the director of the film
for BOLD. In the interview, I asked him how he thinks the people of Pakistan will welcome his film all set to release with a lot of hype. Saim excitedly answered that he is very optimistic about the film and is expecting a positive response from the film’s viewers in the country as the film has touched milestones. Not only him, but Abu Aleeha, Pakistani filmmaker and director, was equally thrilled for his film Javed Iqbal: The Untold Story of A Serial Killer and so was Sarmad Khoosat for his film Zindagi Tamasha, Shamoon Abbasi for his directorial debut Durj and Shoaib Mansoor for the film Verna. They all were upbeat because they trusted the system's pseudo-progressive approach. However, a trigger-happy censor board is always good at killing the creativity in the guise of maintaining the morality as well as immediately banning such films created along progressive lines.
Hypocrisy prevails in every state institution, especially the art institutions. Knowing that Joyland is the only film capable of being nominated for the Oscars because of the film’s
simple-yet-strong storyline, it had to fight with the censor board of its own country, made an appeal to the Prime Minister to have the slapdash ban lifted, and launched a slew of social media campaigns with a hashtag #Release Joyland, compelling the censor board to reverse its hasty decision. The Joyland episode is not the first instance as the ban culture has been infesting the country’s art scene since ages. There is a litany of films which have banned in Pakistan earlier before and after release, mainly on the basis of immorality, unethical content and disrespect of religious beliefs and customs. Confused and directionless government is changing their decision every hour. They initially cleared the movie for screening, then banned it, reviewed it again and announced its release after cutting some scenes and finally banned it until further notice. The situation has now become topsy-turvey.
As mentioned earlier, the international award-winning Joyland is not the first film that became the victim of ban culture as it was almost on the cusp of getting banned forever. In fact, there are many other films such as Javed Iqbal, Zindagi Tamasha, and I Will Meet You There, which were not allowed to be released in Pakistan but still they managed to win international awards. Other flicks recently banned in Pakistan are Verna, which portrayed the ugly side of the powerful elite and Durj, based on the real-life story of a man who evades imprisonment as the law does not have a well-defined punishment for the crimes he has allegedly committed. One wonders what are the actual criteria and the state policy that come into action when it comes to approve or reject any film
on rational grounds. How does the censor board decide such critical matters and what are the qualities of an entertaining film in the eyes of the board?
We asked the similar question to the leading names of the Pakistan’s entertainment industry. Let’s find below the perception that rules the industry:
“Why do we even like to talk about it? Pakistan is a struggling country. There are other crucial issues facing the country that merit deliberation. As far as the film Joyland is concerned, I would not like to make a comment about the film until I have fully watched it. Having said that, whenever a TV serial or film defies the moral and ethical values of
the society it should be banned straightaway, even if it made under my direction or production." It was said by a veteran playwright, Khalil-Ur-Rehman Qamar. Mohsin Ali, a notable scriptwriter, has another approach towards the prevailing ban culture as he plainly denounces the hypocritical moves of the censor board. Commenting on the ban of the movie Joyland he said “Slapping an outright ban on a film is always a ridiculous move.”
"The decision to put a ban on the scheduled release of the film Joyland was quite funny. In Pakistan, there are a total of four censor boards operating in each province. Before deciding about the fate of any film, they all should be on the same page and the last call should be made by the Federal Board. However, the Sindh Board does not have a problem in screening Joyland in cinemas whereas the rest of the three boards are against its screening. What a shame!"
"We always have a choice to watch or not to watch a film. The people who are having problems with the film should not go, but banning the film on the perceived promotion of vulgarity is not a feasible solution. A piece of entertainment should never be banned.”
Meanwhile, I was getting the feedback from the entertainment industry, I kept trying to contact the Secretary of Censor Board, Sindh, who repeatedly told me to drop him a message or call him later. I tried to not make him feel under attack but his actions implied that he did not want to say anything on the issue at all.
We always have a choice to watch or not to watch a film. The people who are having problems with the film should not go, but banning the film on the perceived promotion of vulgarity is not a feasible solution. A piece of entertainment should never be banned
On the condition on anonymity, another actor said that he has a small message for the people at the helm of affairs. "Censor board's set criteria and its policies come later, as it is more essential to know about their own fantasies as well as the high standards and parameters they have in place in order to approve or ban a film. They banned a film like Javed Iqbal: The Untold Story of A Serial Killer, which was based on a true story. However, what were the leading factors which pressurised the censor board to ban the film are still not known. There is always a certain group of people who call the shots and the policies and regulations in place are only on paper for the sake of maintaining discipline and nothing else."
"As an indie filmmaker, I am glad that the vicious cycle has broken and let it be because of the power of social media, and strong public relations,” says Abu Aleeha, a Pakistan-based filmmaker and director. He already predicted that the film might be banned again as the government itself seems confused and cannot make a firm decision as they are under pressure. “The release of Joyland in Pakistan has set the precedent. But I am still waiting for the film’s screening in cinemas as you never know that even before its release any religious political force or outfit is able to force the government to ban the film or take it to the law court. Once this barrier is removed then I will also be able to work on the release of the film,
Javed Iqbal: The Untold Story of A Serial Killer," he added.
Shedding more light on his yet-to-be-released film about Javed Iqbal, Abu Aleeha said that the film could not get approval from both the Federal board and the full board. “To make things worse, we were not able to file an appeal to the Appellate board as there is no such board even operating after
Meanwhile, I was getting the feedback from the entertainment industry, I kept trying to contact the Secretary of Censor Board, Sindh, Adil Ahmed who repeatedly told me to drop him a message or call him later. I tried to not make him feel under attack but his actions implied that he did not want to say anything on the issue at all
its dissolution some four years ago.”
Shamoon Abbasi, a veteran TV and film actor and director, told BOLD that his film Durj was banned because it featured the non-existence of the law for a specific crime, due to which the culprit gets an easy way-out. However, the film was based on a true story.
A widely-cherished and celebrated film, I’ll Meet You There was also banned by the Federal Censor Board. Abid Aziz Merchant, the Executive Producer of the film, shared how his award-winning film,
which crossed many milestones in the country’s film history, was banned in Pakistan.
