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In January 2008, without any fanfare, an unassuming video was uploaded to the website Funny or Die in which a then-largely unknown comedian named Zach Galifianakis conducted a painfully awkward interview with actor Michael Cera on a bare-bones set featuring two potted ferns. Galifianakis lobbed disdainful questions at Cera and snored aloud at his answers. He mockingly imitated his voice. He tried to force him to tickle his thigh. And a viral comedy hit was born. Subsequent episodes of Between Two Ferns racked up millions of views and a pair of Emmys, with boldfaced names including Brad Pitt, Jennifer Lawrence, Sean Penn, Charlize Theron, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton lining up for turns in the guest chair. Eventually, Galifianakis and co-creator Scott Aukerman started toying with the idea of expanding the series, which skewered the typically bland, fatuous back-and-forth of celebrity interviews, into a full-fledged feature film. But that was easier said than done. “To take a four- or five-minute video and blow it up into a movie — how would you do that?” Galifianakis says. “And why would you do that?” Well, they’ve done it. Now streaming on Netflix and featuring appearances by Keanu Reeves, Brie Larson, Matthew McConaughey, Chrissy Teigen, David Letterman and Tiffany Haddish, the largely improvised mockumentary-style Between Two Ferns: The Movie follows Galifianakis as he takes his bizarro public-access talk show across the country in pursuit of his dreams of late-night-hosting glory. Aukerman, who wrote and directed the film and hosts the popular podcast Comedy Bang Bang, and Galifianikis sat down with The Times to discuss how they super-sized Between Two Ferns, the one question that was (almost) too offensive for the show and why you shouldn’t hold your breath for President Trump to be a guest. Where did the seed of this movie come from? Aukerman: We did a half-hour Comedy Central special five years or so ago (Between Two Ferns: A Fairytale of New York), where we took a trip out to New York and were just running around having fun and shooting anything that came to our minds. It was the first time we’d done something with Ferns that wasn’t just the five-minute video, and we had so much fun, we said, “If we can ever think of an idea that is that low-concept enough that we could just set up on the fly and make something really quickly, we would take the opportunity.” So then it just became about figuring out what the story would be. Zach, you started doing Between Two Ferns before your big breakout in 2009 in The Hangover. Did becoming famous yourself change your perspective on this kind of satire of celebrity culture? Galifianakis: No, because my thoughts on celebrity really have not changed. I don’t think there was ever a feeling like, “Oh, darn, I’m known now. How do we keep doing these?” We haven’t done a lot of thinking when we do these. It’s just about what makes us laugh. This is not a thinker of a movie. I don’t want somebody from some highfalutin college trying to make sense of it. Aukerman: For Zach to say that he doesn’t really think about it is, I think, him being a little humble. It is stuff that we’ve thought about a lot. Where we landed in sort of addressing celebrity-culture themes in the movie is that obviously we have distaste for it, and hopefully we’re saying that getting famous doesn’t make you happy, but I don’t think we’re beating people over the head with it. You’ve got a lot of celebrities packed into this movie. How did you go about lining everyone up? Aukerman: We started shooting with no-one on board. It’s a crazy way to do a movie, to not know what you’re shooting. The crew thought we were insane. The script was just a jumble of ideas, and I would just say, “Trust us. It’s going to be great!” But we were doing it with Funny or Die, and they have such a great reach that we just had faith. Zach would check in with me every once in a while, like, “Who do we got?” Galifianakis: And you’d tell me and I’d go, “I don’t know who that is.” Aukerman: Yeah, there was a lot of educating Zach about certain people’s oeuvres. Galifianakis: I’m so out of the loop. When we did that episode with Jerry Seinfeld and Cardi B (last year), I don’t know if I knew who she was. Aukerman: Yeah, well, she didn’t know who you were either. Have you ever pulled back on a joke about someone because you felt like it crossed the line? Galifianakis: With Natalie Portman, there was one joke where I was like, “Let’s get rid of that” — and she wanted me to say it. Over the years you’ve been doing Between Two Ferns, has the way you make the episodes changed at all? Aukerman: We’ve gotten a little more economical, especially on the movie. Normally people give us so little time that we have had to get more streamlined about it. I remember Barack Obama’s people said he was going to give us 45 minutes. I said, “OK, just give me a 10-minute warning (before he has to go).” Three minutes into the video, they come and say, “10-minute warning.” (laughs) Galifianakis: (to Aukerman) Do you remember I got him on a trivia question? Aukerman: Yeah, what was it? Galifianakis: Who was Gerald Ford’s vice president? It was [Nelson] Rockefeller. By the way, no-one ever knows it. You could ask Gerald Ford — he wouldn’t know. Have there ever been people who wanted to be guests on Between Two Ferns who you said no to because you thought it wouldn’t work for some reason? Aukerman: To be a really good subject, you have to have a body of work with some failures that we can make fun of. Ideally, you also have a personal life that’s had a lot of drama in it. Anytime somebody says, “Hey, this person wants to do it,” I’ll start thinking, “What are the jokes?” And if you can’t come up with enough angles on it … Galifianakis: We’ve had business entities reach out to us. Ford wanted to do something. And Harvey Weinstein, years ago. Do you remember that? Aukerman: Hmm, I’m trying to think of anything we could make fun of him about. Galifianakis: Well, this was 10 years ago. He had some movie, I can’t remember. And I’m like, “Why does he want (to do this)? Nobody knows who he is.” Galifianakis: And we have two of them! Zach, after you did the episode with Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential campaign, I asked you if you’d consider doing one with Donald Trump and you said no. Do you still feel that way now? Galifianakis: I would love to have people that I don’t necessarily agree with politically; George Will would be the greatest guest ever. But I just think — and I’m not saying this from a mean point of view — I think I would be taking advantage of Trump. There’s something off with him. There’s something way off. Aukerman: I think comedically it’s just not a good fit because he wouldn’t have a sense of humor about it, which might be kind of interesting to film but not a fun situation for us. I also just think he’s boring, so it’s like, why bother? Galifianakis: Somehow Trump can turn everything sad. He has that magic. And I don’t want that. I want people to laugh. I think humour is his Achilles heel. (deadpan) Also his breath smells horrible. I’ve been near him. That might be why people fear him. Would you do an episode with one of the 2020 presidential candidates, like Bernie Sanders? Galifianakis: We asked Bernie a couple of years ago and he said no, which I respect immensely. What is the future of Between Two Ferns at this point? Galifianakis: My feeling is, how long can you do this kind of show? Humour changes. We’re also living in meaner times and I’m wondering how a mean interview type thing plays in this climate. I mean, look, creatively you never should say no to anything. If it feels right and we’re lucky enough to have someone that wants to do it again, yeah. But it’s run a good course, put it that way. And this would be a nice ending to it. Aukerman: Every single one, we’ve said, “That’s probably it.” And then someone calls up and says, “Can we do an episode?” and we go, “Yeah, OK.” If the Rock were to be promoting something in four months — we have a great idea for the Rock — I think, why not? The closer the movie gets to coming out, we’ve also started thinking about how the universe could continue, be it in a sequel or a television version of stuff. I just think that we shouldn’t put a period at the end of the sentence yet. Galifianakis: We’ll put an exclamation point on it. — Los Angeles Times/TNS

Kendran, a novel in English, by Dr Sabu KC has recently been published by Don Books, Kottayam and is being distributed by National Book Stall, Kottayam, Kerala. The book traces the changes in the lives of the people that took place due to the advent of industries, technological innovations, trade and commerce over many years in Thrikkakara in Kanayannoor Taluk of Ernakulam district, in the Indian State of Kerala. Anil Kumar Vijayan and Lipsy Sabu edited the book. Suresh Kumar did the illustrations, while Anil Vega designed the cover. A review of the book was written by Professor Sunney Tharappan. Dr Sabu KC, son of KV Chackappan and Mariamma Chackappan, hails from Kangarapady near Thrikkakara in Ernakulam district of Kerala. His family comprises wife Lipsy Sabu, teacher at Ideal Indian School, Doha and daughters Arunima Sabu, Ananya Sabu and Arya Sabu. Sabu has holds a Masters in Sociology, Masters and Doctorate in Education as well as a postgraduate diploma in Human Resource Management. He has served as a lecturer in India and an Assistant Professor of Education in Eritrea. He also worked with various research and social development projects in different States of India. Sabu was the sub-editor of Central Chronicle newspaper in India. He was the Principal of Noble International Indian School in Doha. Currently Dr Sabu is working with Gulf Times. The novel takes the reader to the second half of the twentieth century with its main stay of sequential developments that were happening in the society – whether it’s the appearance of a cycle in a remote village in Kanayannur or the arrival of the four wheelers, either to travel or to carry loads on the muddy roads. Dr Sabu brings up some of the finer aspects of the type of people who lived in Kerala in the second half of the twentieth century in his book and incidentally brings up the pictures of the places that these people lived. There is an intelligent dealing with the plot that the book adopts. The author takes away readers outside Kerala and brings in a wider aspect of the life of Keralites who migrated to Karnataka sometime in the first part of the second half of the twentieth century. This part of the novel brings to the readers the courageous and hardworking nature of the Malayalee and how they overpowered nature and other humans in different places. Talking about the book, Sunney Tharappan writes; “Kendran, rather intrinsically, challenges the reader to lead to intellectual translocation. The author’s imagination does not run wild into areas that are unknown or that are newly discovered, instead, he takes the reader through the smaller annals of historic developments that had happened in a small place like Kanayannur, unavoidable to remember, that such developments would have happened in different parts of the state of Kerala. His imagination allows him to put his hands on the shoulder of the reader and stand there; sometime face to face and some other times whispering into the reader’s ears; and stand there assuring the reader that what the writer presents before him is genuine, believable and worthy of being observed. There are no subversions that would shock the reader. In fact, the author and the reader run together towards the close of the story. The imaginative input throughout the story is provided with very little of unnecessary” He further adds; “One of the finest aspects of the novel is the use of language in its narration. There is a natural flow in the use of the language, especially because it is devoid of any pompous show of words so as to impress, and that use helps the reader understand the sequence of events, apart from getting a glimpse of different spectacles of life in the village. The finest in the use of language is a creation of word pictures. The painting of the pictures is done in such a way that it is difficult for any reader to be dissatisfied with the position, the posture, the shape, the colour and the movements of different spectacles that are painted through words in the minds of readers. The descriptions of incidents, events and episodes also provide the reader with clarity of what happens between and among characters that create the story and the descriptions of the time and place also go well with those spectacles that are to be noted by the reader.” The author uses some of the Malayalam words, refers to volley ball game, temporary circus, the making of a cinema theatre, the players of card games, the advent of the radio, the village provision shop, the farmers who visit the village centre, the bullock carts, the cycle and the lorry that transports goods; different types of songs, and more than anything else, the type of life that villagers led are all brought to the reader in different pictures. For the advantage of readers that are not familiar with Malayalam, Dr Sabu has included a glossary with the translation of Malayalam words into English. Kendran is available for purchase on Amazon.

