Thursday, October 29, 2009
by Joyeeta Basu
Freelance Writer
For the first time the ION International Film Festival will bring together two of the world’s largest film industries at the vibrant Port Harcourt: from India and Nigeria.
The event, Connecting Bollywood to Nollywood, will seek to explore collaboration possibilities between the two giants of celluloid.
After Hollywood, Mumbai-based Bollywood produces the world’s largest number of feature films. Rapidly-growing Nollywood comes close on heels as the third largest.
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Tuesday, October 27, 2009
A Sikh group has written to the BBC Trust to complain about the misuse of the holy symbol of the Sikh symbol Khanda in a news report.
The London based organisation United Sikhs claim that on Friday 16th Oct 2009, a news story about a Sikh rape victim from Wales used the Sikh religious insignia, the Khanda, in the report. They say that suggests the Sikh religion was connected to the crimes.
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Monday, October 26, 2009
The BBC presenter Konnie Huq is fronting a documentary for the Asian Network today, reporting on how Asian women in the UK were at high risk of developing mouth cancer as a result of using Gutka.
Gutka is more commonly known as chewing tobacco and is increasingly popular here.
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Monday, October 26, 2009
Channel 4 has unveiled a Punjabi Asian family for the new series of their observational documentary series: The Family.
It will be the first documentary of its kind to show British Asian life in such detail.
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Monday, October 26, 2009
Young journalist Angela Saini has been jointly named Junior European Science Writer of the Year for 2009, by the respected Euroscience Foundation. The science has written for New Scientist, Wired, Science and The Economist in the past and is a regular science and technology reporter on BBC World Service.
She was nominated by the European Union of Science Journalists’ Associations. The judges said she had “already become a very versatile and promising science journalist”.
She told AIM Magazine: “I know its cheesy, but since I went freelance last year I’ve honestly felt that my job is its own reward – I love being a science journalist. But to be recognised by your peers, especially early in your career, is brilliantly encouraging.”
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
A BBC Radio 4 documentary to be aired today asks why so many British Asian men are opting to marry women from the sub-continent.
The half-hour documentary is presented and co-produced by Yasmeen Khan, who thinks this cultural phenomenon is unique to the second generation of British Asians.
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Tuesday, October 6, 2009
The BBC has now received over 400 complaints after Strictly Come Dancing contestant Anton du Beke reportedly called his dance partner Laila Rouass a “paki”.
The corporation was last night trying to justify the decision not to boot him off the show while earlier handing out strict punishments to presenters such as Carol Thatcher.
The row emerged when the News of the World revealed that Du Beke had said Laila Rouass “looked like a Paki” after she turned up to a rehearsal with a spray tan two weeks ago.
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Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Following the succesful launch of her single last month, upcoming singer Sarah Sayeed is working to release her hotly anticipated debut album.
The lyricist and MC has been tipped as hot ‘homegrown’ talent by presenters on BBC 1Xtra radio (video below)
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Saturday, October 3, 2009
A London based model has made her debut in the Bollywood film Love Aaj Kal alongside actor Saif Ali Khan.
23 year-old Poonam Mehmi (pictured) got the part through an agency, but came to prominence after being crowned Miss India Worldwide UK earlier this year.
She has a small role in one of the songs.
She told the Manchester based Asian News newspaper: “I was called to go for a casting. There were so many girls who had gone for the part but two days later I was told that I had got it.”
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Saturday, October 3, 2009
Brick Lane actress Tannishtha Chatterjee (pictured) is starring in a new film doing film festival rounds across the world.
Road, Movie recently became the only Indian feature to be invited as a special presentation to the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival.
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Friday, October 2, 2009
The Council of Europe is next week hosting the 3rd International Journalism and News Conference in Strasbourg, France, to discuss diversity in the media industry across Europe.
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Friday, October 2, 2009
The media skills agency Skillset is to fund a nationwide programme to give film companies across the UK access to the business training that will help them seize the opportunities of the ‘digital age’.
The six-month programme will provide successful applicants with the knowledge, skills and experience needed to develop their own digital media technology, content, marketing and business strategies.
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