“A Pakistani film that has such legendary actors as Qavi Khan and Faran Tahir and depicts a story of Pakistani expatriates living in Chicago, is unfortunately banned in Pakistan.” He further read the letter to BOLD and stressed the sentence in the letter which said, ‘We are pleased to refuse to grant of censorship certificate in favour of your film.’
The ban was imposed after the Full Board Review, the team behind the film I’ll Meet You never lodged an appeal in the court of law to have the ban lifted and allow the film’s screening in Pakistan, the reason behind such move, according to Abid, was the fact that at that point in time it seemed useless to ask for the review of the unjust decision as the country was going through a deep-seated political chaos, the then government was being replaced by a new one and so all focus was merely on politics.
The film Chaudhry - The Martyr was released in Pakistan because it was supported by the security apparatus. The film highlighted the dirty politics played around the martyrdom of Chaudhry Aslam. Surprisingly, the film tried to unveil some dark aspects of the country’s politics and how goons develop strong connections with corrupt politicians who use their influence to save the criminals from getting into any trouble. Frankly speaking, Durj can be referred to as any other film of the sort which could not fight the system, suffering heavy financial losses, and eventually getting banned in the country.
What needs to be discouraged in the media is the portrayal of domestic abuse, marital violence, and the glorification of narcissism as such evil practices are largely shown in every next TV show. PEMRA (Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority) does not mind when the acts of domestic violence are shown in TV serials. However, the concerned authorities suddenly wake up from their deep slumber as soon as something out of the box, extraordinary and different is produced that unmask their double standards and expose
Chaudhry - The Martyr was released in Pakistan because it was supported by the security apparatus. It highlighted the dirty politics played around the martyrdom of Chaudhry Aslam. Surprisingly, the film tried to unveil some dark aspects of the country’s politics and how goons develop strong connections with corrupt politicians who use their influence
the hypocrisy of the system.
In addition to that, some TV channels show old Pakistani films with highly objectionable and vulgar content and should have been immediately banned since they openly promote sexuality and vulgarity. However, no one is bothered as these films feature such things that most men want to watch in a film. In sum, there should be equal rules and policies in place applicable for both TV shows and film productions.
The set of rules and regulations should also be made clear enough to secure the interests and rights of the filmmakers as these are the people who are making every effort to revive the film industry’s lost glory and let it flourish and prosper.
Jago Hua Savera (1959)
Jago Hua Savera had a screenplay by Faiz Ahmed Faiz and explored the struggles of fishermen in East Pakistan. It was directed by Lahore-based director A J Kardar and was a joint production between East and West Pakistan. General Ayub Khan halted its release two days before its premiere.
Aurat Raj (1979)
Starring Waheed Murad, Aurat Raj, produced and directed by Rangeela, was banned after it had already been released in cinemas. The film adopted a feminist perspective by swapping gender roles of the actors.
Khamosh Pani (2003)
This Sabiha Sumar film starred Indian actress Kirron Kher, Aamir Ali Malik and Navtej Singh Johar. The film touched upon themes of Islamic radicalisation, the wounds left by partition, and how the country changed under the dictatorial rule of Geneal Zia-ul-Haq. Khamosh Pani (Silent Waters) was banned even before it was reviewed due to the casting of Indian actors in the film.
Maula Jatt (1979)
Directed by Younis Malik, the original
Maula Jatt was banned after its release due to “excessive sexual content and violence”. After getting a stay order, the film dominated Pakistan's screens for two-anda-half years. It starred Sultan Rahi, Mustafa Qureshi and Aasia.
Slackistan (2010)
Hammad Khan's independent directorial venture told the story of three young men belonging to the upper class of Pakistani society trying to navigate through their lives in Islamabad. As a result of the unabashed use of profane language in the film, Slackistan was banned.
Maalik (2016)
A week before Maalik was scheduled to hit theatres, it was banned by the Sindh censor board and the Sindh government. It was directed by Ashir Azeem and starred Farhan Ally Agha, Adnan Shah Tipu, Hassan Niazi and Sajid Hasan. The ban was lifted by the Lahore High Court in September 2016, allowing Maalik to be shown on limited screens.
Verna (2017)
The third film by Shoaib Mansoor, this Mahira Khan led movie was banned because it addressed the issue of rape. However, Verna was released in November 2017 following public backlash. The film also stars Haroon Shahid, Rasheed Naz, Naimal Khawar and Zarrar Khan.
Zindagi Tamasha (2019)
Directed by Sarmad Khoosat, Zindagi Tamasha's release was halted after the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) said they would stage protests against the film. Despite receiving widespread international acclaim, the film has still not been released in Pakistan.
Javed Iqbal: The Untold Story Of A Serial Killer (2022)
Directed by Abu Aleeha, Javed Iqbal: The Untold Story of a Serial Killer explores the investigation into the killings carried out by the infamous titular character. The Punjab government banned the film which stars Yasir Hussain and Ayesha Omar. Whether or not the film will get a theatrical release in Pakistan still remains uncertain.
A lot was expected from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever because its predecessor had done well at the box office when it was released four years back. But the thirtieth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe turned out to be more about the antihero than the hero. That’s where the makers got it wrong because instead of giving the audience better action sequences, a strong plot, and a film that takes the universe forward, they gave them fewer action sequences, a weak plot dominated by dialogues, and a film that doesn’t do the MCU any favours.
The Plot
The film takes place after the death of Black Panther T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman) King of Wakanda, who succumbs to a disease that could have been prevented, had Killmonger (Michael B Jordan) not destroyed the heart-shaped herb. One year later, Wakanda's Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett) warns the world against attempts to get their hands on Vibranium and asks her daughter Shuri (Letitia Wright) to continue her research to create the magical herb, but Shuri refuses since she no longer believes in Black Panther.
However, when an unexpected foe Namor (Tenoch Huerta) first infiltrates Wakanda’s advanced security and later abducts a scientist Shuri was protecting, Queen Ramonda decides to take matters into her own hands. She approaches Nakia (Lupita Nyong'o) for help who unknowingly instigates a fight between the sea people of Talokan and the surface people of Wakanda which results in numerous deaths. That’s when Shuri starts believing in the myth of Black Panther, and her steps go on to save ‘Wakanda Forever’, hence the name of the film.