The Laundromat, starring Meryl Streep, Gary Oldman and Antonio Banderas, is a tour through a world of wealth and privilege to which most will never have access. The film bobs and weaves unpredictably between being a financial crimes thriller, an international tax laws explainer, an anthology of oddball stories drawn from the Panama Papers scandal and an irate satire of the mechanics by which the richest of the rich get away with whatever they want. Underscoring the freewheeling, inside-out nature of the movie’s storytelling, at one point, Oldman and Banderas’ characters, who act as narrators and masters of ceremony in drawing the audience through their world, explain directly to the camera the history and purpose of tax-free limited liability corporations in the state of Delaware by noting that the director of this movie has five. So does filmmaker Steven Soderbergh actually have five tax-free corporations in Delaware? “Six. I now have six.” Soderbergh said during an interview at the recent Toronto International Film Festival, adding that the LLCs are for individual movie productions and he has already shot another project, also starring Streep, since finishing The Laundromat. And does Streep also have tax-free corporations in Delaware? “I have a foundation to give money away registered there,” Streep said, seated next to Soderbergh. “And I have another one that I use to try to hide where I live. Lots of celebrities do this to buy a house under a different name. So that the scary guys who stalk you, don’t. But it doesn’t work anymore because there are people in the registrar of realty offices in Los Angeles and New York who immediately know who that is. And so it’s completely useless.” In The Laundromat, which opened on Friday in theatres before launching October 18 on Netflix, Oldman and Banderas appear as Jürgen Mossack and Ramón Fonseca, the real-life lawyers who saw their Panama-based firm suffer a data breach of millions of documents that revealed how many of the world’s richest people move and hide their wealth. Streep plays a fictional composite known as Ellen Martin, who struggles to receive an insurance settlement after the death of her husband in a tour boat accident while on vacation in Lake George, NY. The film is based on the book Secrecy World: Inside the Panama Papers, Illicit Money Networks, and the Global Elite by two-time Pulitzer prize winning journalist Jake Bernstein. It was adapted for the screen by Soderbergh’s frequent collaborator Scott Z Burns. (Burns also wrote and directed the upcoming political drama The Report, which opens November 15.) Using the law firm run by Mossack and Fonseca as the spine of the story, the film spirals off into many other seemingly disconnected tales, from Streep’s struggles to understand the complicated financial world she has found herself thrown into, to a wealthy African businessman (Nonso Anozie) living in Beverly Hills caught cheating with his daughter’s college roommate, to a European businessman (Matthias Schoenaerts) who finds himself entangled with a Chinese diplomat’s wife (Rosalind Chao). The cast also includes Sharon Stone, David Schwimmer, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Melissa Rauch, Jeffrey Wright and many more. The stories are all drawn from the book but often conflated or compressed together. “It’s this thing between what’s true and what happened,” Soderbergh said. “Everything in this movie happened, at some point, to someone within the context of this story. So we weren’t making up events, but we’ve been very fluid in terms of how we orchestrate those things that happened.” Bernstein’s book proposal landed with Soderbergh and Burns before Secrecy World was published. “I thought it was potentially an impossible movie,” Bernstein said of adapting his information-dense book. “I did not know how one would do that.” “The thing that drew me to this at the beginning was the way I felt when I learned about the leak,” said Burns, “which was some of these stories are absurd and there’s a comedy to them in that they highlight human foibles that can be truly diabolical. But it’s also infuriating to me that the things that torment us on a daily basis, whether it’s a pothole or the fact that your kid’s school isn’t up to snuff, that we have the resources to solve this, but there are people who are just hoarding money or are doing things that are criminal and are able to conceal their money. That anger was a big part of it.” Burns was, in fact, working on the screenplay even as Bernstein was still finishing the book and would frequently consult with the author for explanations. For the movie’s unusual anthology-like structure, Burns drew inspiration from the 2014 Argentine film Wild Tales, directed by Damián Szifron. Bernstein also arranged for Burns to speak to the real Mossack and Fonseca via Skype. “It would have been impossible to do it without Jake,” said Burns of the adaptation, “because I was able to call him and say, so I want each of these stories to sort of cover another aspect of how this financial system works. And I don’t understand any of this. Which is probably good for the audience because they could not have chosen a less sophisticated proxy than myself. So I went in there needing a lot of educating and I had a Pulitzer prize-winning journalist to teach me.” Streep had likewise heard about the Panama Papers scandal when it first broke in 2016 but didn’t fully understand the complex web of financial intrigue that her character would have to make her way through. “It was a great way for me to figure it out because I didn’t know anything about this stuff,” said Streep. “You know, these shenanigans, they’re really deliberately opaque. I’m a smart girl, but it’s hard to see.” As for creating the character, a kind and warm woman who is, nevertheless, dumbstruck by discovering that it may be possible that no one will officially be held to account for the death of her husband as her insurance claim leads to one shell company after another, Streep drew from her own experience. “I’ve been to Lake George, that’s near where I live,” said Streep. “I sort of had a feel for that place and the layer of society out of which this person would’ve come. I’m born in New Jersey, in a middle-class family. And I made her up out of a lot of people that I know.” “The hat was what did it for me,” said Soderbergh. “As soon as I saw the hat, I was like, I know who that person is.” Ah, yes, the bucket hat. When images from the film were first released earlier this year, there was a small frenzy of excitement online about Streep’s choice of headwear, for it’s an unlikely mix of senior tourist practicality and normcore chic. For her part, Streep would prefer not to focus on the bucket hat, just as she would prefer that not too much attention be paid to the outsized false teeth she wore while appearing on the recent season of HBO’s television sensation Big Little Lies. “I think things have a big effect for one day, and next week, it just becomes the thing that now is established or you talk about it as if it were a thing,” Streep said. “No-one has ever said, ‘Her teeth were so great in Sophie’s Choice. But I wore buck teeth all through Sophie’s Choice, but nobody mentioned it. So it isn’t a thing. Sophie’s Choice gets to live as a whole woman. “It’s too bad that the teeth are what march ahead of the Big Little Lies character,” Streep added. “The accent used to march ahead of everything that I ever did. You can’t just play people who live in the tristate area all your life. If you have an imagination and you feel almost politically that it’s important to crawl into the skin of people who are very, very different, seemingly different from you, to locate what it is that you do have in common — that’s something that’s like my quest.” The Laundromat is full of surprises right up until its ending, continuing to strip away at its own artifice and revel in revealing layer upon layer. Soderbergh recalled a conversation he had with writer-director Steve Gaghan while working on the movie Syriana, in which they discussed “how hard it is to be good and clear. That being obscure is easy; being clear but not being obvious is hard. There’s a real value in trying to be good and clear. “And for all the tricks that we were employing on this movie, it was also very important to me that we play fair with the audience,” Soderbergh said. “I don’t feel like we do anything that’s unfair or use bad math to get our ideas across. I really wanted it to be able to withstand scrutiny and multiple viewings so that you go, wow, all that stuff really does tie together. I don’t like being tricked when I see something or I feel like they’re not coming clean.” “It’s so hard to get things through to people now,” Streep said. “We’re so induced into sort of this soporific state by reality television, stuff just happening in front of us. It seems real; it’s real enough; it’s OK. ‘Those people are stupid.’ We just sit apart from what we’re seeing and to reach out and really get your attention and pay attention — and once you have the attention, make you care about it. That’s increasingly a really tough order for a fiction movie. And so all the places where this breaks those rules, it’s just a little jolt and enables you to pay attention.”  — Los Angeles Times/TNS 

The creative adult is a child who survived. This was once said by Ursula Leguin, a famous American writer. Creative strains remain intact in the artistic individuals who look for a proper opportunity to express their creative abilities. Razwan Bobby Sarwar is a Doha-based British-Pakistani who has fast been finding his feet in Qatar as a music composer. A music teacher and composer, Razwan recently got a new feather in his plume after his Arab music composition was selected by BBC to play for its production on World Athletics Championships Doha 2019. As the games will kick start today, the British media house is all set to run the melodious composition of Razwan who has used different instruments to create the Arab composition. Razwan who works as the Head of Music at Sherborne Qatar recently spoke with Community about his composition and the students’ choir that he leads. “It all started when BBC approached me through the school and requested Arab/Middle Eastern music to be composed for their production for the athletics championships. I accepted the challenge.” Razwan who holds professional education in music from England, further said: “The BBC wanted to have the composition of Arab music. I used different traditional Arab instrument such as Arabic drum, Zither, and darbuka – Arabic tabla. The two minute-long music composition sounds beautiful Arab/Middle Eastern music.” Razwan, who has been in Qatar for about four years, said: “I am actually experienced in creating fusion of Western and South Asian/Bollywood music. As the South Asian music is not much different from Arab music, I became successful in bringing out a composition that gives real Arab taste. I applied modern music technology to record different instruments at one time. I did not collaborate with any instrumental players this time but used the help of technology.” The composer who manages the music department of the school is also all set to lead the choir of 100 young students who will perform in Katara on October 3. “The event is being organised by Katara in collaboration with South African embassy and Sherborne Qatar. ‘Cantus’ – A Celebration of Voice and Instrument will be held at Drama Theatre at 7pm. As I manage the music and drama at the school, I will lead the young choir for the concert.” Razwan got real inspiration for music from his father, who was also a musician. He started playing music when he was only 10 years old. The composer further said: “My school was awarded the best repertoire award during the Primary School Choir Competition in February 2019. “I have also been composing and recording music for different media houses around the world including England and Pakistan. I have also composed four Bollywood songs. The songs are independent music. I have also worked with Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani Museum. I am also in contact with Qatar’s prominent musician Dana Alfardan and we are planning to co-ordinate for a music project soon. I have also played music with famous Pakistani singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Indian singer Neha Kakar in Qatar.” Razwan, who believes in continuous learning, said: “I am a big believer in continuous learning in order to broaden my knowledge and experience. I am able to establish a supportive relationship with not only learners but also their parents and fellow teachers all with the aim of promoting and reinforcing a learner’s independence and self-esteem.” Razwan is all praise for Qatar because of the opportunities the country has thrown at him so far. “I am lucky that I am in Qatar. I have been given different opportunities. Even the BBC opportunity I got while being in Doha. Further, the place is very peaceful and conducive to create and compose music. The people here also appreciate and encourage music artistes.”

For Brian Grazer, being a film and TV producer isn’t all about name-dropping celebrities and A-lister lunches at the Palm. OK, some of the job is definitely about that. But the Oscar winner behind A Beautiful Mind and Apollo 13 and shows including Arrested Development and Empire says one key to his success has been to connect deeply with other people. That’s probably no surprise coming from Grazer, who co-founded Imagine Entertainment with Ron Howard in 1986, establishing one of the entertainment business’ most enduring partnerships. In his 2015 book, A Curious Mind, Grazer drew on his habit of engaging in “curiosity conversations” with the likes of scientist Jonas Salk and writer Isaac Asimov. His new book, Face to Face: The Art of Human Connection, explores the virtues of getting people to open up in an era defined by social media and multitasking. In an interview at his Santa Monica home, the 68-year-old Grazer spoke about why he wrote Face to Face, the future of his company, and how actor Tom Hanks kept him from bailing on the Eminem movie 8 Mile. Why did you focus this new book on human connection? My curiosity conversations have defined my life. … Whether it’s with Princess Diana or John Nash, I always knew you had to make a point of being completely present with them, but not until two years ago did I realise that is created through eye contact. If you’re immediately taking this simple step of looking at somebody in the eye, that makes a statement to them: “I see you.” We’re reading people’s energy more than what they say. By looking someone in the eyes, it enables great things to happen. Face-to-face communication is not something that always came naturally to you. How did you overcome that obstacle? I was crippled by dyslexia, and I had a hard time reading, and therefore I never wanted to be asked a question in class because I knew I couldn’t answer it. So I developed all these different methods of diverting my eyes so I wouldn’t get picked. … But then I found that in college, I was one of the smart kids, and it felt really good to be one of the smart kids. I’m a very successful communicator, when I’m concentrating and focusing. It’s not a natural thing for me. Ron Howard and I were working on our first movie together, Night Shift (1982) with two writers, Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel. In meetings, I’m often not looking at them because I feel like I’m getting away with multitasking. So Ron says gently to me, “You know, when you don’t look at them, it makes them feel bad; it hurts their feelings.” What was a pivotal moment in your career where this skill helped you? I’m thinking of an awkward meeting you had with Eminem before making 8 Mile. So I had an office that was very comfortable, and I had a lot of success getting people to communicate in this office. But when Eminem came in, he stared straight out a window. I did everything possible. But he had this impenetrable icy glare. Eventually, he decided he was going to leave, after about 20 of the longest minutes of my life. Out of desperation, as his hand hit the door to exit, I said, “Oh, come on, you can animate.” I don’t even know why I said that word. I guess because I’d seen the urban side of him, and I’ve seen the really funny and fluid side of him. And then he paused and he came back, to my surprise, and we really opened up to each other. For the next 40 minutes to an hour, he basically told me his story, which became really the body of the movie. What made you persist in that moment? I think I was just determined to understand him. He wasn’t yet even near the peak of his career, but he was already at that time today’s genius rap poet, who was doing a really unique thing. I’ll tell you another story, but it’s unrelated. After a couple years of working with Eminem, we had a script, we had a director, and we were ready to make the movie. And it was when he was having an issue with Elton John, and he seemed homophobic. And I thought, “If I make this movie, I’m empowering that.” Then, serendipitously, I’m having dinner with Tom Hanks at Giorgio Baldi. And I say, “I’m about to make this movie on this guy, Eminem, and I’m thinking I may be fuelling his power source by making this movie, and I’m thinking he could be homophobic. I don’t want to do that.” And he says, “Are you crazy? That’s another character. … That’s Slim Shady. He doesn’t even take it seriously. He’s not a homophobe.” … And I thought, if anyone knows, it’s this guy, Tom Hanks. One of your most interesting upcoming projects is Hillbilly Elegy, based on the 2016 memoir by J D Vance about his difficult upbringing in rural Ohio. Why did you want to do this adaptation? Ron and I like making movies about family. Everybody roots for family. Imagine Entertainment has been an independent producer for several years, after a long relationship with Universal Pictures. How has that changed your business? We’ve expanded by being independent. … I think now, with multiple platforms of all types that make all sizes and shapes of narrative content, we’ve come to realise that stories are everything. … Unless you tell a story that becomes visceral and reaches people, you’re not differentiating yourself from all the clutter. Even as recently as Empire, no-one wanted a 90%-plus African American cast show on network television. But we saw there were certain ingredients that could make that work within the equation of the show. People love watching stories of earned success. People like being in glamorous environments, if it’s earned and juicy. Those are the ingredients that made Empire work. — Los Angeles Times/TNS

