brahmastra,’ respectively.
Bollywood
Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘Pathaan’ becomes fifth Indian film to hit Rs 1000 crore mark
Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Ted Sarandos on the ambition and world of ‘Heeramandi’
Shah Rukh Khan to start shooting for Salman Khan’s ‘Tiger 3’ soon
Short film ‘Goolar Ka Phool’ nominated for an award at Barcelona Film Festival
Bollywood expresses anger over ‘invasion’ of Alia Bhatt’s privacy after actor called out a media organization.
Mumbai Police asks Alia Bhatt to lodge formal complaint over the issue.
Meanwhile, ‘RRR,’ Alia Bhatt, Ranbir Kapoor win at the Dadasaheb Phalke International film festival awards 2023
Prabhas and Deepika’s ‘Project K’ gets a release date
Tamil hit film ‘Love Today’ to get a Hindi remake
Emperor Akbar’s sons fight for the Mughal throne in ‘Taj – Divided by Blood’ trailer
Ayushmann Khurrana appointed UNICEF India National Ambassador
Sonu Nigam and his colleagues manhandled at Mumbai event; FIR against MLA’s son
Character actor and dancer Bela Bose dies at 79
Hollywood
Oscars 2023: Academy adds ‘crisis team’ to the show following Will Smith-Chris Rock slap incident
Oscars 2023: Rihanna to perform ‘Black Panther’ songs at the ceremony
Steven Yeun to join Florence Pugh and Sebastian Stan in Marvel Studios’ ‘Thunderbolts’
New ‘Lord of the Rings’ films in the works at Warner Bros
Alec Baldwin pleads not guilty in shooting, can still work
HBO Max orders ‘It’ prequel series ‘Welcome to Derry’
Elizabeth Olsen to play Candy Montgomery in ‘Love & Death’
First-look of Dennis Quaid and Heather Graham’s ‘On a Wing and a Prayer’ released
Dave Bautista’s ‘My Spy’ gets a sequel
Two-part film adaptation of Agatha Christie’s ‘Murder Is Easy’ in works
David Fincher says ‘Mindhunter’ was too expensive for streaming giant Netflix
Finn Wittrock, Victoria Pedretti join Ava DuVernay’s ‘Caste’
‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’ duo win top Hollywood directing prize
Harvey Weinstein sentenced to 16 years in LA rape case
‘Succession’ to end with season 4
Emma Mackey to leave ‘Sex Education’ after season 4
Ali Fazal, Gerard Butler’s ‘Kandahar’ to release on May 26
Zach Galifianakis joins live-action ‘Lilo & Stitch’ movie
Brie Larson-starrer ‘The Marvels’ gets Indian release date
Brian Taylor to direct ‘Hellboy: The Crooked Man’
Karen Gillan, Marton Csokas join Russell Crowe in crime film ‘Sleeping Dogs’
Freida Pinto, Vanessa Redgrave to star in ‘Boy At the Back of the Class’ adaptation
Jojo Siwa to lead horror-thriller movie ‘All My Friends Are Dead’
Regional cinema
Magizh Thirumeni to direct Ajith Kumar’s next; Anirudh and Nirav Shah on board
Tamil actor and comedian Mayilsamy no more
Hollywood composer Mark Kilian on board Mohanlal’s ‘Barroz’
It’s a wrap for Kunchacko Boban’s ‘Padmini’
‘RRR’ returns to theatres across U.S. ahead of the Oscars
Shruti Haasan wraps filming for Prabhas-Prashant Neel’s ‘Salaar’
With the Malayalam film ‘Oh My Darling’ due to release, Anikha Surendran confesses to being nervous
Prithviraj Sukumaran to play Rajan Pillai in a biopic on the late ‘biscuit baron’
Trailer of Rajisha, Venkitesh, Sreenath Bhasi’s ‘Lovefully Yours Veda’ out
Malayalam actor Siju Sunny is excited about his break in ‘Romancham’, and the opportunities it has thrown open
Pawan Kalyan, Sai Dharam Tej’s ‘Vinodhaya Sitham’ remake by Samuthirakani goes on floors
English actor Daniel Caltagirone on board Vikram and Pa Ranjith’s ‘Thangalaan’
Popular Malayalam anchor-actor Subi Suresh dead
Sathyaraj and Sibiraj reunite for ‘Jackson Durai’ sequel
First look of Hiphop Adhi’s Tamil movie ‘Veeran’ out
World Cinema
Legendary manga artist Leiji Matsumoto dies
Makoto Shinkai’s ‘Suzume’ to release in India on April 21
New in streaming
Coming to Netflix: British horror series Red Rose, comedy horror film We Have a Ghost, mystery thriller The Strays, and more