The Good Director Ryan Coogler who helmed the first Black Panther film decides to create a film around Chadwick Boseman's death at the age of 43 and pays him a tribute that would make his fans teary-eyed. That's why instead of an action flick, he comes up with a sober film that explores the grieving process. It wouldn't have been possi-
ble without the brilliant performance of the magnificent Angela Bassett who as a grieving mother and Queen does a commendable job. Letitia Wright, who played T’Challa’s younger sister Shuri in the original flick, takes centre stage here and impresses, which is a good thing because her character evolved after the tragedy. All those who saw the first film were impressed by the production design and here, the same team of Hannah Beachler and costume designer Ruth Carter return for the sequel and do a near-perfect job. They go beyond Wakanda and create an underwater world where Namor and his people live, without the fear of being attacked, in the same way as the Wakandans do. The creative duo comes up with dresses, ar-
Arooj Aftab has secured another Grammy nomination in the Best Global Music Performance category for her track Udhero Na, which also features Anoushka Shankar. Aftab made headlines last year when she not only got nominated for a Grammy but won the prestigious award for her rendition of Mohabbat, making her the first Pakistani to accomplish this feat. Aftab expressed her excitement by taking to Instagram to say, “Oh my God! Udhero Na has been nominated for a Grammy. Congratulations to me and to Anoushka Shankar, Maeve Gilchrist and Nadje Noordhuis. Four women came together, played a song that I wrote when I was 15 and it’s getting its flowers.” The singer went on to say how emotional she felt after she received the news. Aftab will compete in the Best Global Music Performance Award category alongside Matt B and Eddy Kenzo, Burna Boy, Rocky Dawuni, Blvk H3ro, and Wouter Kellerman, Zakes Bantwini and Nomcebo Zikode. The music awards are set to take place on February 5, 2022 in Los Angeles, and Beyonce leads the Grammy nominations this year with nine nominations, including Album of the Year.
Pakistan has many celebrities whose lives would make for great viewing on the screen. Shoaib Akhtar definitely fits this bill because the dramatic highs and lows of his cricketing career and personal life are ripe for the big screen. Fans of the cricketer will be thrilled to know that a biopic of the Pakistani pacer is now in the works, with none other than singer, songwriter and actor Umair Jaswal set to essay the lead role in the film. Fittingly titled Rawalpindi Express, the biopic will provide an in-depth look at the fast bowler’s triumphs and struggles. Jaswal took to social media to share, “Super excited to announce this with all of you. I’m honoured to play the living legend Shoaib Akhtar on the big screen in Rawalpindi Express. With Allah’s blessings may we succeed in our endeavours! We look forward to bringing to you a first of its kind biopic film worthy of worldwide recognition.” Jaswal also shared a poster for the film which shows the actor from the back wearing Akhtar’s iconic number 14 Pakistan jersey.
chitecture, and a language that represents the Mayan folklore and impresses the audience, again. One hopes that in coming MCU films, Namor’s aquatic den will be explored in a better way so that the viewers get to know more about his tribe.
The Bad Black Panther: Wakanda Forever suffered from the Avengers: Endgame syndrome and couldn’t recreate the ‘more the characters, more the success’ formula. It had too many dialogues, the plot involved too many characters, and there were too few action sequences which would certainly have angered some of the fans. Inserting another Marvel character Ironheart (Dominique Thorne) seemed like a desperate
measure to attract the audience, which could have been avoided so that the viewers took back only one superhero, and not multiple new characters. Instead of taking the story forward, the makers decided to use techniques that would have worked better in a dramatic film, but not in a flick featuring a Marvel superhero. Too much emphasis on the antihero Namor and too less on Black Panther wasn’t just one of the reasons to not like this film. At 2 hours and 40 minutes, it was too long for a sequel, designed as an origin story. And to top it all, the beloved hero of millions across the world doesn’t make its appearance in the first two hours, and when it does, it’s not as powerful as one would expect.
The Verdict 3/5
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever could have been a contender had the director Ryan Coogler understood what the audience wanted. There were many ways to introduce a new Black Panther but he chose to give the audience a method they weren’t ready for. Some might say that grief was the most valuable ingredient in this film but he forgot that Marvel's audience is more about action than drama. It would have been better had the producers paid tribute to Chadwick Boseman in a documentary that came out ahead of the film, instead of making them wait for an action flick where the action took the backseat!
This film not only dents the franchise but also those who were all set to forgive and forget Marvel flicks like The Eternals, Morbius, and Thor: Love and Thunder which might or might not have done well at the box office, but were not up to the Marvel standard. They will have to do some great work in the coming days to restore the dignity of the MCU, which reached its zenith after Spider-Man: No Way Home but hasn’t been able to recreate that magic since. The decision to release this film just weeks after rival DC’s Black Adam and a month before Avatar: The Way of Water – which also features another kind of aquatic den – was always going to be tricky and might hinder in the box office collection of the Black Panther sequel. Let’s hope it does well at the Box Office so that the next flick in the series returns Black Panther to its lost glory.
One of the highlights of Pakistan's cultural scene, The Adab festival, is ready to return for its fourth iteration from 26-27 November, 2022. Founder and Director Ameena Saiyid said that this year the Adab Festival will tackle the issue of the climate crisis. Saiyid termed the festival to be "a new Silk Route through which our traditions and culture, literature, the arts and their luscious fruits can travel and enter the hearts of people in every part of Pakistan and the world." The event will take place at the Frere Hall in Karachi from 11:30am to 9pm during the stipulated dates. About 100 speakers and performers will participate at the Adab Festival including Zehra Nigah, Sherry Rahman, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Murtaza Wahab, Tariq Alexander Qaiser, Iftikhar Arif, Kishwar Naheed, Wusatullah Khan, Yasser Latif Hamdani, Javed Jabbar, Rumana Husain and many others. The festival will also have a separate section for children to encourage them to read through storytelling, music, performances, and art.
With fewer action sequences, and more dialogues, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will only impress the die-hard fans of the franchiseBy Gersende Rambourg CAPE TOWN
Heads turn and jaws drop when South African actor Kim Engelbrecht walks down a Cape Town street.
