Navy Chief Presents Medals at Naval Investiture Ceremony in Visakhapatnam
Admiral R. Hari Kumar, the Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), confered Gallantry and Distinguished Service awards, on behalf of the President of India, to the recipients, at the Naval Investiture Ceremony held at the Naval Base, Visakhapatnam.
A total of 33 awards were presented during the ceremony, including two Nao Sena Medals (Gallantry), 13 Nao Sena Medals (Devotion to Duty), 16 Visisht Seva Medals, and two Jeevan Raksha Padaks.
The CNS also gave away the Lt V K Jain Memorial Gold Medal for pioneering research in the field of weapon improvement and Electrical Engineering, and the Capt Ravi Dhir Memorial Gold Medal for promoting Flight Safety.
May 30, 2023
IIFA Awards 2023 Announced
The 23rd season of the International Indian Film Academy Awards, also known as IIFA, made its return. Produced by Wizcraft International Entertainment Pvt. Ltd., this annual award ceremony recognises outstanding contributions in the Bollywood film industry, including films, stars, filmmakers, and technicians. Since its establishment in 2000, the IIFA awards have been held in different countries worldwide. The inaugural ceremony took place on June 24, 2000, at the Millennium Dome in London, and the 22nd edition was held in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
These awards honour films from the previous calendar year. Amitabh Bachchan is the Brand Ambassador of the IIFA since its inception. In its 10th year (2009), five special awards were introduced: Star of the Decade (Male and Female), Movie of the Decade, Music of the Decade, and Director of the Decade.
Actor Sidharth Malhotra hosted the ceremony, and his film "Shershaah" received 21 nominations, making it the most nominated film at IIFA 2022. It emerged as the most awarded film, winning in six categories, including Best Film and Best Director.
Below is a short list of winners:
Best Film: Drishyam 2
Best Director: R. Madhavan for Rocketry: The Nambi Effect
Best Actor in a Leading Role (Female): Alia Bhatt for Gangubai Kathiawadi
Best Actor in a Leading Role (Male): Hrithik Roshan for Vikram Vedha
Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Female): Mouni Roy for Brahmastra: Part One – Shiva
Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Male): Anil Kapoor for Jugg Jugg Jeeyo
Outstanding Achievement for Fashion in Cinema: Manish Malhotra
Outstanding Achievement in Indian Cinema: Kamal Haasan
Cannes Film Festival 2023 Awardee's List
The 2023 Cannes Film Festival came to a close, with the 76th annual celebration of cinema awarding the coveted Palme d'Or to Justine Triet's crime drama 'Anatomy of a Fall'. French director Justine Triet became the third female director to win the Cannes Film Festival's Palme d'Or for her film Anatomy of a Fall, beating out 20 other films in competition for the top prize at Cannes Film Festival 2023.
Justine Triet, who had previously been nominated for Sibyl in 2019, won the prize over veteran directors like Hirokazu Kore-eda, Ken Loach and Wim Wenders, all of whom have at least one Palme d'Or under their belts. She joins New Zealand's Jane Campion and France's Julia Ducournau as only the third woman to have won the competition that this year included a record seven female directors.
Below is the list of winners:
Palme d'Or: Anatomy Of A Fall, directed by Justine Triet
Grand Prix: The Zone Of Interest Director: Jonathan Glazer
Jury Prize: Fallen Leaves, directed by Aki Kaurismaki
Best Director: Tran Anh Hung for The Pot-Au-Feu
Best Screenplay: Monster, written by Yuji Sakamoto
Best Actress: Merve Dizdar, About Dry Grasses
Best Actor: Kōji Yakusho, Perfect Days
Camera d'Or: Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell, directed by Thien An Pham
Short Film Palme d'Or: 27, directed by Flóra Anna Buda
Queer Palm: Monster
Honorary Palme d'Or: Michael Douglas
May 29, 2023
Damodar Mauzo Gets Jnanpith Award
Goan writer Damodar Mauzo Goa received the prestigious Jnanpith Award, the country's highest literary honour, from state Governor P. S. Sreedharan Pillai.
