IPS Arts and Entertainment
For IPS, Arts and Entertainment isn't just about rock stars or opera divas. The women and men celebrated on these pages are not only singers, performers, record makers, actors and authors, but also pioneers, teachers and role models. They are able to touch our souls and pull us to our feet with their power to inspire and transform. The focus on Arts and Entertainment is about the celebration of innovations and the legacies of ordinary human beings that will live on through their music, art and words.
Updated: 13 min 23 sec ago
Breaking the Silence on Racism in Cuba
Gloria Rolando has been revealing hidden chapters of Cuban history since the 2010 premiere of the first part of her documentary series "1912: Breaking the Silence," about the virtually unknown story about the only legal political party to promote racial equality in this country.
BOOKS: Controversy and Deadly Destruction Arising from Drone Use
Grasshoppers and other insects might become the next generation of
drones, if researchers with the Israeli research centre Technion who are
studying the movements of these insects succeed. Ultimately, they hope
to be able to remotely control where the insects fly.
Paramilitary Killings in Bangladesh Dragged into the Light
What is a journalist to do when simply providing information
is not enough to bring about the desired change? Why, turn to
art, of course.
Chinese Dissidents Silenced for London Book Fair
A dissident Chinese author has expressed dismay at the lack of independent
and exiled authors represented at this year's London Book Fair (LBF), where
China is guest of honour. An ensuing public spat, revolving around accusations
that the Fair's organisers have bowed to Chinese authorities, has thrust the
thorny issue of censorship to centre-stage.
Pakistani Jazz Touches New Chords
The silencing of music in the name of Islam led Pappu to give up the cello and
set up a tea stall. But Pappu and other musicians survived the Islamist regime
for former dictator Zia ul-Haq and the recent ways of the Taliban to return to
the most surprising group of musicians to have emerged over years – on a
dusty little street in the Pakistani city Lahore.
Israel-Iran Matters Get Worse in Verse
A lyrical attack by Germany's acclaimed novelist and essayist Günter Grass in
which he labelled Israel's alleged atomic arsenal and looming pre-emptive
strike on Iran's nuclear installations a threat to world peace has triggered fury
and controversy amongst Israelis.
After the Murder, a New Act at Freedom Theatre
Actors, musicians, activists and friends gathered in various locations
throughout Israel and the West Bank this week to commemorate the life of actor
and theatre director Juliano Mer-Khamis.
China Puts Middle East Differences on Ice
In a first in years, snow blessed the Holy City last month. For a moment, hail
metamorphosed into a paltry three-millimetre layer of white, liquid, light.
Children and parents and snowmen relished the wonders of an almost real,
though usually ephemeral, winter. But then, the Ice Age befell Jerusalem...
Taliban Face the Music in Pakistan
Not so long ago, Gul Pana's pursuit of a career as a professional singer in
Khyber Pakthunkhwa (KP) province would have invited certain death at the
hands of the Taliban.
Saving Face for Pakistan
By winning an Oscar at this year's Academy awards, filmmaker Sharmeen
Obaid-Chinoy has brought home the genius of Pakistan's women as well as the
extreme violence they often suffer in a male-dominated society.
Porn in the Land of the Pure
Dark and smoky, the cinema hall reeks of hashish. An overly made-up woman
on screen in provocatively figure-hugging clothes dances suggestively to the
beat of loud music. The audience, all men, cheer and whistle. The music stops,
the scenes get racier and sexually titillating. The crowd abandons all caution.
The whistles turn to grunts and growls, chairs begin to bang.
Acid Survivors Fight Back: A Story of Hope Amidst Despair
When the Oscar-nominated film "Saving Face" won an Academy
Award in Hollywood for Best Documentary (Short Subject), it
was the triumph of several "firsts": the first time ever that
a Pakistani filmmaker had won an Oscar; Pakistan's first Oscar
winner was a woman; and it was the first time that an American
and a Pakistani had co-directed an Oscar-winning film.
Arab Women Bring Spring to the Screen
Women have been at the forefront of each uprising in the Arab world. Last
week, the ‘8 Arab Women Filmmakers' festival offered a platform to Arab
women directors to give their perspectives on the future of the region.
Festival Brings Human Drama from Headlines to the Screen
The often heroic struggles of some of the world's human rights
victims and advocates are on full view at the Toronto Human
Rights Watch Film Festival, which runs through Friday at the
TIFF Bell Lightbox theatre.
CULTURE-ARAB SPRING: A Revolution Through the Lens
The Arab world is talking about a revolution; not just out on the streets but in
films, in newspapers, in songs – using any means necessary to document events,
expose the horrors of war and explore the struggles and possibilities that lie
ahead as the Arab Spring feels the wintry chill of post-revolutionary democratic
challenges.
Oscar-Winning Film Unites U.S., Iranian Audiences
Amid mounting tensions between Iran and the United States over
Tehran's nuclear programme, perhaps nothing less than an Oscar
to the acclaimed feature film "A Separation" could have
brought smiles to the faces of millions of Iranians who see
most news as bad news these days.
China Cuts Down the Foreign Fun
Imported television shows watched by millions will be canned during the
country's prime "golden time" hours, the government announced last week. Last
month, popular prime time entertainment programmes were slashed by two-
thirds. This was after programmes featuring time travel were all but banned last
year.
Imagining a Better World Is First Step to Sustainability
Humanity's failure to halt the deepening planetary emergency
of climate change, extinctions of species and overconsumption
of resources is a failure of imagination and mistaken beliefs
that we act rationally.
MIDEAST: After 25 Years, Cinema Comes to Divided Town
Palestinians in East Jerusalem can once again go to the movies, after Al Quds
Cinema reopened its doors this week after being closed for 25 years.
Organisers say this signals the rebirth for Palestinian arts and culture in the city.
LAOS-CULTURE: ASEAN Attempts to Build on a Shared Language: Music
A landmark concert featuring artistes from eight of the ten South East Asian
Nations (ASEAN) took place here on Jan. 21, in an effort to build a regional
community through the common language of music.