Born and raised in the picturesque city, the Emmy nominated actor, is a wellknown face here.
"My wife will be happy," gleams a caretaker at the central Company's Gardens Park as he takes a selfie with the star.
With navy blue eyes, high cheekbones and long brown hair, Engelbrecht, 42, poses patiently, smiles and thanks the fan.
"People think they know you, it's quite endearing this sense of familiarity," she says, sporting a bright multi-coloured summer dress.
"The South African audience has known me for a long time."
The actor started her long career in television as the host of a youth development show before getting her first film role in an Italian production at the age of 12. Her breakthrough came with 'Isidingo', a popular dinnertime South African soap, on which she appeared for 12 years.
But it was her first leading role -- that of a criminal profiler investigating a string of murders in the sugar cane fields of the eastern KwaZulu-Natal province in the crime series 'Reyka' -- that won her an Emmy nomination.
Engelbrecht is up for the Best Performance by an Actress prize at the International Emmy Awards, which honour TV shows made outside the United States. 'Reyka' which was shot during the coronavirus pandemic has also been nominated for Best Drama Series.
Dreams are valid
"In the middle of Covid, filming a female-led drama series, it was a big deal for me," Engelbrecht says of her role.
Only the fifth African female actor ever to receive a nomination, she says she hopes her career will help motivate other young South Africans to chase their dreams.
"Your dreams are valid. Hard work and dedication don't go unnoticed," she says.
The nomination is "also an opportunity for people to see what South Africa is, what South Africa is about, to understand our cadence and who we are as a people," she says. Winners of the accolade are to be announced at a ceremony in New York on November 21. Engelbrecht has already had a taste of Holly-
for an
wood, having starred in superhero TV series 'The Flash' and sci-fi drama 'Raised by Wolves' produced by Ridley Scott.
Yet, the actor who grew up in the working-class suburb of Belhar, east of Cape Town, is keen to continue work in her homeland.
"I enjoy working in South Africa, these are my
roots, this is who I am," she says.
Since her nomination she has received many scripts, and would like to have a go at comedy. "Why not?" she says with a smile, signalling with a wave of her hand to some park walkers who had stopped upon seeing cameras that they are welcome to pass through. —AFP
Zephani Idoko
Born in Lagos, Nigeria, Zephani Idoko is an American actress. She is best known for her starring role in a horror film The Unsettling and for her supporting role in Nanny, which won the top award at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival before being acquired by Amazon Studios and Blumhouse. Idoko moved to the United States with her entire family and started studying acting under Diane Baker at the Academy Of Art in San Francisco, California where she earned a BFA degree in 2017. Currently based in New York City, Idoko began working as an actress and fashion model while still an undergraduate. Zephani's notable work also includes her role in the critically acclaimed
Kim Engelbrecht, only the fifth African female actor ever to receive a nomination
International Emmy Award, believes her rise to Hollywood stardom will motivate other young Africans to chase their dreamsBy Daniel Lawler PARIS
Deadlier than Covid, or even rivalling cancer? Researchers have been increasingly attempting to calculate the effect climate change will have on health if the world does not act quickly to reduce carbon emissions.
The World Health Organization, which says climate change is the single biggest health threat facing humanity, has called for the issue to be "front and centre" in negotiations at the COP27 summit being held in Egypt.
But quantifying the overall impact is an extremely complicated task, experts say, because global warming affects health in many different ways, from the immediate dangers of rising heat and extreme weather to longerterm food and water shortages, air pollution and disease.
The WHO estimates that climate change will cause 250,000 extra deaths a year from malnutrition, malaria, diarrhoea and heat stress between 2030 and 2050.
That is widely thought to be a "massively conservative estimate" of the true toll, partly because it only comes from four sources, said Jess Beagley, policy lead at the NGO Global Climate and Health Alliance.
"Climate change is a threat multiplier," she said.
"As climate change worsens, we're going to see the biggest threats to human health increase."
Nearly 70 percent of all deaths worldwide are from diseases that could be made worse by global warming, according to a report this year from the IPCC, the United Nations' panel of climate experts.
4.2 million more deaths?
Another major health threat comes from food shortages.
Nearly 100 million additional people faced severe food insecurity in 2020 compared to 1981-2010, according to a report last month from The Lancet Countdown, a leading effort to quantify climate change's impact on health.
Extreme drought has increased by nearly a third over the last 50 years, it added, putting hundreds of millions at risk of lacking access to fresh water.
And air pollution contributed to 3.3 million deaths in 2020, 1.2 million of which were directly related to fossil fuel emissions, the report found.
Researchers have also been sounding the alarm that warmer temperatures are pushing virus-carrying animals like mosquitoes into new areas, increasing the spread of existing diseases -- and raising the risk of new ones jumping across to humans.
The likelihood of dengue transmission rose by 12 percent over the last 50 years, while warming temperatures extended malaria season in parts of Africa by 14 percent, the Lancet Countdown report said.
Projecting into the future, a new platform launched in November by the United Nations Development Programme and the Climate Impact Lab warned that
global warming could become deadlier than cancer in some parts of the world. Under the modelling research's worst-case scenario in which fossil fuel emissions are not rapidly scaled back, climate change could cause death rates to increase by 53 deaths per 100,000 people worldwide by 2100 -- around double the current rate for lung cancer.
For the current global population, that would mean 4.2 million additional deaths a year, more than the official toll from Covid-19 in 2021.
'Exacerbate inequality'
Climate Impact Lab's Hannah Hess told AFP that the projections were probably conservative because they compared
previous data on mortality and weather with possible future temperatures, so did not include potential threats such as vector-borne diseases.
The platform also gave specific local projections for more than 24,000 regions worldwide. Under the worstcase scenario, it found that in Bangladesh's capital Dhaka, climate change-related deaths could double those from all cancers by 2100.
The study did project that death rates would fall in some northern, mostly wealthy nations, where fewer cold spells could lead to a net improvement in health.
This "speaks even more to the potential of climate change to exacerbate inequality", she added. There have been calls to include such additional deaths
into the "social cost of carbon", the price put on the harm attributable to a tonne of CO2.
Research published in September estimated that the current price of $51 per metric tonne was nearly four times too low, in part because it underestimated the effect of extra deaths.
