Sri Lanka Showbiz Latest News and Updates

BBC newsreader George Alagiah has died at the age of 67, his agent has said.

BBC newsreader George Alagiah has died, it has been announced. His agent confirmed the sad news on Monday (July 24) in a statement almost 10 years after Alagiah was diagnosed with bowel cancer.

Ben Croll An evangelist for the premium format, France’s CGR Cinemas has forged a growing number of international partnerships since the exhibition chain began exporting its proprietary Immersive Cinema Experience (ICE) model in 2017. At the start of this year, CGR – through its export arm ICE Theaters – had already opened premium rooms in Barcelona, Los Angeles, New Dehli and Jeddah, among others; by December, the premium format will win over new converts in Colombia, Ecuador, Thailand and Estonia, with even more to come. As part of its strategy, ICE Theaters teams with local distributors and top exhibition chains, lending “legitimacy” to a still-young brand, designed in-house, that outfits a row of LED panels on both sides of an auditorium and fills them with bespoke visuals extending the action onscreen (“It’s like surround sound but for light,” is how an ICE exec describes it).

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The Mother of all Lies, a docu-drama film that probes the secrets of Morocco’s 1981 Bread Riots, was Sunday named the best picture at the Sydney Film Festival. The jury, headed by Anurag Kashyap, called the Asmae El Moudir-directed film “audacious, cutting-edge and courageous.” It presented the A$60,000 ($41,100) cash prize film ahead at the State Theatre ahead of the Australian premiere screening of “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.” The film, which uses doll-like figurines, recently premiered in Un Certain Regard at Cannes, where it earned the section’s best director prize. “Juxtaposing evidence from barely existent public materials with private family memory, this film reconstructs the history of the state, the family and the individual, in three distinct levels,” said the jury of Kashyap, actor Mia Wasikowska (Australia), film curator and journalist Dorothee Wenner (Germany), writer and director Larissa Behrendt (Australia) and filmmaker Visakesa Chandrasekaram (Australia – Sri Lanka).

Pierre Gasly, the 27-year-old French driver currently racing for Alpine, is dating Portugese model Francisca Cerqueira Gomes. Speculations about their romantic involvement began circulating in 2022, after they were spotted enjoying a night out together at a nightclub in Portugal.Their relationship was further confirmed in November 2022, when Francisca accompanied Pierre to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, spotted cheering him on from the sidelines.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Netflix is to launch a new Japanese reality show “Is She the Wolf?” which was developed with broadcaster Abema and adapted from the original show “Who Is the Wolf” which previously ran for 13 seasons. The show follows five men and five women on a quest for love through dates and a group project. However, some female participants are “lying wolves” who cannot fall in love. They must navigate the entire season without being discovered or accepting any declarations of love. It includes a diverse group of participants aged 22 to 32, including actors, artists, models, and athletes. “Is She the Wolf?” streams exclusively on Netflix in Japan beginning June 11, with new episodes streaming each Sunday. Outside Japan, all episodes will be released on Netflix in September 2023.

A man has admitted raping and murdering Scots mum Jill Barclay in Aberdeen.

Three teens have been charged after an alleged late-night street attack in Glasgow.

To get ready for her Marbella wedding to Jamie Laing, Made In Chelsea’s Sophie Habboo made sure she prepared her skin as best she could to keep her hyperpigmentation at bay. With the warmer weather and increase in sun exposure, particularly as she planned to jet to Spain for their nuptials, Sophie made sure she was on top of her skincare routine and doing all she could to minimise the appearance of her hyperpigmentation, including using several products from brand Eucerin.

A controlling thug ordered his wife to shave her hair off and whipped her with a belt during a fit of rage. Kalanther Nibraz, 45, behaved in an 'appalling' way to his wife of 17 years and 'made her life a misery'.

Naman Ramachandran Indian multiplex chains PVR and Inox, which merged earlier this year, have launched a combined distribution arm PVR Inox Pictures, formerly PVR Pictures, “to increase investments in content acquisition to streamline high quality content for the Indian market, generate further opportunity for underrepresented storytellers and independent creators, and deliver a robust content slate to the Indian audience.” PVR Inox operates a network of 1689 cinema screens in 361 properties across 115 cities in India and Sri Lanka, and holds 43% share of multiplex screens in India. PVR Inox Pictures is the largest independent distributor of foreign language films and a prominent distributor of Indian films, in India.

Indian exhibitor PVR Inox, recently formed by the merger of the PVR and Inox cinema brands, has launched a new motion pictures arm, PVR Inox Pictures, which will ramp up acquisitions of international content for the India market. 