The musical voyage of a Doha-based Pakistani instrumental rock guitarist carries on with melodious murmurs. The musician captures distinguished moments of his life in his new album Dreams. Pursuing a full-time career in banking, Shehzad Bhanji manages to take out time for his passion – instrumental music. He is all set to launch his third album next month. Shehzad has tried to create a perfect balance in the new album. “While I was bouncing ideas about my third album in my mind, one aspect was very clear to me that it should have a perfect balance of melody, experimental genres, harmony and groove. These were my guideposts,” said the guitarist while talking to Community. “The album also needed to have a story, triggering the listener’s imagination. I wanted my listeners to feel that the album will take them on an emotional journey as well as give them a good time.” Dreams contains 10 songs and is all about key moments in Shehzad’s life that occurred over the last two years. “Although, there is no narrative that anybody has to follow, but each of the songs in my view relate to the specific milestone I remember – the crazy moments, the desperate moments, the wonderful moments, and the moments that were just fun. They all relate to the journey of Dreams. “The whole process was quite a journey itself. As soon as I completed sketching out all of the songs, a simple yet bold phrase entered my thoughts that seemed to express everything I was feeling – Dreams. This one word idea or theme seemed to fit all the song of the album.” Shehzad spent more than two years writing, making demos and eventually recording them at his home studio. “The 10 songs that appear on Dreams, culled from upwards of 40 musical ideas in various forms of completion, cover considerable, and even surprising, sonic and emotional ground. I had to be brave enough to be lighthearted. But how do you do that and still be maintaining the perfect balance between melodic appeal of the track and guitar techniques.” For Shehzad, song inspiration can come from so many areas. “I wake up in the morning and I’ll have a feeling about a place or somebody or something that happened to me. I might read something or bump into somebody and some feeling will hit me. And I go with the inspiration; If I want to write a song about summer coming and I’m driving in a convertible, I’m going to write a summer song. That’s my true passion. Simply to write music around what I experience in life. It connects very well with the listeners too.” The instrumental musician loves to experiment and that was his starting point for Dreams. “The album has ‘modern meets traditional’ written all over it, and it contains elements from many musical genres such as instrumental rock, blues, funk rock, pop rock, EDM and acoustic. This is something that was not there in my previous two albums namely; Never Say Goodbye and Profound Beginnings. “Dreams has a very unique and different sound from my previous album. I purposely picked different songs; brought in different instruments and created a sound that makes my guitar sing my melodies. There were some constants that gave me confidence that things were going to work in this new area that I was working in like bringing in my favourite guitars and amps. I was looking for a rhythm section that would change the way that I not only would play but think about the songs, where they could go and how they could sound. Shehzad always wanted to produce instrumentals that provide an escape to the listeners. “The world needs escape. I know I do. I never put on music to remind me of how terrible the world is. I put on music to make me feel good or to make me forget what is happening, something that puts me in this great place. “There is heartfelt stuff on the new album Dreams that takes you somewhere warm and nice, but then I have other tracks that just rock – another kind of escape.” Shehzad strongly believes that moving to Qatar has made a tremendous contribution to where he is now. “The journey has been amazing so far. This place has something special. It is very difficult to explain but it really helped to restart my passion which I had left years back. “The best thing about Qatar is that it’s a multicultural environment which paves ways for different genre of music to flourish. This is where the collaboration projects happen too – fusing different styles to create a unique sound.” 

Love for music is universal and all sorts of music and musicians are warmly welcomed and deeply appreciated by the diverse demography of Doha residents. With expatriates coming here from almost all parts of the world, Indians are the single largest expatriate community in Qatar. To satiate their cultural quench and to fulfil their entertainment needs, different music events are routinely organised. Above all, 2019 is being celebrated as the Qatar-India Year of Culture. In this context, numerous cultural, artistic, fashion and entertainment events are being organised by both the Embassy of India and private entities. The second concert organsied by Beats and Tunes Events is going to offer the soul of Indian music called classical Hindustani music. The celebrated classical maestro and vocalist Sanjeev Abhyankar is all set to perform at Giwana Hall, Radisson Blue hotel on September 27 from 6:30 — 9pm. Sanjeev is going to perform in Doha for the second time after 18 long years. He is bringing with him a wonderful rendition of the classical music. It is in Raag Jogkauns in Hindustani classical - equivalent to Raag Devaghandari in Carnatic music. Hindustani and Carnatic are two sub-genres of Indian classical music and both have their own ways of entertaining the audience with therapeutic and soulful music. Hindustani classical music is the traditional music of northern regions of the Indian subcontinent. It may also be called North Indian classical music. Its origins date from the 12th century, when it diverged from Carnatic music, the classical tradition of southern regions of the Indian subcontinent. Sanjeev is a Hindustani classical music vocalist of the Mewati Gharana (family). He won the National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer in 1999 for his song, Suno Re Bhaila, in the Hindi film, Godmother and also the Kumar Gandharva National Award 2008 from the Govt of Madhya Pradesh for sustained excellence in the field of classical arts. He was born on October 5, 1969 in Pune, India. He started learning Hindustani classical music at the age of eight and was groomed by his mother and his guru Pimpalkhare. Sanjeev rendered his first stage performance in Mumbai at the age of 11 in 1981. He has also sang for different movies. Some of his works include: Tum Gaye with Lata Mangeshkar from movie Maachis in 1996; Yeh Hai Shaan Banaras Ki from Banaras in 2005; Lai Ja Re Badra from Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar in 2000; Sada Sumiran Karle from Dashavatar in 2008; Suno Re Suno Re Bhayina Ke from Godmother in 1998; Rukhe Naina from Maqbool in 2003; and Tu Astis Tar from Coffee Ani Barach Kahi in 2015. Talking to Community Gopal Subramanyam, chief co-ordinator of the event, said: “Sanjeev is performing for the second time in Doha. He has been an artiste of international acclaim in the field of Hindustani classical music for the last 30 years. Sanjeev’s voice has such a therapeutic, meditative and calming effect and has addressed different health issues of many patients.” He added: “The musical evening is going to be a unique opportunity by the newly formed management company that strives to bring the best in Indian classical music to the Doha music lovers. “The event company, owned jointly by Varshini Gopal and Noor al-Mannai, organised its first music event in June in collaboration with the Indian embassy. The event, held at Katara, brought wind instrumentalists. We are also planning to organise yet another event in November when we will bring in Carnatic music.” He further said: “The vocalist will be accompanied by three other artistes; a tabla player, a harmonium player, and a percussionist. The vocalist will present five to six ragas – music pieces. Each performance will last for about half an hour. The music is mostly about ghayal (imagination) of the artiste. The singer will mostly follow his mood.” Gopal said: “The concert is an opportunity for all those who love the magic of music. They can experience the healing effect fo the classical music. We expect to have a galaxy of audience from all walks of life and from all nationalities across Qatar. The soulful voice will definitely leave meditative effect on the audience.” 