The global charity Wellcome Trust is among those funding further research on global warming's impact on health, according to its climate and health director Alan Dangour.
Dangour told AFP that soon "climate change will influence every aspect of public health".
"If we don't embed climate change into our thinking, we've completely missed the point."
AFP
In the world of health sciences, a urinary tract infection or UTI is referred to as an infection that many involve any part of the urinary system, such kidney, bladder, urethra, and ureters. In general, a urinary tract infection (UTI) is one of the most common types of infections acquired in hospitals and health settings, while about 75 per cent UTIs are associated with a urinary catheter, a hollow and flexible tub which is inserted into the bladder through the urethra to collect urine and leads it to a drainage bag. On an average, approximately 15 per cent to 25 per cent patients living in hospitals tend to receive urinary catheters during their stay. Most importantly, the prolonged use of the internal urinary catheter happens to be the most important risk factor for developing a catheter-associated urinary tract in-
fection and should only be used when they are urgently needed.
US data shows that internal catheters are associated with 80 percent of hospital-related urinary tract infections, which cost the health care system an estimated $450 million yearly. Nearly 13,000 deaths annually are related to internal catheters. Key features of the TrueClr product line include:
Eliminates internal catheter-associated urinary tract infections Uses light, continuous section
Non-invasive, non-adhesive, comfortable Leak proof design
• Avoids urine contact with skin
• Eliminates skin irritation and inflammation
• Portable & reusable - in hospitals or at home, with easy cleaning
• Covered under Medicare Part B, DME reimbursement Ur24Technology Inc., a privately
held medical device company, has launched the TrueClrcatheter product line - offering physicians, nurses and patients a choice that will eliminate catheter-associated urinary tract infections in hospitals, increase patient comfort and quality of life, and lower health care costs.
The first external catheter designed to actively empty the bladder, the new latex-free TrueClrproduct line for adults and children is going to be showcased at Medica 2022, one of the world's leading medical trade fairs, in Dusseldorf, Germany from Nov. 1317.
Dr. Jon Meliones, M.D., FCCM, medical director at Ur24Technology, said: "I am convinced the TrueClr
external catheters will fundamentally revolutionize medical practices. It's an active elimination system vs. passive - the only catheter of its kind in the world." Dr. Meliones will be a featured speaker at Medica 2022.
Ur24 Technology has a strategic partnership with Miami-based DemeTECH Corp. to manufacture and distribute TrueClrproducts in the US and internationally, using its distribution network in 132 countries. The companies will jointly promote TrueClr, which will be co-branded, at Medica 2022.
Ur24Technology, Inc. is a privately held medical device company located in Southern California that was founded in 2016 by Landon Duval. Five
different external catheter prototypes were researched, designed and developed - leading to the TrueClrexternal catheter range of products. These revolutionary products perfectly fit the company's core mission: to improve patient care through innovation.
About DemeTECH Corp. Headquartered in Miami, Florida, DemeTECH, is a world-renowned leader in surgical sutures, mesh and bone wax. DemeTECH strives to enhance doctor-patient relationships through hard work, dedication, and a commitment to the pursuance of cutting-edge technology and innovation. DemeTECH's N95 masks and TrueClrexternal catheters are made in the USA with American materials.
The use of external catheters will eliminate catheter-associated urinary tract infections (UTIs) in hospitals, increase patient comfort and quality of life, and lower health care costs
Climate change could cause death rates to increase by 53 deaths per 100,000 people worldwide by 2100, which would mean 4.2 million additional deaths a year, more than the official toll from Covid-19 in 2021
BOLD Desk
Maï Jarach, a young French designer, is giving a second life to old football shirts by transforming them into corsets
Making the most of France's love for fashion, Maï Jarach, a young fashion designer working in her bedroom-workshop in the Paris suburbs, is transforming old football shirts into corsets.
The 19-year-old believes that she has ramped up production of the colourful, ethical and eco-friendly fashion designs by bringing old football shirts back to life, as the World Cup approaches.
"I do everything on my own, from collecting the jerseys to designing and sewing," smiles Maï Jarach, taking out her favourite shirt from the closet, the one cut from an FC Barcelona tunic.
"Above all, I don't want brand new jerseys, the idea is to do ‘upcycling’ without using chemicals; it's not recycling", says Jarach.
It is “not out of environmental conviction at the start, but rather born of indignation over the mistreatment of the workforce in certain countries. It’s time to move towards ethical brands,” she continues.
Originally, she developed this project to get admission in her fashion school, the Berçot Studio.
Then Maï was spotted by Youssouf Fofana, the art director of the Parisian brand Maison Château Rouge (MCR), who met her one day when she was wearing one of her corsets.
Jarach is going to put them on sale when MCR, associated with other fashion companies, will officially launch the newlyconceived fashion sensation in the middle of the Football World Cup (November 20-December 18).
"I was lucky enough to meet a nice person named Youssouf
Fofana, who respects my values," says the young designer. "I worked all summer using my grandmother's sewing machine and even asked my close relatives for their swimsuits.”
Football runs through the veins of the family. As a patriotic Argentinian, Jarach’s father is a fan of River Plate, one of the football giants of Buenos Aires. Maï's little sister, Luz, plays with the under-15s of Paris Saint-Germain.
During this studious summer, the seamstress made eleven corsets, but the very young entrepreneur also had to “create a brand in three months that it was done super quickly.”
But at the heart of the job remains the making of such unconventional corsets. Maï Jarach uses the small tubes, made of very flexible and multipurpose cable ties, another “upcycled” material.
She also places the eyelets to adjust the ribbon which allows the garment to be tied in the back, taking up one of the colours of the jersey, yellow for the corset. Yellow is the colour of Boca Juniors, River's arch-rival.
The young designer still lives in the inner suburbs of Paris with her parents, in an old workshop converted into a very bright loft.
"It's the first time I've made money," laughs Maï, who sells each corset for 120 euros.
"The collaboration with Maison Château Rouge relieves me of the pressure of finding a point of sale", she continues, but in the future she will have to think about how to market her work without entering a mass production system, "probably by preorders, since these are unique pieces”.