After Charles officially took to the throne as The King during his Coronation this morning, we have no doubt that he's soon to be inundated with gifts from people all across the globe - from leading figures to celebrity spectators.There's one particular present however, that it is understood the former prince will treasure for years to come - one from his late father Prince Phillip.The former husband to his mother The late Queen gifted his eldest son a special blend of tea, from a bush which he had planted himself during his incredible life. Whimsically named 'Majes-tea', the mix is made from an English tea plant, planted by Phillip, and it has been gifted to the new King to celebrate the Coronation.

Trinidad Barleycorn One of the smallest countries in Europe has the highest number of soldiers per capita. This situation is dissected in “Swiss Citizen Soldiers,” one of the six high-end documentaries that will arrive on the circuit in the coming months, and were pitched at the Swiss Films Previews at Visions du Réel, in Nyon, Switzerland. SWISS CITIZEN SOLDIERS “Switzerland has 200,000 soldiers, by far the most per capita in Europe, and most of these soldiers are switching between their job and military service. Almost a third of them have their roots in another country”: this is the starting point of “Swiss Citizen Soldiers” (Echte Schweizer), by Luka Popadić, his first documentary feature after several short films.

Naman Ramachandran Ajay Bijli, the managing director of India’s largest multiplex chain PVR Inox, has unveiled plans for the group’s growth. The merger of the PVR and Inox chains concluded in February and the merged entity now operates 1,683 screens in 360 sites across 115 cities throughout India and parts of Sri Lanka. Bijli has been accorded the honor of delivering the exhibition keynote address at the international day of CinemaCon, Las Vegas (April 24-27) in recognition of his role as a thought leader in the theatrical exhibition space. Despite a vast and flourishing film industry that produces more than 1,600 films annually and a population of 1.4 billion, India has only 8,700 screens, compared to China, which boasts more than 80,000 screens for a similar population size.

Ajay Bijli, founder of India’s PVR Cinemas and Managing Director of PVR Inox, will deliver the Exhibition Keynote address on International Day at this year’s CinemaCon (April 24-27) in Las Vegas.

The new musical & Juliet is one of the biggest hits of the 2022-23 Broadway season and we’re catching up with some of the stars!

was an emotional reunion with Ford, Quan’s co-star in 1984’s “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” — and the origin of that friendship can be seen in newly released photos, shot by Eva Sereny, as they hung out while filming.“Temple of Doom,” in which Quan played Indy’s chatty kid sidekick Short Round, was his first film as an actor. He was just 12, and superstar Ford was 40.

K.J. Yossman Freida Pinto is lending her voice to a new animated film project in honor of International Women’s Day. She Creates Change is a new nonprofit-led animation and live action film project from global education organization Room to Read produced by Nexus Studios. The multi-media initiative, which spans a six-episode film series as well as books and audio stories, aims to promote gender equality through telling the stories of young women across the planet. It will initially be available in English, Hindi and Spanish with plans to translate it into dozens more languages and will be distributed across the world via Room to Read and educational partnerships. The project will also be released to general audiences in October.

The stars of Made in Chelsea are no stranger to a luxurious treatment or two, and with her wedding fast approaching, Sophie Habboo, 29, known as ‘Habbs’, has been making sure she’s bridal-ready with a range of treatments. Her most recent procedure was the Moxi laser treatment, which is designed to promote new cell growth and reduce unwanted pigmentation, and has less of a recovery time than more aggressive forms of laser therapy.

EXCLUSIVE: For Banijay Asia’s Deepak Dhar, 2023 is shaping up to be one of the busiest in a three-decade career in Indian media. Not only has he just launched The Night Manager India on Disney+ Hotstar and is delivering several scripted and unscripted shows, he is also working to position India has Banijay’s Asian production hub.

Queen Camilla has reportedly picked Princess Diana’s “favorite” designer to make her coronation gown! Yes, really!!!

Naman Ramachandran A galaxy of A-list talent will participate in SXSW’s inaugural South Asian House initiative. Panel discussion Creating South Asian Content for a Global Audience, will feature actor Rizwan Manji (“Schitt’s Creek”), Emmy-winning producer/writer for Vice, Falguni Adams (“Dateline NBC”) and Apoorva Bakshi, producer of International Emmy-winning series “Delhi Crime,” moderated by CEO of Jingo Media and producer of South Asian House Jitin Hingorani. Another panel, Investing in the Future of Our South Asian Stories, will feature CEO and co-founder of URL Media S. Mitra Kalita and actor Kausar Mohammed (“The Flash”), moderated by co-founder of Box Office Guru Media Gitesh Pandya.

