The film, with major Bollywood stars in it, centers on the love story between two women, but they’re under pressure to be in opposite-sex marriages. The film’s director, Shelly Chopra Dhar: “The intent for this film was to reach a wider audience, to have everybody understand that love is love, and does not need to be qualified.” – BBC
Blog
The Theremin Had A Life Before Sci-Fi Movies Took It Over
The original advertising campaigns for the theremin included it as a home music-making instrument. “This campaign primarily targeted middle and upper-class white women, a demographic frequently associated with (and compelled to take on) domestic music-making and most likely to select music technology purchased for the home.” – NewMusicBox
Italian Film Star Claudia Cardinale On A Life Working With Directors Like Fellini, Visconti, Leone, And Herzog
Cardinale’s voice was “too husky” and also too French (she grew up in Tunisia) for Italian cinema when she started. But then came 8 1/2. – Los Angeles Times
Frank Stella Explains His Art Collection, Including Fakes Of His Work
He doesn’t have anything of his own on his living room walls (though he does own, and display, four fakes that were sent to him for authentication). “It’s nice to come home and look at paintings. I don’t have to look at my own paintings. To me, it’s a relief. I like seeing them and not worrying.” – The New York Times
Finding a World
“Welcome to a primordial world that’s fiercer than anything religious texts ordain.” – Deborah Jowitt
Brooklyn Gets An Oslo-Worthy Home For Fiction, And For Writers
Oslo has Litteraturhuset – a place for readers and writers to “to meet, write, debate, read, and discuss writing, ideas, and politics over food and drinks, all with the mission of promoting the greater good of art and literature,” but that kind of physical space “seemed an impossible fantasy” for New York. Until now. – LitHub
Propwatch: The celery in Berberian Sound Studio
Some props have long lives, and others, well: “The celery and carrot, the cabbage and water melons, all make a distinct if self-immolating impact.” – David Jays
Rethinking The Purpose Of British Arts Institutions
Take a look at Battersea Arts Centre, which “no longer focuses on creating the ‘future of theatre’—a laudable purpose, but not one of much interest to the many who doubt theatre is for them. Instead, it concentrates on inspiring and supporting people to take creative risks to shape their own and their communities’ future, whether those people define themselves as artists or not.” – HowlRound
What The Academy Should Drop From The Live Broadcast: The Shorts
The NYT‘s Carpetbagger: “These categories are an island unto themselves, whereas a nominee from any other race — be it an animated feature or a foreign-language film — can conceivably vie for best picture or at least be eligible for other Oscars. If there are categories that have to go, these three provide the cleanest cut.” – The New York Times
Oops: The Live Oscars Broadcast Will Include Cinematography After All
For the second time, the Academy reversed itself about something it planned to cut from this year’s Oscars broadcast. “The announcement came after an outcry by some of Hollywood’s heaviest hitters, including BlacKkKlansman director Spike Lee and Roma director Alfonso Cuarón.” – NPR