Chic, traditional, modern or glamorous, Mahira Khan has the ability to carry every outfit with style and grace
life
By Andréa Bambino ATLANTIC CITYThe world’s largest pipe organ was constructed in the 1920s in the New Jersey city's Boardwalk Hall, during the seaside resort area's golden age. But the instrument suffered the wrath of a hurricane in 1944, and wear and tear after years of quasi-abandonment for a while left it unusable. Now, through private donations and careful restoration, it is coming back to earpleasing functionality.
From near the stage the antique wooden cabinet looks tiny, but inside it includes a record seven keyboards and rows of keys and pedals that control the pipes, only two-thirds of which are currently in working order.
"It's an experience that's hard to really describe," said Dylan David Shaw, a 23-year-old organist.
"Every conceivable sound of the orchestra that you can think of is available at your fingertips: strings and woodwinds, orchestral trumpets, flutes," Shaw said. "Anything you can possibly think of: percussions, glockenspiel, even a full grand piano in one of the side chambers."
He added: "It's a magical experience."
The history of the instrument, which was constructed by the Midmer-Losh Organ Company, goes hand in hand with that of Boardwalk Hall itself.
The imposing arena facing the ocean has been the site of Miss America competitions, the 1964 Democratic convention, and boxer Mike Tyson fights.
The organ was built "to fill this enormous space with music," said organ curator Nathan Bryson, who called the "enormous instrument" the "precursor of surround sound."
50 percent playable
The pipe organ has a stunning 33,112 pipes, the most in the world, in wooden rooms accessible by a narrow staircase and ladders.
By comparison, the famous Grand Organ of Notre Dame in Paris has fewer than 8,000 pipes.
When the organist plays "The Star-Spangled Banner," listeners feel almost as if their bodies are vibrating with the notes of the US national anthem.
While Atlantic City holds the record for most pipes, just an hour's drive away in Philadelphia stands the "Wanamaker," the world's largest organ in working order that's inside a Macy's
department store.
Since 2004 a historic organ restoration committee entirely financed through donations has been working to return Atlantic City's organ to its full sonic power.
Behind the stage, Dean Norbeck, a retired electrical engineer, patiently mounts small magnets on a board, which conduct air in the pipes to produce sound.
Some repairs are easy to identify, but "sometimes it can be tricky to figure out why the pipes are not playing," Bryson said, and "where the point of failure is along the way."
For organist Shaw, the instrument is "over 50 percent playable." The total restoration will cost some $16 million, Bryson said. So far $5 million has been raised.
By Bassem Aboulabass CAIROSherine Abdel Wahab has long been a darling of Arab pop, but recent events have earned her the title of Egypt's Britney Spears -- not for her musical talent but because of her family's efforts to portray her as unfit to manage her own affairs. Her fan-base was shocked when she appeared sporting a dramatic new buzzcut, but when she was admitted into a rehabilitation facility in October for an unspecified addiction it sparked a groundswell of debate.
"I never would have expected that I would call Sherine Abdel Wahab Egypt's Britney Spears, but this is what is happening," former influential blogger Mahmoud Salem wrote on Facebook.
"A rich and successful star and based on her choices and her haircut, people decided that she is not OK -- her parents placed her in a facility against her will and say she is incompetent and in need of guardianship."
Questions of consent and coercion were raised in a country where, in 2021, the government proposed -- without success -- a draft bill aimed at restricting the rights of nearly 50 million Egyptian women by, for example, allowing their fathers or their brothers to annul their marriages.
Nearly eight million women out of Egypt's 104 million people were victims
of violence committed by their partners or relatives, or by strangers in public spaces, according to a United Nations survey conducted in 2015.
In the midst of the heated online discussion, conflicting versions of events have emerged from her family and her ex-husband, singer Hossam Habib.
The Abdel Wahab family has accused her ex-husband of being violent and wanting to take advantage of the singer's fame and money, which Habib denies. Abdel Wahab's brother and Habib both spoke by phone on different days to tell their side of the story on the programme "al-Hekaya" anchored by Amr Adib, one of Egypt's most-watched talk
show hosts.
"My mother was begging me to save her from her addiction," Mohammed Abdel Wahab said, accusing Habib of beating her and saying he had been forced to admit her into rehab.
"I have never been violent towards a woman, and I never took a pound from Sherine," her ex-husband replied.
Forcibly disappeared
But weeks into her rehab stint, one voice has been missing from the raging debate -- that of Abdel Wahab herself.
In her last TV appearance in early October, Abdel Wahab -- usually known for her candour, which has often landed her in trouble -- spoke cryptically of her
supposed addiction.
"You can be addicted to medicine, to food, to bad habits, it is not just drugs," she said.
In the online din, misinformation has thrived, including claims that the singer had died, slipped into a coma and travelled to Europe. A recording circulated on social media claimed to be a leaked phone call in which Abdel Wahab said she was a victim of "a conspiracy".
Viewed by 1.6 million people on Facebook alone, the video was proven to be an old voice clip from 2019 by media fact-checkers.
But the absence of clarity hasn't prevented people from weighing in.
"Sherine Abdel Wahab was kid-
napped, she is forcibly disappeared by her family because of her personal choices, as an adult, successful woman," Mahmoud Salem alleged in his Facebook post, reviving the #FreeBritney hashtag used to campaign for the US songstress's release from her father's conservatorship.
Her lawyer Yasser Qantoush, who in mid-October accused the family of entering her home and having her committed against her will, has since withdrawn his complaint from the public prosecutor's office.
"I saw the medical reports deeming hospitalisation necessary," Qantoush told Adib on television.
"Sherine is a rare talent who took up
the torch of the great voices of the Arab world," said Tarek Mortada, spokesman of the Egyptian musicians' union, comparing her to Arab divas like Oum Kalthoum and Fairouz. Her first album 'Free Mix 3' recorded with another star singer Tamer Hosni, sold more than 20 million copies. With seven albums, a film, a TV series role and a seat as a judge on the Arabic version of "The Voice" talent show, the 42-year-old singer fascinates her public.