“Amy?” David Foster confirms, settling into his seat. “Go.” The drive from the songwriter’s hotel to a dinner being held in his honour will take no more than 30 minutes, and he does not want to waste any of them. He likes to be in control. Some of the first words he utters in a new documentary about his life are a warning to its director: “You think that you’re just going to put this film together and it’s going to be exactly the way you want it. But it’s not, because I’m going to be over your shoulder the whole … way.” “Could I have been more wrong? I had zero control,” he says now, as the car idles in traffic in downtown Toronto, where David Foster: Off the Record premiered last week at the local film festival. The notion that Foster, 69, did not have final cut on the film is kind of unbelievable, given how positively glowing it is about his life. In interviews with some of the dozens of musicians he has worked with throughout his career — Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion, Josh Groban, Lionel Richie — we hear about what a musical genius he is. Billboard called it a “90-minute testimonial exulting his excellence,” an “infomercial” permeated with Foster’s “arrogance and self-congratulatory attitude.” Is he cocky? Sure, he’ll admit that. “But can you really do all that I’ve done and not be confident?” he asks. “When you see your peers and they’re not doing what you’re doing, you know you must be good.” Foster does, in fact, have plenty to boast about. He’s won 16 Grammys. He wrote hits like Whitney Houston’s I Have Nothing and Chicago’s Hard to Say I’m Sorry and produced ones like Donna Summer’s Last Dance and Toni Braxton’s Un-Break My Heart. He also single-handedly discovered Dion, Groban and Michael Buble, turning them into global superstars. In theory, he is a fascinating documentary subject. Beyond his storied music career, he has led an eccentric personal life. In June, he wed the singer and actress Katharine McPhee, who is 34 years his junior. It’s his fifth marriage, following other famous partnerships with Linda Thompson — ex-wife of Caitlyn Jenner, with whom she had sons Brody and Brandon — and Yolanda Hadid — mother of the models Gigi and Bella. While he was married to Thompson, he had his first foray into reality television: The Princes of Malibu, a 2005 Fox show that presented him as a grump fed up with the antics of his stepsons and their best friend, future The Hills villain Spencer Pratt. Then, in 2012, he turned up on Bravo’s The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alongside Hadid. Foster often appeared on the show, presiding over the $19-million Carbon Canyon seaside mansion where he invited the housewives to intimate cocktail parties at which Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds performed. The pair’s 2015 divorce was also chronicled on the programme, a split that Hadid blamed on her chronic Lyme disease. “I’m starting to feel that David is unhappy with the fact that I can’t be by his side the way that I used to be,” she wrote in her 2017 memoir. “I feel as if he’s starting to get impatient with my recovery.” ‘Wish I hadn’t’ In the new documentary, Foster says their breakup had nothing to do with Lyme disease but declines to elaborate further. He does not think fondly of his time on Housewives and is upset that he is often recognised on the street as a reality TV star instead of a music legend. “The Beverly Hills Housewives was just kind of a nightmare for me and something that I really wish I hadn’t been part of,” he says, adjusting his suit jacket. He begins to recount a story about how, while watching his son-in-law play in a professional tennis tournament in San Jose, he was approached by a television reporter who asked if he’d do an interview with her. “First question: ‘So, what’s Lisa Vanderpump really like?’ It was all about the Housewives. I wanted to say, ‘I’ve got 16 Grammys, b---h!’ But I didn’t. … A lot of people loved that show. I can’t imagine why, but they did.” Despite his negative experience with reality television cameras, he says he was not reluctant to open his life to a documentary crew. The film, directed by Barry Avrich, came about as a collaboration between Canada’s Walk of Fame and Bell Media. “They had this idea that maybe past recipients of the Walk of Fame should have documentaries made about them, and I came up as the first subject,” recalls Foster, who was raised in Victoria, British Columbia. He spent about a year and a half working with the filmmaker, allowing Avrich to trail him on a trip to New York City, where he is trying to get a Broadway musical mounted. Broadway is the “mountain I still want to climb,” Foster explains. He has four theatre projects in the works but acknowledges he has trouble with the process, which requires numerous collaborators. “But I’m not a quitter. It just feels like a logical next step for me,” he says. “In my career, I’ve always used the phrase ‘retreat and attack in another direction.’ At the end of the ‘90s, all of a sudden I found myself the guy that couldn’t write a Top-40 hit record after 25 years of writing hits. The paradigm shifted. N’Sync and the Backstreet Boys came in and I didn’t really know how to deal with that Swedish sound. So I was like, ‘I don’t know how to do that, but maybe I’ll go over here and get myself a little Josh Groban and a little Andrea Bocelli and a little Michael Buble and we’ll sell just as many records, if not more, than everybody else — we just don’t need Top 40 to do it. Television [talk shows] will become our radio.’” Foster is keenly aware that pop music has moved from the power ballads that made him famous. “Kids don’t have an appetite for it,” he says with a shrug. It’s not that he hates today’s music. He’s a big fan of Ariana Grande and Ed Sheeran. He just knows where he belongs, and it’s no longer in Top 40 music. “It’s just a matter of age. Times move on, sounds move on,” he says. “I think there’s a little part of me that would love to get together with, like, Ariana’s guy, Tommy [Brown], and the Drake camp and all these young writers that are so great. There’s a part of me that would like to spend a year dancing around their studios.” In 2015, he joined Grande on stage at the Forum, playing piano as she belted a version of Houston’s I Have Nothing. He loved the experience, he says, except for the fact that the audience was disappointed when the singer brought him on stage instead of co-headliner Justin Bieber. And yet for the last few years, he’s really only worked with Buble. It’s not that he’s interested in retiring. But he’s anxious at the thought of being able to replicate the success of his glory days. “Maybe what’s stopping me is the potential of failure,” he says. “And also, quite honestly, a lot of those guys, they have a style that is hard for me to wrap my head around. The songs get passed from room to room, and there are seven or eight writers on them. That’s not really my style.” Music and marriage McPhee would inspire him to go back into the studio. But because the American Idol runner-up has spent so much of the last few years acting — first on NBC’s Smash, most recently in Broadway’s Waitress — she’s “not motivated as a singer,” Foster says. The 35-year-old was a part of the documentary, though by her own admission she was reluctant to participate because it was “David’s thing.” In one shot, the couple sit by a piano in their home and acknowledge the “unorthodox” nature of their relationship. “But in a relationship, there’s 10 things that can bring you down or pull you apart and break you up,” Foster says as his car nears its destination. “You don’t sleep well together, the in-laws are terrible or whatever. Having an age gap — which we have a significant one — is just one of the 10. If we don’t have the other nine — if that’s our only obstacle — we’re gonna make it.” Foster’s black SUV has arrived at the Four Seasons, where, upstairs, Avrich is throwing a private dinner for the musician. McPhee is waiting in the ballroom, as are some of Foster’s five biological children. The one part of the film that was uncomfortable for him to watch, Foster admits, was the section in which his kids talked about his parenting. Many described how difficult it was to have him spend so much time working — and to see him serve as the stepparent to new children every time he remarried. “And forget everything else, being the child of a successful person is probably difficult, which is something I’ve never given a thought to,” he says. He notes that his offspring are all “doing great” now: Two of his daughters, Sara and Erin, just landed a TV deal at 20th Century Fox, and another, Amy, has written all of Buble’s hit songs. “My kids, they don’t have trust funds,” he says. “They don’t have millions of dollars in the bank. Well, if they do, it’s not because of me. I’ve given them just enough help, and I feel good about that.” He gets out of the car and searches for a hotel representative, who points out where the entrance to the staircase is. Dinner is on the sixth floor, but Foster will be walking. “You know I don’t take elevators, right?” he says. “I’m claustrophobic. Fosterphobic.” — Los Angeles Times/TNS

The division in the contemporary world is more visible than cohesiveness. With communication means becoming swifter and more accessible, the world instead of becoming more inclusive seems to be falling apart. However, there are people who continue to spotlight the similarities from time to time and endeavour to bring people closer. Such an attempt is visible behind the concept of Broken Wings, a musical play, derived from the poet novel of the same name by Khalil Jibran, a Lebanese-American writer, poet, visual artist and philosopher. Dana Alfardan, critically acclaimed Qatari musician, composer, songwriter and symphonic artiste, and Katara – the Cultural Village are bringing the West End musical to Qatar in November. The play is co-written and composed by Dana Alfardan and West End’s very own star actor Nadim Naaman, a British national of Lebanese origin. Nadim along with his team was recently present in Doha to announce and promote the upcoming show of the musical. Community got hold of the talented artiste and interviewed him about his career, accomplishments so far and the concept of the musical Broken Wings. Nadim was born and raised in London. His father is Lebanese and mother British. “My parents got married in the Middle East but they moved to London after my father got a work opportunity there. We are two siblings, and am married and have two daughters.” The musical actor and writer got all his education in London. “I studied theatre and English literature in the university. I did my post-graduation in musical theatre from Royal Academy of Music in London in 2007.” The co-writer of Broken Wings considered himself very fortunate as he got a role in a prominent musical soon after he graduated. “I was fortunate enough to land a role in The Sound of Music, performed at London Palladium. This was a perfect start for me. I played a young guy in the show and I spent a year there and learnt many things about how the industry works. “This is a career like any other. One thing leads to another. You meet people and you make friends with people. You also find collaborations that you like. Generally, every role or every show that you work on might open the door that leads you to a new direction. So, for the first eight or nine years of my career, I worked on my acting. I was just a performer.” For the last few years, Nadim has started experimenting with writing and producing. “I have started looking at the other side of the same business. This is when I met Dana Alfardan three years ago and we started the writing process (for Broken Wings).” Nadim however, likes to be called an actor. “Primarily, I am an actor. This is what I did most of the time. Broken Wings, nonetheless, has really been a very fulfilling experience and it has definitely inspired me to do more writings. I cannot wait to do something new. But I am still an actor (smiles). I have done a few plays but it has been musicals more than anything else. I have so far been acting only in English language plays. I have mostly performed in London. I have also been to Hong Kong, Norway, Canada, Dubai and Lebanon. It is the job that takes you to many places. I am very fortunate.” For the British actor, musical is a kind of play that is more accessible for the people. “Music connects. Music is the one thing that everyone on the planet Earth has in common. No matter where you come from and what is your background, music is at the heart of everybody’s life. If it is just a play, you either understand it or you won’t. But if it is musical, sooner the song starts and you understand that the people are singing because they are experiencing the emotions that you cannot describe in just speaking. This is something that everybody can relate to. This is why the musical stories are very popular and millions of people around the world have seen them. I think these things are harder to achieve with just a play or a movie. The music does something that speaking on its own cannot do.” The writer speaks highly of the musicals when set against the TV plays or movies. “I think what we are trying to do is that we are trying to highlight the fact that nothing substitutes a live performance. Because, when you are watching a video or listening to an album, it is very heavily produced. It can be edited in the studio. It can be polished with special effects. But, live music — human beings playing instruments with an orchestra, standing and singing with that passion at their heart — is something very raw and very strong. It is not something that you can fake. It is just in the moment. It is something that you can share with your audience. Everybody is in the same room together.” Nadim is very upbeat about the subject matter and how it has been treated in Broken Wings. “It is very significant that we are telling the Middle Eastern audiences one of their own stories in this format for the first time. Arabic TV or movie is a big industry but it is self-contained. The Middle Eastern people watch a lot of Middle Eastern art. We are trying to combine the two — a Middle Eastern story but with a Western art form. So, we are giving them something familiar but in a new way.” As far as his project in collaboration with Dana Alfardan, Nadim sees it a demonstration of cultures coming together. “It is for the audience to come and see it. We have a Qatari orchestra which is very international. We have team members from London — actors from all over the world. It is about telling a story about acceptance and peace — the things that unite us. The whole thing is about uniting people in a time when the world is still divided. Jibran represents the frustrated voice saying ‘I just do not understand why we all cannot get along.’ Working as a team from across the world and bringing it to a city like Doha that is very international, there is something very fitting about that.” Nadim also has plans to collaborate with Dana Alfardan in future and they are already working on another project. “In the short term, we are focusing on Broken Wings over this winter. We are beginning this mini tour with Doha in November. We are also taking the play to other countries in the Middle East and in Asia. “Dana and I have begun working on a project about Rumi — Jalil ad-Din Muhammad Rumi — a Persian poet and theologian. We have so far written six songs. The project is more a look at his biographical journey and his relationship with (his spiritual instructor) Shams-i-Tabrizi. It also shows the effect of their relationship on the life of other people.”

