Blender’s Choice – The Daily Star OTT & Digital Content Awards 2024 is back, ready to honor the talents of Bangladesh’s dynamic digital entertainment landscape. Presented by Ispahani and The Daily Star, this year’s edition features an expanded and more inclusive lineup of 29 categories, reflecting the growing diversity of content across OTT and digital platforms. Nominations opened today and will remain open until July 20.

Tyler Perry’s "Straw", currently streaming on Netflix, is a volatile cocktail of social critique, melodrama, and searing urgency, propelled by Taraji P Henson’s powerhouse performance. The film plunges headlong into the merciless pressure cooker of systemic injustice and personal breakdown, following Janiyah, a single Black mother whose life unravels over the course of one catastrophically bad day.

Renowned National Film Award-winning singer Fahmida Nabi has returned from the US and is actively working on new music. On the occasion of World Music Day, she released a heartfelt track titled “Bondhu Hariye Gelo”, composed by the late Borno Chakraborty and written by Anisuzzaman Jewel.

Hollywood heavyweights Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt shared the red carpet at the London premiere of “F1”, marking their first public reunion in 31 years since co-starring in 1994’s “Interview With the Vampire”. Cruise surprised fans with his appearance, supporting Pitt’s latest film, a high-octane racing drama directed by “Top Gun: Maverick’s” Joseph Kosinski.

The three-day event, organised by the university’s Film Society in association with Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, opened on Monday (June 23) at the Chitrashala Auditorium of the Academy. The festival is being held under the theme “Where Stories Take Flight.”

Tanim Noor’s “Utshob” continues to draw crowds in its third week, with ticket sales exceeding Tk 2 crore within just 16 days of release. The star-studded film has maintained strong audience turnout, much to the delight of its director.

Global K-pop sensation Blackpink is set to make a comeback with a new song, to be unveiled during their upcoming concert in Goyang on July 5 (KST), marking the start of their much-anticipated Deadline World Tour.

When Zarin Mahmood Shairy stepped onto the stage at Ms Global World Universal 2025–2026, she wasn’t just walking toward a crown—she was walking through a story years in the making.

JK Rowling has voiced strong support for HBO’s upcoming “Harry Potter” television adaptation, calling the first two episodes “SO, SO, SO GOOD!” in a recent post on X. Though she’s not writing for the series directly, Rowling confirmed she’s been “working closely with the extremely talented writers.”

A bold, intimate exploration of womanhood across three generations, “Just A Joke, Darling” features performances by Sharmeen Akhee, Sangeeta Chowdhury, and Shaptorshi Rahman. It traces themes of ambition, trauma, and motherhood, offering a quiet but powerful narrative that lingers long after viewing.

The archive currently houses 318 black-and-white films and 5,127 colour films. All materials are stored in six state-of-the-art climate-controlled vaults designed for long-term preservation.

BTS member Suga has donated approximately $3.6 million to support the establishment of a treatment centre for children with autism spectrum disorder in South Korea. The facility, set to open in September in collaboration with Severance Hospital, will offer language, psychological and behavioural therapy, while combining clinical treatment with research.

“Bangla cinema is now reaching audiences across the globe with honour. At a time when our films are doing well, a vested quarter has launched a conspiracy to destroy this progress. The films that are performing well are being targeted for piracy. I would say, this is not just a conspiracy against our cinema—it’s a conspiracy against the country,” said Dhallywood superstar Shakib Khan.

Salman Khan made a powerful return to “The Great Indian Kapil Show” yesterday, opening the new season as its very first guest. Dismissing speculation about his appearance, Salman looked remarkably fit, perhaps the best he has in recent times. Nevertheless, behind his composed exterior, he continues to battle serious health conditions.

Russell Crowe is set to guide Henry Cavill through the world of immortals in the upcoming “Highlander” reboot. The duo is reuniting after Crowe played Superman’s father in Zack Snyder’s DC Universe, where Cavill starred as the Man of Steel.

Following the success of “Insaaf”, director Sanjoy Somadder has officially announced that work on “Insaaf 2” is underway, with a targeted release slated for next year's Eid-ul-Azha. The sequel promises to be bigger in scale, continuing the story with the original cast, including Mosharraf Karim, Sariful Razz, Tasnia Farin, and Chanchal Chowdhury — whose character will now be significantly utilised.

Manipuri band Mingal has unveiled their latest track, "Kotio Durei", composed in the Bishnupriya Manipuri language.

The much-anticipated government-grant film “Banalata Sen”, directed by Masud Hasan Ujjal, has completed all phases of production—including shooting, dubbing, editing, colour grading, and background scoring—and is preparing for submission to the Bangladesh Film Censor Board. The director has revealed that the plan is to hopefully release the film this September.

Rumours of closure continue to swirl around Madhumita, one of Dhaka’s oldest and most iconic cinema halls, located in Motijheel. Having celebrated its golden jubilee just three years ago, Madhumita has been a cornerstone of the city’s moviegoing culture since its inauguration on December 1, 1967.

There is a peculiar charm to watching someone murder with the same poise they might use to frost a cake. That’s the Georgia Miller experience, which is equal parts molasses and menace. In its third season, Netflix’s "Ginny & Georgia" leans all the way into that contradiction, offering up a deliciously disorienting blend of teen angst, courtroom spectacle, and suburban noir. With a new showrunner in place and a fresh appetite for audacity, the show does not just continue its chaos, it weaponises it.