"Whether we love her or hate her, her name is engraved on our hearts," Mortada said. "Sherine Abdel Wahab is a victim of her own success, too many people want something from her." — AFP
In Atlantic City, the world’s largest pipe organ with a stunning 33,112 pipes is coming back to
The story of Sherine Abdel Wahab, an Egyptian pop star, admitted into a rehabilitation facility has sparked new debate on women's rights in the conservative countryTop 10 Songs of Sherine Abdel Wahab 1. Hobboh Ganna 2. Ya Layali 3. Kollaha Ghayrana 4. Ma Thasebneesh 5. Khaletny Akhaf 6. 3la Bali 7. Keda Ya Albi 8. Daafy 9. Katar Khayre 10. W Bahleflak By Lina Vanegas COLOMBIA
In November, in the community of San Martin de Amacayacu in southern Colombia the local Tikuna tribe was joined for the first time by the Matis people of Brazil for a crash course on film.
"We didn't know how to operate a camera so what they are doing is showing their experience, offering knowledge and perseverance," Lizeth Reina, a 24-yearold Tikuna, said.
The Matis, a tribe only contacted in 1976, acquired two video cameras in 2015 and were taught how to film by the Brazilian Centre for Indigenist Labour (CTI) and the National Indian Foundation.
Last month, they made a seven-day journey along fast-moving rivers and almost impenetrable jungle paths to share their knowledge with this Colombian community of some 700 people.
As the boot camp got under way, a Matis with a distinctive facial tattoo, gave instructions on how to focus a video camera.
Around 10 Matis, known as "cat men" for the feline tattoos on their faces, had arrived from their home region in the Yavari valley -- an area larger than Austria and rife with drug trafficking and illegal mineral extraction, logging and fishing.
British journalist Dom Phillips and indigenist Bruno Pereira were murdered
there in June.
The Yavari valley has the largest number of voluntarily isolated communities in the world. "It's not easy getting here, we suffered a bit, but it's very emotional," filmmaker Pixi Kata Matis, 29, said of the journey to San Martin.
Future memories'
Tikunas laughed as their guests grimaced while sipping masato, a fermented yucca-based drink passed around in a cup made from the hard rind
calabash tree fruit.
Films were projected inside the maloca, a cultural, political, social and spiritual centre.
Hundreds of dazzled spectators watched as images of hunts with blowguns, bows and arrows flashed before their eyes, as well as the tattoo festival that marks the coming of age of young Matis.
"We have to show other people and the whites that we have our own identity," said Kata Matis.
The films "can help keep memories for the future ... so we don't forget our traditions," added Yina Moran, 17. Placed in mixed groups, the Tikunas proposed three short films on seeds, medicinal plants and masato, with the help of Matis, the CTI and the French
association ForestEver. "The cameras blended into the landscape and families were more willing to share and communicate," said ForestEver coordinator Claire Davigo.
Exotic reports
San Martin de Amacayacu, surrounded by a lush natural park, is made up of wooden houses, some with colourful
painted walls that are home to several generations of the same family.
Apprentices and their mentors spent the day conducting interviews and filming daily life.
"The communication was wonderful because although we hardly speak Portuguese, we understood each other through our cultures," said Moran.
In the afternoon, locals made their way down to the river to wash clothes or bathe.
At night, generators were fired up to provide four hours of electricity.
After that, the noise stopped to make way for jungle sounds.
A decade after they were first contacted, the Matis were already the "stars of exotic reports" by US, Japanese, French and British journalists, according to the CTI.
Foreigners were captivated by their body art and accessories: ears pierced with huge ornaments, fine rods passing through noses and lips, face tattoos and bodies draped in jewellery.
But Kata Matis complained that "many people wanted to go to the village ... filming without our authorization, without our understanding, and then they took the material" without sharing it.
To prevent a repeat, the Matis began writing their own history in 2017.
Living 'with two worlds'
Since arriving in San Martin, Dame Betxun Matis, 27, has not put down his camera.
He took part in producing the "Matis tattoo festival" documentary that won the jury prize at the Kurumin indigenous cinema festival in 2021.
The film demonstrates the tradition of marking the face, a practice abandoned by young people who faced discrimination in cities.
Kata Matis convinced the community to resume the tradition and filmed as some 90 young people underwent the ritual.
On the Matis' last night in San Martin, hundreds of locals crammed the maloca to watch the Tikunas' short films.
After much laughter, applause and shared masato, Kata Matis reflected on the place of indigenous people in modern nation states.
"We don't live between two worlds, we live with two worlds," he said. — AFP
By Omair Alavi KARACHIThere are two kinds of theatre plays popular in Pakistan, those that make you aware of your surroundings and those that make you go hysterical. Stage Nomad Production’s Meri Shadi Meri Marzi does both, as it uses relatable situations as the plot, and makes you laugh out loud with its mesmerizing characters, interesting situations, and pop culture references that never go old. Once you enter the theatre, there is no going back because whatever is going on stage keeps you glued to your seats, making you wonder how things will end for the lead couple.
The Plot
In a traditional middle-class household, a retired Shujaat lives with his immediate family – elder mother, daughter, and sister – but can do nothing at home without the approval of his eldest brother Babloo Bhai who sends them money regularly from abroad.
When Shujaat’s only daughter Pakeeza (Wafa Sohail) falls in love with their tenant Imtiaz, everyone seems to be happy, until another brother Wasif arrives with his and his elder brother’s kids. What happens next results in hilarious situations after one of the kids of the financier also falls in love with Pakeeza and uses the entire household to help him in his quest to finally become a groom.
The Good
Meri Shadi Meri Marzi is the brainchild of Ashar Naeem who must be commended for writing something that is fresh, relatable, and original. The way he has scripted the comedy play from our surroundings and kept it non-vulgar is appreciable. What he did was create characters that we usually see around us and put them in situations
from which it’s very hard to escape. Each and every character – from Pakeeza, Imtiaz, Mama Rashid, Bobby, Guddu, Maham, Ghazanfar, and Shakeela – represents an important part of our daily lives and takes the audience on a fun ride they will never forget.
Everything from Izza Waseem’s set design to music and lighting is in tune with Faheem Azam’s direction; the way a flashback was executed on stage was mighty impressive considering the director used his brains instead of following traditional steps. The play wouldn’t have been possible without social media which unknowingly helped the writer and the director, big time. They got inspired by all the memes, catchphrases, and one-liners available online, mixed them together, and threw them on a stage, in the form of a comedy play and let the actors do the rest. Not only does their execution make
the audience go hysterical, but it also doesn’t let the audience move away from their seats for its entire duration.