From a relatively moderate theatre actor profile to making it big on television dramas, Hajra Yamin has traversed some distance. Each year, a handful of fresh faces stun on the TV screen, but when someone is coined even as a nominee for the Best Film Actress, and that too just after her second film, it’s a big deal. Which is why you need to pay attention to the game-changers. Meet Hajra, a trailblazer who is leaving her mark on the world, for good. She is a young actress dominating Pakistani television screens these days – ready and waiting to seize the next-big-thing crown. I wanted to know what this young girl is all about. What I discovered was meekness, love for her craft and aspirations to create change with her acting prowess.  I met Hajra for the first time around four years ago, back in 2015, when she was staging in a theatrical play by Anwar Maqsood, Pakistani scriptwriter, television host, satirist, humorist, and infrequent actor. It was a brief encounter, but it was clear that this girl has exactly what it takes to make it big: acting prowess. It has been an incredible run, groundbreaking in its creative and financial might, but Hajra got there by working almost nonstop through her teens and 20s. Well, she’s still in her early 20s! By now, as many of us have probably read a thousand things about how Hajra Yamin is just like the rest of us — ambitious, hardworking and how she is exactly the kind of Pakistani actor non-head case you’d want to chill and share reasonably priced tea with. This is true. Amid a breezy conversation that ranges from her landing up her first role, to her transition from theatre to film to drama, her take on Netflix and other streaming services and the kind of scripts that excite her, it’s easy to forget you’re in the company of someone now hailed as the next big thing for Pakistan Entertainment industry. Beginning with theatre in 2011, followed by her TV debut in 2016 and film debut in 2018, she did her second feature film, Pinky Memsaab that earned her a nomination for Best Film Actress at Lux Style Awards. From 2017 till date, Hajra has been a part of quite a number of serials, all of them doing well. From Teri Raza (2017), on premier entertainment channel ARY Digital, to essaying layered, unconventional, characters on the small screen in projects like Tau Dil Ka Kiya Hua (2017), Tabeer (2017), in which she played the role of a disturbed, psychotic young woman, and Baandi (2018), all on HUM TV, Hajra has been taking up roles of substance rather than going after the leads. Was acting something she always wanted to do? Over to her… “I decided that I wanted to act when I was 13, when I first saw a theatrical play. I fell in love with it the first time I saw it and I just knew it that stage is the place I want to be. So, my first theatrical play was in 2011, in Islamabad, and I never looked back. So, it has been 8 years now.”  From theatre to film to drama, how has Hajra evolved as an actor and which medium she prefers the most, she says. “Honestly, I’m still learning, and I don’t think that process will ever end. I make sure that I make space for theatre once or twice a year because my heart still lies there. It’s something that I can never let go of because it’s an institution and it feels like home,” she added, “As an actor I enjoy every medium thrown my way, be it theatre, drama or films. Every medium is different, the perks are different. But theatre is definitely the school of all, and that is where the learning lies.” Prior to getting into films and drama serials, Hajra, who has a degree in Communication and Media Studies, has studied film making. It’s often perceived if you know the angles and how the production goes, it gives you a grip and an edge over acting as well. Hajra seems to think otherwise. “Filmmaking and acting on-camera are worlds apart, but it does add pressure because being behind the camera is some serious responsible work. Also, it gives you an understanding of how things work and fills you with massive respect for people who work behind the camera,” says Hajra. Pinky Memsaab was a low budget film but did wonder in terms of critical acclaim, especially earning her a nomination for Best Film Actress at Lux. Talking about her character and how she resonated with it, Hajra says, “It was exciting, considering that I got chance to work with people across the border. As an actor I definitely learned a lot, it was completely out of my comfort zone and there was no way I could relate to the character Pinky, I had to build the entire character  from her personality, to her speech, her dialect, her clothes, how she talked, how she walked, her dreams and aspirations,” she added, “I couldn’t relate to Pinky on a personal level (which is something I’ve learned from theatre) but I became her up until the project ended.” Where Hajra looks out for the projects that can put her out of her comfort zone and challenges her as an actor, over the period of time — she has fortunately shared screen space with quite some senior actors of Pakistan entertainment industry, including the likes of Sanam Baloch, Ayeza Khan, Mansha Pasha and Hina Dilpazeer to name a few. How has the experience been for this young starlet. “I’ve worked with a lot of senior actors, I’ve been very lucky in that department and it’s always a learning experience. It’s always been a pleasure,” she says. With Pinky Memsaab getting a worldwide release on Netflix, is the online streaming service changing the dynamics of cinema and drama industry for good? Hajra agrees. “Definitely. Broader audience. Also gives actors a chance to work internationally, and get international recognition. The fact that your work is seen internationally portrays a better image of your country.”

Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC) continues to host an amazing splendour of the Western orchestra music as Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra (QPO) recently organised its second concert of the season. The concert named ‘The Moldau: The Noon Witch And Others’ attracted music lovers in large numbers as usual. The majority of the audience consisted of the expatriates and diplomats from the Western countries. The concert featured David Niemann, a German conductor and narrator, who led QPO on an evening of mesmerising classical music. The concert included Bedich Smetana’s composition Vltava (The Moldau), from Má Vlast (My Country) – a set of six symphonic poems composed between 1874 and 1879. Smetana (2 March 1824 – 12 May 1884) was a Czech composer who pioneered the development of a musical style that became closely identified with his country’s aspirations to independent statehood. He has been regarded in his homeland as the father of Czech music. Internationally he is best known for his opera The Bartered Bride and for the symphonic cycle Má vlast which portrays the history, legends and landscape of the composer’s native Bohemia. It contains the famous symphonic poem Vltava, also known by its English name The Moldau. The second piece of the concert was Antonín Dvoák’s The Noon Witch, Op. 108. It is a symphonic poem written in 1896 which was inspired by the Karel Jaromír Erben poem Polednice from the collection Kytice. Polednice is based on the noon demon Lady Midday of Slavic mythology. It is one of a set of late orchestral works inspired by national themes which were written after his return to his native Bohemia from the United States. Dvoák (8 September 1841 – 1 May 1904) was a Czech composer, one of the first to achieve worldwide recognition. Following the Romantic-era nationalist example of his predecessor Bedich Smetana, Dvoák frequently employed rhythms and other aspects of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia. Dvoák’s own style has been described as the fullest recreation of a national idiom with that of the symphonic tradition, absorbing folk influences and finding effective ways of using them. The third piece of the evening was Gioachino Rossini’s Overture to Guillaume Tell (William Tell). It is the overture to the opera William Tell (original French title Guillaume Tell), whose music. William Tell premiered in 1829 and was the last of Rossini’s 39 operas, after which he went into semi-retirement. The overture is in four parts, each following without pause. Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer who gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some chamber music and piano pieces, and some sacred music. He set new standards for both comic and serious opera before retiring from large-scale composition while still in his thirties, at the height of his popularity. The final composition was Richard Strauss’s Don Juan, Trv 156, Op. 20. It is a tone poem in E major for large orchestra written in 1888. It is singled out as a musical symbol of fin-de-siècle modernism, particularly for the breakaway mood of its opening bars. Strauss (11 June 1864 – 8 September 1949) was a German composer, conductor, pianist, and violinist. Considered a leading composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras, he has been described as a successor of Richard Wagner and Franz Liszt. He along with Gustav Mahler, represents the late flowering of German Romanticism after Wagner, in which pioneering subtleties of orchestration are combined with an advanced harmonic style. Talking with Community, Kurt Meister, QPO Executive Director, said: “It was a great evening of European orchestral music. This was our second concert of the season that promises to present sophisticated European and Arabic orchestral music for enthusiasts in Doha.” Speaking about the conductor, he said: “David Niemann is fast establishing himself as one of the most promising conductors of his generation. Second prize winner of the 2015 Malko Conducting Competition, he was appointed the assistant conductor at the Opéra Orchestre National Montpellier, where he worked alongside chief conductor Michael Schønwandt from 2015 to 2018. “His recent highlights include a special interdisciplinary project with Junge Deutsche Philharmonie featuring new commissions with the most renowned artists of the German-speaking poetry slam scene; Austrian composer Arnold Schoenberg’s A Survivor from Warsaw, paired with Beethoven’s Choral Symphony, to open the Barcelona concert season of the Valles Symphony in the iconic Palau de la Musica in Barcelona. “He has returned to QPO this season to enthral music enthusiasts. David is all set to lead a few more orchestral concerts this season with QPO.”

Orchestral music is classic European music that is often called as intellectual or philosophical music. The genre has been welcomed with open arms in Doha. Thanks to Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra QPO), established in 2007, lovers of orchestral music have been able to quench their thirst for the last 12 years. The QPO has not only been successful in pulling crowds of music lovers in Doha but also bringing some extraordinary musicians and instrumentalists from other countries. The orchestra organised its first concert of the 2019-2020 season recently at Qatar National Convention Centre QNCC). The orchestral concert was led by Aziz Shokhakimov, a young and talented conductor from Uzbekistan. The conductor, who is based in Germany, aptly led the orchestra for the entertainment and satisfaction of the elite audience that included Qatari dignitaries and members of international diplomatic community. Community sat down with young Aziz to discern his journey as a musician, love for orchestral music and tips for aspiring conductors. Sharing his early life and career, Aziz said: “I was born in Tashkent in 1988 and began studying at the Uspensky Music School for musically gifted children at the age of six. I first studied violin and viola, followed by conducting with noted musicians.” Aziz burst on the international scene at the age of just 21 by astounding audiences in Bamberg. “Next to my symphonic career, I am also active in the field of opera. In 2013-14, I directed Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin at the Teatro Communale di Bologna. At Deutsche Oper am Rhein, I conducted a revival of Carmen, an opera in four acts, after which I was engaged as Kapellmeister, starting in 2015-16.” Having been selected from amongst more than 100 candidates for the finals weekend with the Camerata Salzburg, Austrian chamber orchestra, Aziz went on to win the prestigious Salzburg Festival Young Conductors Award in August 2016. “I returned to the Salzburg Festival in August 2017 for my concert with RSO , enthusing the audience.’ In 2018-19, Aziz returned to Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Düsseldorf Symphoniker, RAI Torino and to a new production of pique Dame at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein. “Debuts include Toronto Symphony, Orchestre national de Lyon, Antwerp Symphony, MDR Leipzig and Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow.” It all has not been a smooth sailing for the conductor, who first conducted an orchestra when he was only 14. “I faced a lot of difficulty just being with musicians who had over 30 years of experience. As I had to convince them, I read a lot about music. Now, it has been about 20 years that I have been conducting different orchestras.” Aziz sees his long musical journey as a process of constant learning. “Each year, I see myself as how stupid I was the previous year! I am happy to tell you that I am conducting better than what I did last season (laughs). I hope I will say the same about the next season. “I am not satisfied with what I have been doing. This is life. We have to learn. It is like how philosophical people say ‘nobody is your friend and nobody is your enemy but everybody is your teacher’. I always try to learn something new.” Aziz has set no future goals as far as orchestral music is concerned. “I have no fix plans. However, I want to pursue the music pieces that I want to conduct and some solo piece that I want to sing. Every season, I have had to conduct 60-70 concerts for the last six years. Only once or twice did the orchestra do what I actually wanted them to do (laughs). I have big expectations when it comes to my interpretations (of a music piece). It is not easy. You have to interpret. You have to convince other people.” The Uzbek likes to perform at Frankfort 3D Orchestra in Germany. “I also like Toronto Symphony Orchestra. As far music, I like compositions of Beethoven the most. Of course, I also love many other composers.” Aziz likes the overall music of an orchestra but he prefers some instruments over others. “In orchestra, I like horn the most. In general, I will say, I like piano. It is the only instrument which can create the sound of an orchestra.” The conductor says that every country has different kinds of orchestras. “For instance, in Germany, they play orchestra after the beat. It is not precisely on the beat but after the beat. The orchestra waits for the conductor. When you compare it with American orchestra, they are on the beat. I think the conductor has to be very sensitive about such kind of things — for example, how to forge a relationship with the orchestra. Different orchestras have different styles. The professionalism of a conductor (is in) how he or she conducts it.” In response to a question about how an orchestra maintains a relationship with the audience, he said: “Sometimes, you have very good performance with the orchestra but the audience is not very enthusiastic. At other times, the orchestra may not be satisfied with the result but the public gets very enthusiastic. You never know. It has happened with me.” Aziz is optimistic about the future of classical orchestral music. “I hope the music has a bright future. This is very intellectual music. This is very spiritual music. I respect all genres of the music but the classical European music is at another level of intellectualism. This music has more colours, harmony and emotions. You have everything in classical music. “I am very happy that Qatar has such a popular and successful orchestra. This is a very strong orchestra. It is also great to see that you have people here to support the orchestra.” Aziz urges young conductors to learn more about classical orchestral music. “There are some professional musicians who do not know much about classic music. Aspiring conductors need to know what the music is about and what emotions the music depicts. Sometimes, I see my colleagues cannot even read what is written in the choir. “For beginners, it is important to start playing some famous master pieces. It will help them build their interest in the music. It is also important to read about the life and other works of a composer.”