Naman Ramachandran India’s Platoon One Films, co-producers of Berlin Film Festival Panorama strand title “Ghaath” (“Ambush”), has seven films in the works. Four films are in advanced development. Police procedural “Bayan” by Bikas Mishra (“Chauranga”) was developed at Film Independent’s Global Media Makers program in Los Angeles and the film is supported by the International Film Festival Rotterdam’s Hubert Bals Fund. Drama “Kadminche,” the feature directorial debut of Tushar Paranjape, writer of Berlin Crystal Bear winner “Killa,” has Rinku Rajguru (“Sairat”) attached to star. Action fantasy film “Don’t Sleep” will mark the Hindi-language debut of Arun Bose (Malayalam-language “Luca”). And Agrim Joshi and Debojit Das Purkayastha, creators of series “Candy” for Viacom18 streamer Voot Select, will make their feature directorial debut with psychological thriller “Influenzaa.”

Thai auteur Apichatpong Weerasethakul has revealed plans to shoot a film in Sri Lanka, inspired by the work of science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke.

Ross Kemp is returning to acting after 15 years for a Channel 5 police thriller that features on an upfront slate with Tim Peake, Ruby Wax and Jay Blades.

This year’s International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) has unveiled the 16 films selected for its flagship Tiger Competition. Scroll down for the full list.

Dumfries cricketer Chris McBride has been making his mark on the pitch for Scotland in the heat of Namibia whilst his former Dumfries Cricket Club team mates have been putting the gloves on for the icy conditions at home.

RealD has signed separate deals with India’s PVR Cinemas and Taiwan’s Shin Kong Cinemas as Asia’s exhibitors smarten up their tech offerings ahead of the global rollout of Avatar: The Way of Water in mid-December. 

The International Film Festival Of India (IFFI) has announced the 15 films that will screen in competition at this year’s edition of the annual event, including recent festival favourites such as Maha Haj’s Mediterranean Fever and Lav Diaz’ When The Waves Are Gone, and three Indian films, including recent Busan premiere The Storyteller. 

Psychological thriller The Beasts, directed by Spain’s Rodrigo Sorogoyen, won three awards at this year’s Tokyo International Film Festival, including the Tokyo Grand Prix, best director and best actor for Denis Menochet. 

British holidaymakers are facing very different prospects as they travel the world with the pound in free fall.

George Alagiah is stepping back from his presenting work on BBC News after scans showed his cancer has spread. The 66-year-old was first diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer in 2014 and took a break from his TV work in October last year as he struggled with the disease. He returned to his presenting duties on BBC News at Six in April - but now his agent has confirmed he will once again have to take a step back.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Kamila Andini’s “Before Now and Then” (aka “Nana”) topped the nominations for the Asia Pacific Screen Awards, with nods in four categories including best film and best director. The film, about a gentlewoman’s memories of escaping from a Communist purge, narrowly headed three films with three nominations each: “Poet” (aka “Akyn”) by Kazakhstan’s Darezhan Omirbayev; “This Is What I Remember” (aka “Esimde”) by Kyrgyzstan’s Aktan Arym Kubat; and Philippines director Lav Diaz’s “When The Waves Are Gone” (“Kapag Wala Nang Mga Alon”). APSA casts its net wide, seeking honors for cinematic excellence from 78 countries and territories defined as Asia Pacific. The awards will be presented at a ceremony at HOTA on Australia’s Gold Coast on Nov. 11, 2022.

Manori Ravindran International Editor New York’s South Asian International Film Festival has appointed Chayan Sarkar as its new president. A filmmaker, entrepreneur and festival director, Sarkar is also the founder of the Indian International Film Festival of Queensland in Australia. He takes over from SAIFF founder Shilen Amin, who will step down as president, but will remain a member of the festival’s board of directors. Sarkar joins SAIFF as the festival enters its 19th year as a leading film festival in the U.S. for new cinema from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal, and within the Indian diaspora. In recent years, SAIFF has become increasingly influential as a platform for South Asian cinema, both in the U.S. and internationally. Fourteen of India’s submissions for the international feature film Oscar have had their North American premieres at the festival.

Naman Ramachandran For the first time in its 37-year history, the SXSW festival in Austin will host South Asian House, an initiative to celebrate South Asians from India, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, and Maldives as well as accomplished members of the diaspora. The initiative, scheduled for the first weekend of SXSW on March 11 and 12, 2023, will feature programming around film and television, dance and music, technology, business, fashion, comedy and climate change from a South Asian world view across plenaries, sessions, panel discussions, workshops, art exhibits, book launches and music concerts. It will take place in the 4th Street neighborhood of downtown Austin, near the Austin Convention Center event headquarters.