After incorporating some of the famous catchphrases from our national leaders including Ghabrana Nahi Hai, and Main Nahi Manta, the writer lets the characters carry the play which they do well. Although it was Wafa Sohail’s first play as an actress, she doesn’t let anyone realize that she is a newbie and carries the play on her own shoulders. Zohair
Zubair’s Imtiaz comes out as her knight in shining armour as does his own mama Rashid (Noman Rauf) who pleads his case when the need arises. However, it is Adnan Aziz’s Guddu who plays the sweet antagonist but has the best lines, the best catchphrases, and the best expressions making him the darling of the crowd for the play’s entire duration.
Sabiha Zia as Dadi, Usama Saleem, and Asadullah
Chattha as her sons Shujaat and Wasif and Areej Hussain as daughter Shakeela can be found in every household because while one of them is indecisive all the time, the other is always with a plan, and the mother and the sister go with the one who can afford them. The next generation comprising Usman Hidayat, Eshah Shakeel, and Haris Khan also make their presence felt, as do Arzu Javed and Husnain Falak in very important cameos.
The Bad
First of all, the play revolved more around the antagonist than the protagonist, who seemed to slip away from time to time, for no reason. Secondly, the duration of the play was past 120 minutes, which is too much even for a feature film these days, let alone a stage play. If the writer Ashar Naeem and director Faheem Azam are able to cut the play down to somewhere between 90 and 105 minutes, it might help both the performers and the audience. Also, the dance sequences also broke the tempo of the story, which would have done well without it. Although the makeup by Simi YJ and the costumes by Tahir were spot on and fitted the cast perfectly, there were a few malfunctions where a couple of actors were dressed in their night suits during a festive occasion. Also, at times when the audience burst into laughter, the actors continued delivering their dialogues which made some of the people in the audience (the ones at the back) miss a few dialogues.
The Verdict 3/5
This may be Stage Nomad Productions’ eighth commercial play, but it’s their first since Covid-19. After a four-day and six-show run at the Pakistan Arts Council in Karachi, they plan to return with Meri Shadi Meri Marzi at New Year’s, hoping to cross 150 performances across Pakistan’s major cities. The soft launch was, however, quite impressive and if they manage to cut down the duration to less than two hours, and fix a handful of glitches, they might do well when it goes to cities like Karachi, Islamabad, Lahore, Multan, Faisalabad, and Peshawar in the next quarter.
The characters are as good as written in gold, and are quite relatable, and with these two qualities combined, the result is always destructive, in a hilariously constructive way. None of the actors left their characters despite the play being more than two hours long, and for that, the director Faheem Azam must be commended. The producers hope to take the play abroad as well, after Ramadan, and if they make minor adjustments here and there, who knows they might go international in a big way.
Indigenous people of different nations, ethnicities and languages are learning the art of filmmaking in Colombia's Amazon jungle to tell their own stories, rather than let outsiders do itTikuna and Matis indigenous people film a community work day in one of the community orchard known as "chagra" in San Martin de Amacayacu, Colombia, on October 14, 2022. In the bowels of the Colombian Amazon jungle, indigenous people of different languages, countries and ethnic groups discovered in the cinema a common language to narrate their own story far from the foreign gaze. In San Martin de Amacayacu, the Matis people of Brazil and the Tikuna people of Colombia met for the first time. It was a seven-day journey through torrential rivers and impossible roads.
Meri Shadi, Meri Marzi, the latest play presented by Stage Nomad Production, mixes humour, wit, and pop culture references so well that it makes you laugh your head offBy Eric Randolph PARIS
Colm Forde,
co-founderof Britain's Doc'n Roll film festival, knows what makes a good music documentary.
"75 minutes!" he said with a laugh.
Given the thousands of hours of musicrelated content flooding streaming services, he is only half-joking.
Barely a single famous pop-star has not received the high-profile doc treatment in the last few years.
From David Bowie to Taylor Swift, Nina Simone to Beyonce, Kurt Cobain to Olivia Rodrigo -- they have become reliable weaponry in the contest for eyeballs among streamers.
For Forde, whose festival champions "outliers and weirdos" in the world of music documentaries, many of these big label-sponsored films are just "recycling crap to boost their own back catalogues".
He focuses on innovative films that explore little-known political moments, such as "Rudeboy: The Story of Trojan Records" about Jamaican immigrant culture in 1960s Britain, or "The Rumba Kings" on the unexpected way that Cuban music influenced Congo's fight for independence. But he's happy to admit even the big boys have moved beyond the simple talking heads and bland self-promotion of old. He would like them to keep it short,
By Omair Alavi KARACHIShe may have retired from films as an actress but the ‘Helen effect’ that changed the Indian film industry for the better hasn’t died down despite the passage of time. Her ascent from a dancing girl to an award-winning actress proves that talent is all you need to succeed, and Bollywood dancing girl turned actress Helen had loads of it. Author Jerry Pinto’s book Helen – The Life and Times of a Bollywood H-bomb tells you all there is to know about the girl who carried the vamp torch in Bollywood for multiple decades and seduced multiple generations onscreen, without losing her popularity.
The first question that comes to mind after reading the name Helen is – is that her original name or one for the stage? According to the author, Helen’s name is as original as the French and Spanish-Burmese connection she brought to the Indian film industry.
He discusses her journey from a youngster who lost her stepfather in the Second World War and escaped Burma (now Myanmar) to avoid the Japanese occupation with her mother, to her entry into the film industry of India in the first few chapters, captivating the readers in the pure filmi style.
He then discusses Helen’s rise in the film world, which had more to do with her talent and less to do with her genes. She wasn’t the first actress of foreign origin to make it big in India, nor was she the most glamorous in the era of divas, yet she managed to make a name for herself through her dancing skills and ability to engage the audience.
According to this book, Helen became so popular as a dancing actress that when she was on top of her game, she brought in audiences who used to leave as soon as they knew Helen wouldn’t return to the screen, such was her popularity.