Living in Qatar made her fall in love with falcons. She improved upon being a huntress and learnt falconry. Her passion also introduced her to the old Qatari traditions of how to hunt with falcons in the desert. Laura Wrede, a German falconer, loved falcons and the Qatari traditions so much that she brought out a book on her experience in the country. Laura von Arabien (Laura of Arabia), published in 2018, is the book that talks about Qatar’s falconry tradition in the German language. Laura lived in Qatar from 2010 to 2017 when she pursued her love for falcon and learnt much more about the local Bedouin culture. She recently visited Qatar to attend ‘S’hail – Katara International Hunting and Falcons Exhibition.’  In an interview with Community she dilated on her mastery of the art of falconry and how she came to author the book. Laura has been in love with falcons since she was a child growing up in Germany. “I grew up in south of Germany and I was very close to nature. I always enjoyed riding horses and hunting. For me, it is a very natural way to get your food. I am a huntress. I got my hunting gun licence when I was 16. For hunting, I had to pass an examination. I used to hunt rabbits and deer.” She came to Qatar in late 2010 and worked with the Qatar Foundation. Laura was however, into nature and the tradition of hunting in Qatar big time. “I was already fascinated by falcons when I was in Germany but I could not get into it. Coming to Qatar provided me an opportunity to learn falconry.” The German expatriate however found it not easy to be a hunter again. “It was difficult because I was not taken seriously in the beginning. It was very difficult for me to explain that it [hunting with falcons] was my true passion. There is a notion that a woman may not be able to become a good hunter. However, for me it is very natural to see my prey, stalk and hunt it. I do not kill for fun but for food [smile].” In the beginning, Laura wanted to learn the basics of falconry. ‘I needed to learn before having a falcon. The local masters of the falconry community were not ready to accept me. It was very difficult for me to find somebody to discuss and learn the art. There is no hunting school here. People told me that it is a family tradition that you learn from your father or grandfather. Finally, a Qatari woman gifted me a kestrel, a falcon, in 2012. In Qatari tradition, they use the falcon to train the children. She wanted me to start with the beginners. The falcon was a grown up one and it was hard for me to train. The bird was very stubborn and I released it.” Laura however bought another falcon — Lanner from Egypt — from Souq Waqif. “It was after my heart. I was crazy. This time I was more determined. I came across a Bedouin with his black Shaheen at the Souq. To me, he looked like a professional falconer. He was very reluctant but I insisted. I needed a teacher. I told him that he did not need to like me but to teach me (smiles). He and his eight-year-old son then started teaching me the art in the desert. I started learning Arabic that was necessary to know more about falconry and local traditions. Quickly my teacher, his family and I became friends. We are now like a family.” The German also learnt about the desert lifestyle during her training. “I also learnt about the desert life and how to live with camels. With camels, you have to be very respectful, but at the same time, very authoritative. You have to be gentle but very assertive with the desert animal. Some families also carry their saluki dogs while in the desert. Some love to carry Arabian horses. I had an advantage while being in the desert because I knew how to ride a horse and train the hunting dogs. I also learnt about sand dunes and how the desert behaves.” Laura dreamt of taking part in the Al Galayel competition. “During the competition, we use falcons, horses and camels for hunting. The idea of the book came to Laura when she realised that she should share her experience of training a falcon and learning about the desert culture. “Training the bird is not simple. You have to learn about the falcon behaviour. You need to know when the bird is upset. I also learnt how Bedouins look at stars to forecast the weather. They know their seasons and about the migratory birds. “In the book, I have described the actual way of Bedouin life. Their way of understanding their surrounding nature is also my topic. They are very good at recognising footmarks on the sands. People used to call me the ‘Laura of Arabia’ and this was an inspiration for the title of the book. I am now working on the translation of the book into Arabic and English. I want to show the very traditional Qatar culture to the world which is in the life of the desert.” Laura attended the S’hail exhibition to meet friends and get a supply for her falcons. “I still keep falcons. Nowadays, I live in Spain and I use my falcons for hunting. I came to attend the exhibition to obtain different supplies for my falcons. I have three falcons, including one from Qatar.” The German huntress is all praise for the love for falconry in Qatar. “This is something more than love. For me, falconry is actually in the genes of the Qataris. It is not something like an individual pursuing art. It is a family tradition here. It is genetic.” Laura finds human and falcon relationship to be very interesting. “Falcons do not live in family. The bird is a lonely predator. A falcon has no friends. They however, have husbands and wives for life. They are monogamous. They bring their children up together and they hunt together. They stay loyal to each other. “Falcons are wild birds. Even if you domesticate them, their mind remains wild. By nature they are wild. Their relationship with human is very different than the one that camels or horses have. I will not say falcons love you. However, they accept and respect you. When you train them, they know you as a hunting partner. They like that because they like hunting. Although there is no (such thing as a) kind animal, when you help them with food and medicine, they develop an attachment and gratitude. With a falcon, it is more like a business partnership.” 

Finn Wolfhard has been having a great couple of years. Since the 16-year-old Canadian actor broke out in Netflix’s sleeper hit Stranger Things, he’s been heavily in demand for popular spooky franchises, including Warner Bros.’ 2017 megahit It (which surpassed The Exorcist to become the highest-grossing horror film domestically) and next month’s animated Addams Family movie. Next year he’ll star in Ghostbusters 2020 and the horror remake The Turning based on Henry James’ novella, The Turning of the Screw. But the teenager insists his genre-heavy resume is purely circumstantial. “I never liked horror up until I was like 10 years old,” he said. “A lot of it is coincidence that I’ve done (so much) horror. But I love horror because what makes a great horror movie is that it’s not just scary, it’s (a little of) everything. In a real-life horrifying situation there’s always (some) comedy or something sad. I think that’s in all the horror stuff I’ve done because I try to make it the realest (portrayal).” This month, Wolfhard reprises his role as Richie Tozier in It Chapter Two, which opened on Friday and picks up on the second half of the Stephen King horror tome, and he has a supporting role in the decidedly non-horror drama The Goldfinch, which opens a week later and is adapted from Donna Tartt’s 2013 novel. Although the projects couldn’t be more different, in both films Wolfhard shares his character with an adult counterpart. Preparation with them varied. “For The Goldfinch, Aneurin (Barnard), who plays older me, was shooting first so I almost had to work off of him,” he said. “Our director John Crowley got sound bites from him and saved them so I could listen to them and (hear) how he spoke and what his mannerisms were.” For It Chapter Two, Bill Hader, whom Wolfhard has been a “huge” fan of since 2009’s Adventureland, plays an adult Richie. To prepare, the younger actor spent a few days hanging out with Hader, but unlike with The Goldfinch, it was mostly for Hader’s benefit. “I felt like he could just go back and watch the movie, watch what I did,” said Wolfhard with a shrug. The Los Angeles Times caught up with Wolfhard during a press day for It Chapter Two to talk about returning to Derry, playing a Russian expat in The Goldfinch and what the future holds for the aspiring director. I read that you got your first acting job from Craigslist. Had you always wanted to be an actor or did it just kind of fall in your lap? Well, I kind of did the math in my head when I was like, 9. I was like, “Well, if I want to make films” — because I want to be a director — “I could just go on a film set and learn there.” And then I ended up falling in love with acting and the set and making friends all the time. And so I’ve just been doing that ever since. When would you like to branch into directing? Hopefully in the next few years. I’m trying to direct some shorts and I have some stuff written, so hopefully soon. What kind of movies do you want to make? Indies and lots of human stories. But comedies, totally. I’d love to make a horror movie, that’s definitely where I want to be one day. Had you read The Goldfinch before being cast as young Boris? I hadn’t. I still haven’t read the whole thing, but I read my character’s stuff. What attracted you to the script? It’s like a classic ’70s kind of film, just the subject matter of it, and it’s a real human story, which you don’t get a lot of anymore. I mean you do, but a lot of them are watered down. This one is a really, really serious and true telling of what it’s like to grow up with loss. I just loved how unapologetic it was and how the characters were just so honest. How did you prepare to do a Russian accent for the role? We had a dialect coach named Christina who is originally from Russia that lives in New York now. And she just basically held my hand and took me through everything. It was really hard. But once I got it (down), it was like there was no character without the accent. So it made me kind of a better actor or at least a more prepared actor. What other ways did you prepare? We watched a lot of YouTube videos of Russian politicians and different people on BBC. Just listened to those guys and read some chapters of Russian literature so that we got the kind of flat, honest (delivery) of the character. And then (the dialect coach) took me through the Russian alphabet and what the sounds were. It was kind of a combination of a lot of things and just her telling me about her childhood. What were the differences in shooting the first It and Chapter Two? Well, “It” was just the kids, so it was like three months of hanging out every single day. It 2 we weren’t in as much but still had (to shoot) flashback scenes so it was the same experience, just kind of on a shorter scale. It was just as fun, just for less time. Was it less creepy acting opposite Pennywise the second time? Honestly, it’s less creepy for us now because we know Bill (Skarsgard). It was pretty creepy because we didn’t know who he was when we first met him (on the set of It) because they wanted to keep him away from us so that we could have an organic reaction (to his character). What did it feel like returning to the role of Richie? Was it difficult getting back into character? No, because Richie is kind of part of me now. I was basically just playing myself for a summer, so it was easy to kind of step back into it. What was your reaction to the success of the first movie? I didn’t really care if it was a big hit or not because I had so much fun, but I was really pleasantly surprised. With the popularity of Stranger Things, how long do you think the show will continue? As long as (creators) the Duffer (brothers) keep liking to do it, in my opinion. We’ll go for as long as they want to go, which could be one, two or three (more seasons). It’s one of those things where it’s like the Harry Potter (movies) where you want to see these kids grow up. What’s the most and least fun thing about acting in movies and TV series that are set in the ’80s? Fun would be that you don’t have to do a scene on your phone or anything — a lot of it’s just like talking to someone, which is great. Not that there are movies now where you don’t talk to someone, but I mean it’s not as much (face to face). You’re more present. And I guess the least fun is being in short shorts, probably. Do you think your character Mike’s relationship with Elle (Millie Bobby Brown) will survive the move? Oh, my God, I don’t know. In between seasons, all the cast kind of forms their own little conspiracies on what happens to their characters, but I don’t know. I think their bond at this point is so prominent that I don’t know if it can just end because she moves. There’s got to be some more development for sure. Do you think something could happen that could actually fracture the friend group? It was kind of touch and go for a while this season. I think anything could fracture any friend group. But I mean at this point, these kids have grown up with each other. They’ve gone through so much (together). I guess we’ll see. It’s all about how we grow up, I guess. You’ve done some voice acting for Netflix’s Carmen Sandiego TV series and up next as Pugsley Addams in MGM’s Addams Family animated feature. How do you like doing vocal work? It’s so funny. I think I’m really bad at voice acting. But people hire me for it, so thank you! (Laughs.) It’s just really hard for me. It’s way harder for me than acting because you can use your face and slur your words. But with voice acting you have to be clear. What can you tell us about The Turning? The Turning is a movie that I did in Ireland last year with Mackenzie Davis and Brooklynn Prince, and it’s based on a short novella. It’s about this governess who takes care of this family on this giant estate and she kind of starts to go crazy. Or is she going crazy? That is the question. Would you ever want to join a blockbuster franchise like Marvel’s Avengers or Star Wars? Oh, man. Yeah, of course, who wouldn’t? I mean, I’m really interested in doing indies but totally, if the situation arose, that’d be cool. — Los Angeles Times/TNS

Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra (QPO) kicked off its new season with an enchanting concert on Saturday evening. The enthusiasts of orchestral music attended the opening concert in large numbers. The enthralling concert ‘Dvoák symphony no. 8’ set off the 2019-20 season called ‘The QPO’s Season of Visibility’ that promises to usher in a unique mix of Western and Arabic orchestral music in the coming weeks. Aziz Shokhakimov, Uzbekistani classical musician, conducted the concert and Hans H. Suh, South Koran pianist, played piano with the orchestra.  The programme, held at Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC), included performances of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Concerto No.2 in C minor for Piano and Orchestra, op. 18 and Antonín Dvoák’s Symphony No.8 in G major, op. 88. The august audience enjoyed the healing power of music by the Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff. The power of music to heal also helped the composer from a creative crisis in 1901, when he composed the Concerto No. 2 in C Minor for Piano & Orchestra Op. 18. Antonín Dvoák’s optimistic Symphony No. 8 in G Major, Op. 88; the pastoral character of which was inspired by the folk music of this famous Czech composer’s homeland. The symphonies resonated sweetly through the interpretation of pianist Suh, the Korean virtuoso and laureate of the prestigious Queen Elizabeth Intl. Competition. Just before the start of the concert, the young pianist Suh spoke to Community. “I live in Germany and got music education from the US. I am very excited to be in Qatar for the first time and to play with the phenomenal orchestra.” Suh, who started playing piano when he was only four years old and went to the US for studies when he was only 10, said: “My performance is not going to be a solo but with the orchestra – a huge ensemble. We are going to make 35 minutes of lovely music together. I, however, have been performing solo in different countries. This is my first time in the Middle East.” He added: “In orchestra, it is not only piano. We all play together. It is not like piano comes first. It is about connect – talking to each other through music. The audience needs to see the performance as a whole.” The pianist further said: “I just play my music and enjoy myself. I try to convey myself to the audience. I think that the feeling of my enjoying the music will automatically be conveyed to the audience.” Ibrahim Yousef al-Jaidah, a music enthusiast, said: “I have been a regular visitor to the concerts organised by the Philharmonic Orchestra. I love the classical European music. This concert is very nice. It has nice music of piano. I really liked it. The pianist was especially very good. “The orchestral music in Doha also provides a good opportunity to foreigners and the local alike to come here and enjoy the music. People from diplomatic community especially come here to enjoy the classical music. It is also an opportunity to meet different people and socialise with them.” Bart De Groof, Ambassador of Belgium to Qatar, said: “It is a fantastic concert, and of course Sergei Rachmaninoff happens to be one of my favourite composers. “The guys who performed tonight were just brilliant. The guest musicians are very well chosen by the director of the QPO. I enjoyed Russian piece very much. “It is one of the things that QPO does all the time. We have the best both from the West and the East here. They try to bring them together. I think we are very privileged here in Doha to have an orchestra of this quality and I would say this kind of programmes and the philosophy. We can only congratulate ourselves that every week we have an occasion to see various concerts.” Talking to Community, Kurt Meister, QPO Executive Director, said: “This is our first concert of the new season and it is very important for us. We have chosen very important piano concerto.” Speaking about the performances in the offing, the executive director said: “We only have beautiful performances here. Our next week’s programme is going to be the compositions that are more like pictures of countryside. We are going to offer the Arabic festival next April. We will also go to Kuwait for five concerts in December. We have a production together with Walt Disney.” Regarding the QPO’s headway in 12 years, Kurt said: “I met a guest who just arrived from London and came straight to the concert. It is a signal about how much people like the orchestra. We are really accepted now. Many years ago, people said that there was an orchestra in Qatar. But now they say we have an orchestra here.” 

Marriage Story, a critical standout at this year’s Venice International Film Festival, begins with some of the loveliest, most emotionally resonant filmmaking of writer-director Noah Baumbach’s career. The title doesn’t lie: We listen as Charlie (Adam Driver), a theatre director, sings the praises of his actress wife, Nicole (Scarlett Johansson), and gently ribs her for some of her more endearing flaws; she does the same for him. These voice-over testimonials play out over two fleeting, gorgeous montages of their everyday life and work together in New York, a city whose bustling streets and tight interiors will soon recede as the movie looks west toward Los Angeles and the marriage abruptly heads south. If you saw Marriage Story here on the Lido, the island where the Venice Film Festival is held, you might have felt a charge of emotion run through the audience, or heard a collective intake of breath, at that key moment and others. The movie — which also played to raves at Telluride and will likely generate more in upcoming dates at the Toronto and New York film festivals — is a lacerating blow-by-blow portrait of Charlie and Nicole’s separation and divorce, a sequence of events loosely based on the end of Baumbach’s marriage to the actress Jennifer Jason Leigh. Cheerful as that sounds, it’s also an audience picture through and through. There are scenes that earn spontaneous applause, many of them involving Laura Dern’s scream of a performance as Nicole’s ruthless divorce attorney. And there are others that make you all but sigh with pleasure, including two musical numbers that are all the more delightful for being so unexpected, and which feel like wondrous throwbacks to a bygone era of Hollywood entertainment. More than most movies, Marriage Story draws its power from your inability, as a spectator, to look away: For two hours and 15 minutes, you are trapped in this marriage with Charlie and Nicole, experiencing its death throes alongside them, and you can’t help but cherish every last precious moment of their togetherness even when those moments become increasingly unbearable. Looking away, of course, will be possible for the viewer who watches Marriage Story, with a remote control in hand, on Netflix, where it will be available for streaming to subscribers starting December 6. Before that, the movie will play for a month in theatres (beginning November 6), in line with Netflix’s recent strategy of ensuring some exclusive theatrical play for its most anticipated year-end feature titles. Similar plans are being made for the Netflix movies The Laundromat, Steven Soderbergh’s seething-with-a-smile comedy about the Panama Papers scandal, and David Michod’s majestic historical epic The King, both of which premiered alongside Marriage Story in Venice. A monthlong exclusive theatrical window is also planned for Martin Scorsese’s gangster drama The Irishman, Netflix’s biggest and most anticipated feature title of 2019, which will open the New York Film Festival on September 27. It’s a compromise solution after months of negotiations between the streaming giant and Scorsese, a longtime champion of theatrical cinema who had been pushing for a wide release. (Though the longstanding disagreement between Netflix and major exhibition chains over the length of theatrical windows will prevent a true “wide” release.) Ongoing experiment Marriage Story and The Irishman are thus among the latest tests of the Netflix experiment, which will force them to bear the burden of conflicting corporate priorities. Netflix wants to give its worldwide subscriber base early, preferably immediate access to major year-end movies, but it also wants to reap much-coveted plaudits, chiefly Academy Awards, from an industry that still largely regards the company’s business model with fear and contempt. Can you disrupt an industry and earn its admiration at the same time? Alfonso Cuaron’s Roma — which began its festival run at Venice last year (where it won the Golden Lion), enjoyed a pre-streaming theatrical run and appeared to come within a whisper of the best picture Oscar — answered the question with a decisive “maybe.” It remains a striking anomaly and a reminder of the inherent contradictions in Netflix’s strategy: It’s a movie that might never have existed in its final form without a streaming giant, but also it’s also a movie whose ruminative pacing and immaculate visuals clearly demand to be seen on the big screen. It would be fascinating to see Netflix’s never-to-be-disclosed records on how many subscribers actually watched Roma to completion and how many gave up partway through. (My own informal sampling suggests there are many more of the latter.) A general audience that struggles to watch a poetic black-and-white art film from start to finish is a disheartening commentary on our movie culture. But it also suggests that the convenience of streaming entertainment options is making it increasingly hard for the audience to surrender to a work of art. The completion rates on Marriage Story will almost certainly be higher: It’s in English and features movie stars, and despite its two-hour-plus running time, it moves swiftly and with a rich vein of physical and verbal comedy that offsets the slow-and-steady number it does on your emotions. And while the movie’s images have a fluidity and capaciousness that sometimes feel new to Baumbach’s work, they will nonetheless slip effortlessly onto your television (or computer) screen with little loss of impact. The same could be said of The Laundromat, Soderbergh’s larky and confrontational spin cycle of a movie about the wages of capitalism, a subject that has informed the filmmaker’s work from The Girlfriend Experience to Magic Mike. Although less aggressive or frenetic in its swagger than The Big Short, the new picture similarly functions as an energetic comic explainer on financial malfeasance, with a subtle undercurrent of rage that pulses unexpectedly throughout. Antonio Banderas and a thickly German-accented Gary Oldman play the real-life figures Ramon Fonseca and Jürgen Mossack, heads of a law firm not known or employed for its scruples. Together they glibly navigate us through a complex and duplicitous world of offshore accounts, shell companies and daisy-chain insurance scams, as laid out by the author Jake Bernstein in his book Secrecy World: Inside the Panama Papers Investigation of Illicit Money Networks and the Global Elite. Meryl Streep provides a crucial emotional counterweight as a woman who loses her husband in a tragic accident and, upon trying to collect her insurance payout, quickly finds herself a hapless victim of a new global economy where every so-called company turns out to be an empty shell. The Laundromat cleverly adopts its own shell-like structure, tucking random surprises and subplots into secret compartments and treating its own playfully disjointed narrative as a sleight-of-hand exercise. I do wish Banderas and Oldman’s shtick were as funny as the movie seems to think it is, though if belly laughs are not forthcoming, the abrupt fourth-wall ruptures and shifts in scenery do add layer upon layer of giddy and ultimately disquieting comic artifice. I’ve seen The Laundromat twice and can attest that it benefits from a second viewing, which means it’s far from the worst thing to watch with a remote control in hand. Royal presence The King, by contrast, merits the sustained grandeur of a theatrical presentation. With its pummelling scenes of mud-and-blood combat, its majestic, nearly monochrome widescreen images and its beautifully broody Nicholas Britell score, this plainspoken but unfailingly intelligent adaptation of Shakespeare’s Henriad demands and ultimately earns your surrender. The incisiveness of Michod’s direction, which some viewers may recall from his contemporary-set art-house thrillers Animal Kingdom and The Rover, works well for a costume epic that deftly slices through the presumptions of the English monarchy. War — what is it good for? Opening on a corpse-strewn field of battle in the early 15th century, Michod’s movie continually poses that question as it charts the reluctant rise of Henry V (a superb Timothee Chalamet), a stripling who would be king. Hoping to achieve the peace that his malevolent father, Henry IV (Ben Mendelsohn), never could, the young Henry submits to a long and difficult test of his physical and psychological mettle, during which he will match wits with the arrogant young dauphin of France (a hilarious Robert Pattinson, a French taunter worthy of Monty Python and the Holy Grail) and rely on his advisers, especially his irascible longtime friend Sir John Falstaff (a soulful Joel Edgerton). Game of Thrones has long since laid waste to the idea that scheming royals and clashing swords are strictly the domain of the cinema. But The King doesn’t derive its splendour from nonstop narrative drive or megabudget production values; it comes from its sense of concentration and its uniquely cinematic rhythms. It’s a movie that draws you in slowly, with a gravity that makes itself felt in the deliberation of its camera movements and the magnetic gaze of its star. Certainly if there were any remaining doubt that Chalamet is an actor, a heartthrob and a style icon for the ages, it was decisively refuted by the movie’s Venice premiere, which began with — and perhaps never fully recovered from — the sight of Chalamet ruling the red carpet with his signature crown of curls and a pale gray silk-and-satin suit. Asked how he felt being at the festival for the first time, Chalamet answered with a reference to last year’s most iconic Lido arrival: “I feel like Lady Gaga on the boat.” It’s not the kind of thing you see every day, on Netflix or otherwise. —Los Angeles Times/TNS

One of the most striking features of Qatar is the diversity of residents in the country, and many expatriates among them come from South Asian countries. The expatriates from countries such as Indian, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka bring their love for different sports to Qatar – a country that is known for its support for all sorts of sports. But cricket is easily the most popular and loved sport among people from South Asian countries. Different community organisations organise cricket tournaments here from time to time.  Cric Qatar Champions League is one of the biggest community cricket tournaments in the country. The opening ceremony of the 5th edition of the league was recently organised along with a music gala. As many as 48 teams will vie for the coveted trophy this year. The opening ceremony also saw an entertaining musical performance by nine Doha-based singers and artistes. The noted singers were namely; Mohinder Jalandhary, Javed Bajwa, Mohammadd Maqsood, Wakas Amjad, Junaid Jamshed and a renowned poet Shaukat Ali Naaz. Hosted by HIQ Group, the event is expected to attract some of the most talented players from Qatar. The teams will field their best players for the tournament that will continue for over nine weeks. The limited-overs tournament will see the teams divided in eight groups. Knockout stages will follow, starting with the pre-quarter finals. All the matches will be played on Fridays. The tournament will be held at various grounds located in and around Doha. The opening ceremony was attended by around 200 players and spectators. The chief guest of the event was M S Bukhari, an eminent Indian businessman and philanthropist. Mohd Nabi, Vice President of Indian Sports Centre, was a guest of honour on the occasion. The guests were felicitated with a memento and shawl by the organisers. “It is the most prestigious tournament and the biggest cricket bash, taking place every year in Doha. This is also one of the most viewed cricket event in Doha. We will certainly be streaming online the most important matches of the league,” said Syed Rafi, chairman of Cric Qatar, while talking to Community. He further shared: “I am also planning to start the shortest form of the game – T10 League – on a bigger scale in Doha in coming months, to showcase and enhance the local talent. My intention is to take T10 to another level. For this purpose I am in talks with different sponsors and supporters. The large Asian expatriate population can potentially look ahead to showcase their talent in these kind of tournaments.” Speaking on the occasion, M S Bukhari said: “Cric Qatar Champions League is a unique tournament with numerous teams of expatriates from the sub-continent participating in it. The most exciting feature of the torment is that its semi-finals and the final will be live streamed and all cricket lover will be able to watch the matches will sitting at home.” Congratulating Syed Rafi for his dedication and commitment in promoting cricket in Qatar, Bukhari said: “We hope that the tournament will expand to include more teams in the future.” Mohd Habeebun Nabi said: “The excitement and energy are palpable and unimaginable. These kinds of tournaments are known for the strength of the players and their selection of shots. Cric Qatar is indeed one of the most popular cricket tournaments in Doha. All the matches will be scored live on Cric Qatar App.” He added: “The efforts undertaken by Syed Rafi in promoting cricket in a professional manner are laudable and I wished all the best to the participating teams.” “Cric Qatar is excited with the response to this competition and we are very happy to bring in a structured tournament to Doha’s local talent with great prizes to play for. The standard of cricket has surpassed our expectations, the earlier tournaments showcased the passion for this game in,” said Mukarram Hussain, member of Cric Qatar organising committee. This year, the tournament is sponsored by Dana World Contracting Company, Henkel, Polybit, Indian Spices Hyderabadis Restaurant, Laundry me. 

Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra (QPO) is all set to initiate its 2019-20 season called ‘The QPO’s Season of Visibility’ from next week with the opening concert taking place on September 7.  “The Qatar Philharmonic welcomes all to the opening night of the new concert season. It marks the start of the 12th year since the orchestra’s inauguration in 2007 and brings with it a mature musical family. With it also comes a promise: a year of novelty, excitement and enrichment for the most important part of any orchestra, the concert-goers,” noted a statement from QPO. “We have a great deal planned for you in all the regular ways; and in some irregular ones, too. The season of concerts is innovative and broad, a continuance of our commitment to bridge Arabic and Western music; but we are reaching out still further this year. It will be up to the music lovers to keep an eye peeled – and perhaps it will fall on some familiar faces where you do not expect them. We feel that Qatar is a place ripe for music, and that we are here to make it sound. “There is something in it for those of who are with children here in Doha, too – look toward their schools. It may so happen that you will see the QPO there, integrating music with education this school year; for we have decided that it is time to look towards the important things in life.” The first concert ‘Dvoák symphony no. 8’ will be held at Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC) Auditorium 3 on September 7 at 7:30pm. Aziz Shokhakimov will conduct the concert and Hans H. Suh will play piano with the orchestra.  The programme includes performances of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Concerto No.2 in C minor for Piano and Orchestra, op. 18 and Antonín Dvoák’s Symphony No.8 in G major, op. 88. Music has the power to heal. It helped cure the Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff from a creative crisis in 1901, when he composed the Concerto No. 2 in C Minor for Piano & Orchestra Op. 18. Today, it stands as one of the most popular and demanding piano concertos of the romantic era, with melodies so striking that pop stars like Frank Sinatra and Celine Dion were moved to incorporate them into their own work. During the concert, they will sound through the interpretation of Hans H. Suh, the Korean virtuoso and laureate of the prestigious Queen Elizabeth Intl. Competition. Suh has performed as a soloist in many of the world’s distinguished venues, such as Avery Fisher Hall (renamed David Geffen Hall) and Alice Tully Hall at the Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Merkin Hall at the Kaufman Center, Hitachi Systems Hall Sendai, and the Concert Hall of Seoul Arts Center.  Born in Seoul, Korea on May 22, 1990, Hans began playing piano at age four, and started composing at age five. At age seven, he won first prize in The Korea Times Music Competition, and also held his first piano solo recital. The evening will continue under the guidance of the exceptionally talented conductor Aziz Shokhakimov of Uzbekistan, with Antonín Dvoák’s optimistic Symphony No. 8 in G Major, Op. 88; the pastoral character of which was inspired by the folk music of this famous Czech composer’s homeland. Aziz was born in Tashkent in 1988 and began studying at the Uspensky Music School for musically gifted children at the age of six. He first studied the violin and the viola, followed by conducting with Vladimir Neymer.  In addition to his concert schedule, Aziz is an active opera conductor. Antonín Leopold Dvoák (September 8, 1841 – May 1, 1904) was a Czech composer, one of the first to achieve worldwide recognition.  Following the Romantic-era nationalist example of his predecessor Bedich Smetana, Dvoák frequently employed rhythms and other aspects of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia.  Dvoák’s own style has been described as “the fullest recreation of a national idiom with that of the symphonic tradition, absorbing folk influences and finding effective ways of using them”.

The stunned audience remained glued to their seats for over an hour as they followed a dance duo creating a tragicomic atmosphere replete with poetry at Katara’s drama theatre on Wednesday evening. Dancers, mimes and actors – Marcelo Guardiola and Giorgia Marchiori – known artistically as ‘Los Guardiola’, projected the audience into the fantastic world of their dance pantomime where comedy and tragedy merge into the rhythm of tango. The tango show named as ‘Los Guardiola – The Comedy of Tango’ was organised by Doha Tango Passion, a group of tango lovers, with support of Katara Cultural Village and the Embassy of Argentina in Doha. The 75-minute-long show consisted of seven scenes inspired by famous tango routines. The show, choreographed by Giorgia Marchiori, and stage directed by Marcelo Guardiola, proved to be a spectacle of mimes and dances made up of numbers inspired by the lyrics of celebrated tangos. Beginning with resources from the Italian Commedia dell’Arte, French pantomime and Argentine tango, the performers, unique in their ability to stage the work, immersed the public in a tragicomic atmosphere replete with poetry. The seven performances were; The Barrel Organ, The Emigrant, The Fall, The Fall (part II), The Milonga, The Betrayal, and Paper Heart. Talking to Community, Giorgia, an Italian national, said: “I have studied philosophy in Italy. I met Marcelo in 2003 when I was a classical dancer. He was in Italy for a workshop. I really liked his way of working – not only to dance but to tell a story through tango. Since then, we have been together working as a duo. “With the passage of time, I discovered that tango has a wonderful poetry. We follow the old and classical songs and poetic renditions for our tango performances. Our performances are always without a word. We have performed in many countries around the world such as Russia, Canada, Oman, all over in Europe, Argentina and this is our third performance in Doha. We are settled in Paris, France.” As a student of philosophy, Giorgia loves tango as a way to express the philosophy of life through dance and mime. That is what makes me really satisfied. Tonight we performed seven little stories all about tango with different characters and ambience. The show included tragedy and comedy – just like real life. We make the audience understand the story through mimes.” The tango dancer experiences wonderful feelings in Qatar. “It has always been a wonderful experience in Doha. It is very lovely because there are people of many different countries at one place.” Giorgia is very upbeat about the future of tango. “Now is a very good moment for tango. It is growing. Whichever country you go, you will find tango. I think the future really depends on the musicians and new music being produced. There should be more contemporary tango music.” Marcelo, an Argentinian national, is also very happy to perform in Doha for the third time. “There are always new surprises for me whenever I come to Doha. There are new buildings and things to see. For example, this time there is National Museum of Qatar. Doha is actually close to my thinking. I like to have newer and renovated things and Doha keeps bringing new things.’ About the performance, he said: “We presented human comedy. The performance was about whatever human beings do in their lives.” Noelia Paola Romero, wife of the ambassador of Argentina to Qatar, was very exciting after watching the tango show. “Having the privilege of being from Buenos Aires, the birthplace and capital of tango, it is difficult to find a tango performance with characteristics you have not seen before, but this show, mixing dance and mime, was a first for me. ‘I want to thank Anil Kumar, a Doha-based tango enthusiast and organiser of the show, because he is the one responsible for this, and for everything he does to promote tango here in Qatar, including the milongas every week with Tango Club Qatar. I also like the festival that every year takes place in Doha with maestros from Buenos Aires. I am looking forward to its 7th edition this October. Sadly my husband is in Buenos Aires nowadays and missed the show.”

It was an evening of soothing instrumental music. The ambience was tranquillising. The melodies of three talented Indian instrumental players had a hypnotising effect on the audience who were present in large numbers. The performance was conducted by a three-member troupe visiting from India representing the Indian Council for Cultural Relations. The troupe consisted of Debasmita Bhattacharya, Sangita Bhattacharya and Debajit Patitundi. Indian ambassador P Kumaran felicitated the music troupe with floral bouquet. The music event named ‘An Evening of Hindustani Instrumental Music’ was organised by the Embassy of Indian at Drama Theatre, Katara Cultural Village recently. The event was held as part of the India-Qatar Year of Culture-2019. Noted Qatari dignitaries, diplomats of other countries and members of the Indian community enjoyed the classical Indian instrumental music. Saad al-Dosari, Katara HR Manager, and P Kumaran, Ambassador of India to Qatar, were prominent guests among other attendees. Further guests present included the ambassadors of South Korea, China, Kenya, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Venunzula. The charge d affairs of Nepal and Argentina were also present. Diplomats from Algeria and Japan were also in attendance. Debasmita is one of India’s finest young players of sarod, an Indian musical instrument with strings. Her musical journey began at the tender age of four years. Along her journey, Debasmita has received numerous accolades and awards as an acknowledgement of her enthusiasm and dedication to the art of music. She is currently empanelled with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations. Sangita played the instrument Tanpura – a long-necked plucked string instrument. Debajit, an avid tabla player, also supported the group with his talent. Sarod is used mainly in Hindustani music on the Indian subcontinent. Along with the sitar, it is among the most popular and prominent instruments. Sarod is known for a deep, weighty, introspective sound, in contrast with the sweet, overtone-rich texture of the sitar, with sympathetic strings that give it a resonant, reverberant quality. It is a fretless instrument that is able to produce the continuous slides between notes –known as meend (glissandi) – which are important in Indian music. The way talented Debasmita played sarod coupled with tanpura and tabla spell bounded the audience who remained glued to their seats for the one and a half hour-long performance. The ambience was so soothing and it seemed everyone in the audience went on an introspective journey. Expressing his view about the event, Ambassador Kumaran said: “As part of series of presentations of Indian music during the course of India-Qatar Year of Culture, we are extremely delighted to present a musical rendition of Hindustani musical instruments. “Today’s performance was led by Debasmita Bhattacharya who is one of India’s finest young sarod players. Debasmita has received numerous accolades and awards as an acknowledgment of her enthusiasm and dedication to the art of music. Sangita Bhattacharya, who is mother of Debasmita, played tanpura and Debajit exhibited his talents through an accomplished tabla performance. “Debasmita also presented Rabindra Sangeet Ekla Chalo Re and also folk songs from Rajasthan and Himalayan states. Her melodious voice added more flavour to these presentations.” Talking to Community, Rajesh Singh, head of finance and sponsorship at Indian Cultural Centre, said: “This was yet another incredible event organised by the Embassy of India as a part of India- Qatar Year of Culture 2019 which was held at a magnificent venue of Drama Theatre, Katara Cultural Village. “The multi-cultural audience enjoyed the soothing sarod instrument played by the young and talented artist along with her mother. The trio enthralled the audience with their jugalbandi. It was nice to hear some popular songs from West Bengal and Rajasthan, which Debasmita sang well. I really am thankful to the ambassador and embassy officials for organising such a beautiful event celebrating friendship between India and Qatar.” The celebrated music troupe on Tuesday evening (yesterday) performed at Indian Cultural Centre where the Indian community at large was invited to enjoy the traditional classical music.