Coming to Netflix in 2023: Raj & DK’s Guns and Gulaabs, Sidharth Malhotra-starrer Mission Majnu, Anushka Sharma’s sports drama Chakda ‘Xpress, and more
K-Dramas coming to Netflix in 2023: Part 2 of the revenge drama The Glory, the time-slip romance A Time Called You, romance drama Doona!, and more
Korean films coming to Netflix in 2023: Yeon Sang-ho’s JUNG_E, biopic film The Match, crime action film Believer 2, and more
New on Disney+ Hotstar in February: Anil Kapoor, Aditya Roy Kapur starrer The Night Manager, documentary film J-Hope In The Box, and more
New on Amazon Prime Video: The Consultant season 1, Vijay’s Varisu, Malayalam film Thankam, and more
Coming to Apple TV Plus: Travel series The Reluctant Traveler, climate change series Extrapolations, thriller series Liaison, and more
Essential reading
1) Kamal Haasan: Time to protect right of individuals to speak native language freely
>> The actor-politician writes for The Hindu on why the Tamil language and culture is under threat from the Central government’s attempts to impose a monoculture
2) Billy Crudup and Nicolas Podany on playing salesmen in the retro-futuristic world of ‘Hello Tomorrow!’
>> The Hollywood stars talk to us about the new Apple TV+ series
3) Jonita Gandhi on her fascination for Tamil, teaming up with Anirudh
>> Why the singer, who recently performed in Chennai, is in awe of all things Tamil
4) Brinda on directing ‘Thugs’, breaking stereotypes and her love for the lens
>> The dance choreographer-turned-filmmaker talks about her sophomore directorial
5) Actor Kavin on ‘DaDa’ and the road to success
>> Kavin chats about his career so far, playing the odd comedy routine, how he handles success, and more
6) Vijayeta Kumar on ‘Kicking Balls’, fighting child marriage with football, and more
>> The docu-filmmaker talks about the journey of chronicling the struggle of girls in Rajasthan resisting child marriage
7) Remembering the late comedian Mayilsamy’s iconic roles
>> From Kanden Seethaiyai’s Govindasamy to Dhool’s Kunchacko, here are some of Mayilsamy’s famous characters
8) ‘Romancham’ is based on a real-life incident that I experienced, says Malayalam director Jithu Madhavan
>> The director talks about how he mined personal experience to make the blockbuster Malayalam horror-comedy
9) Director Mini IG: Malayalam film ‘Divorce’ is about six women who go through the legal process
>> ‘Divorce’ explores the circumstances that arise when a marriage breaks down and how it affects the people involved
10) Malayalam director Rohit M G Krishnan says appreciation for ‘Iratta’ has surpassed his expectations
>> Why the thriller, with Joju George playing twins in uniform, is a success
11) Bring Your Own Film Festival: a platform for budding filmmakers
>> This unique event bereft of corporate sponsorship draws both filmmakers and film lovers to the town of Puri
12) Teachers in film: Never too cool for school
>> Teachers in cinema are often life coaches showing troubled teens the way
13) Why Indian cinema needs a pivot
>> How creative producers can help balance commerce with the art of filmmaking
What to watch
1) ‘Cocaine Bear’ is an enjoyably gory, funny creature feature
2) A captivating script drives Akshay Kumar-starrer ‘Selfiee’
3) In ’Die Hart: The Movie’ review: Kevin Hart’s modest meta action-comedy plays to its strengths
4) ‘Marcel the Shell with Shoes On’ is a therapeutic, absurdist mockumentary on life
5) ‘Alcarràs’ is a moving observation of a family negotiating with traditions
6) ‘Ntikkakkakkoru Premandaarnnu’ is a mature, engagingly-told love story
7) Hindi series ‘The Night Manager’ is an explosive combination of style and substance
8) The humour falls flat in ‘Enkilum Chandrike,’ an old-fashioned tale
9) ‘Vinaro Bhagyamu Vishnu Katha’ is a concoction of absurd ideas