Mauzo's 25 books have been published in Konkani and one in English. Many of his books have also been translated in different languages.
Mauzo's famous novel 'Karmelin' received the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1983.
The novel, published in 1981, has been translated in Hindi, Marathi, English, Punjabi, Sindhi, Tamil, Odia and Maithili languages.
Mauzo is the second Goan to receive the Jnanpith Award. Earlier, Ravindra Kelekar got the award in 2008.
Three Indian Peacekeepers Honoured posthumously with UN Medal for Supreme Sacrifice
Three Indian peacekeepers, who lost their lives serving under the UN flag in 2022, were among the 103 military, police, and civilian peacekeepers who were honoured posthumously with a prestigious medal for their service and supreme sacrifice in the line of duty.
The three Indians were Border Security Force personnel Head Constables Shishupal Singh and Sanwala Ram Vishnoi, who served with the Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Shaber Taher Ali, employed in a civilian capacity with the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq.
They were honoured with the Dag Hammarskojold Medal, the highest honour awarded to UN Peacekeepers, at a solemn ceremony held at the UN headquarters.
Princess Sophia Duleep Singh's UK Home Gets Commemorative Blue Plaque
Princess Sophia Duleep Singh, the daughter of Maharaja Duleep Singh, the last ruler of the Sikh empire, and the goddaughter of Queen Victoria, was honoured with a commemorative Blue Plaque in London.
The Blue Plaque scheme, run by the English Heritage charity, honours the significance of particular buildings associated with historical figures. In memory of the British-Indian Princess, it now adorns Faraday House, which was granted to Sophia and her sisters as a grace and favour apartment at Hampton Court Palace southwest of London by Queen Victoria.
May 25, 2023
Georgi Gospodinov Wins the International Booker Prize 2023 for Time Shelter
'Time Shelter', written by Georgi Gospodinov and translated into English by Angela Rodel, won the International Booker Prize 2023, edging out six other novels on the shortlist. This is the first time a novel originally published in Bulgarian won the annual award, given to a work of fiction translated into English and published in the United Kingdom in the preceding year. Last year, the prize went to Geetanjali Shree's 'Tomb of Sand', translated into English by Daisy Rockwell.
The third book by Gospodinov to be translated into English, 'Time Shelter' is told from the perspective of an unnamed narrator and plays on contemporary concerns through a lens that is both ironic and melancholic, according to Leïla Slimani, chair of this year's International Booker Prize jury. The novel tells the story of the mysterious Gaustine and his clinic for the past, whose premise of treating Alzheimer's — a disease that robs one of memory, the foundational aspect of life — sounds deceptively simple.
One of Bulgaria's most well-known writers, Gospodinov is also one of the country's most translated — his books have been translated into over 20 languages. The Italian translation of Time Shelter won the Premio Strega Europeo Prize in 2022 and was been shortlisted for several international awards.
May 24, 2023
Thalapathy Vijay Wins Best Actor Award at Osaka Tamil Film Festival, Japan
Thalapathy Vijay is one of the most popular actors in the South Indian film industry with an illustrious career spanning more than 30 years. He started his career by working as a child artist in many films. The actor has a huge fan following in South India and has proven his acting mettle through various films. Now, he won the Best Actor Award at the Osaka Tamil International Film Festival held in Japan.
According to reports, the awards for the Tamil films released in 2021 were held, and Thalapathy Vijay was awarded the Best Actor Award for his performance in Master. The Tamil action-thriller film Master was released in 2021 and was directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj. The project had Thalapathy Vijay and Vijay Sethupathi in the lead roles.
Apart from Vijay, there were several other awardees at the film festival. The film Sarpatta Parambarai was chosen as the Best Film of 2021. Kangana Ranaut won the award for Best Actress for her performance in Thalaivii. Yuvan Shankar Raja was named the Best Music Composer for the film Maanaadu and Venkat Prabhu was awarded the Best Screenplay award for Maanaadu.