When he looked to the future, Grayson Hart always saw a college degree. He was a good student at a good high school. He wanted to be an actor, or maybe a teacher. Growing up, he believed college was the only route to a good job, stability and a happy life. The pandemic changed his…
Oscars’ Race: Clock Ticks as Film Buffs Binge on Nominees
A film buff from Oklahoma City, Elyssa Mann has scant time to waste, needing to cross just four more movies off her Oscars binge list before Sunday’s Academy Awards broadcast: Two animated films, one for cinematography and another for costume design. In the San Francisco Bay Area, Steve Tornello has just one left — the…
John Williams: Hollywood’s Maestro Goes for More Oscars History
From “Star Wars” to “Jaws” to “Schindler’s List,” John Williams has written many of the most instantly recognizable scores in cinema history. The 91-year-old is already the oldest person to receive an Oscar nomination for a competitive award, which he earned thanks to his spare yet poignant compositions for Steven Spielberg’s “The Fabelmans.” With 53…
Ukrainian Art Exhibition Opens in LA; Aims To Raise Money To Build Children’s Hospital
An exhibition of Ukrainian traditional clothing and unique art pieces opened in Los Angeles to support Ukrainian artists. The goals are twofold, help the artists but also help children in Ukraine. Khrystyna Shvchenko has the story. …
Heat Takes Toll as Iditarod Mushers Trek Across Alaska
Mushers and their dogs in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race face plenty of variables in the Alaska wilderness. An unexpected one this year has been heat that is taking a toll in a sport better suited for temperatures well below zero. Jason Mackey said a thermometer hanging from the back of his sled hit…
Robert Blake, Emmy-Winning Actor Acquitted in Wife’s Killing, Dies at 89
Robert Blake, the Emmy award-winning performer who went from acclaim for his acting to notoriety when he was tried and acquitted in the killing of his wife, died Thursday at age 89. A statement released on behalf of his niece, Noreen Austin, said Blake died from heart disease, surrounded by family at home in Los…
Burkina Faso Film Festival Highlights Security Threats
The security crisis in Burkina Faso has impacted every aspect of society, including its film industry. The 28th edition of the Pan-African Film & TV Festival of Ouagadougou, or FESPACO, which ended earlier this month , reflected this difficult situation both on and off screen. Reporters Yacouba Ouedraogo and Thierry Kaore have this story,…
California Desert Draws Artists from Bangladesh and Mexico
California’s desert is drawing artists from Bangladesh and from Mexico to the Coachella Valley for an unusual exhibition called Desert X. For VOA, Genia Dulot went to see. …
Gender Equity in Focus on International Women’s Day
Wednesday is International Women’s Day with a theme this year focusing on the need for gender equity. The annual observance, which dates to 1911 and fights for women’s rights, is a day for people everywhere to celebrate the achievements of women across society. The United Nations is putting the focus of its International Women’s Day…
In Indian Kashmir, Women Work for Survival of Traditional Music
When entrepreneur Sana Bhatt decided to set up a studio, she hardly knew if people would appreciate her efforts to revive traditional music on the Indian side of Kashmir. Prior to the launch of the studio, the 24-year-old approached many local artists to sing songs on a set that that appeared similar to that of…
Arts Festival Targets Youth Unemployment
Young artists everywhere struggle to earn a living but that’s especially true in South Africa, where youth unemployment is more than 43 percent. The International Public Art Festival is trying to help bridge that gap by connecting young artists with companies seeking creative marketing. Vicky Stark reports from Cape Town, South Africa. …
Fleeing Russia: Exiled Artist’s Work Traces Soviet Roots of Ukraine Invasion
Several hundred thousand Russian citizens are thought to have fled their home country since February of last year, when the Kremlin launched its invasion of Ukraine. While no official figures exist, some estimates put the figure at close to one million people. The exodus includes Russian citizens seeking to avoid mandated military service, as well…
Anticipation Builds for Hollywood’s Highest Honor: Oscars
All eyes will be on Hollywood Sunday when the Academy Awards, or Oscars, will honor the best in filmmaking. From Los Angeles, Mike O’Sullivan has a preview. …
Fleeing Russia: Exiled Artist Traces Soviet Roots of Ukraine Invasion
Several hundred thousand Russian citizens are thought to have fled their home country since February 2022, when the Kremlin launched the invasion of Ukraine. Critics of the war face imprisonment for “discrediting” the Russian military. Henry Ridgwell spoke to a Russian artist who has found sanctuary in London, and whose latest work addresses the war…
Ivory Coast Project Aims to Raise Awareness of a Traditional Instrument
In 2012, UNESCO, the U.N. body tasked with promoting arts and culture, identified the traditional xylophone known as the balafon as an important part of humanity’s cultural heritage. Today, in Ivory Coast, informal workshops with students are underway to promote the instrument and highlight its African origins. Alain Amontchi looks at this unique instrument in…
Ohtani, Star-Studded US Eye World Baseball Classic Crown
The battle to find baseball’s global champions gets under way this week when the pandemic-delayed World Baseball Classic returns after a six-year absence with Shohei Ohtani hoping to inspire Japan to a record third title. Teams from 20 countries are participating in the fifth edition of the tournament, with the four first round groups hosted…
‘Creed III’ Debuts to $58.7 Million
“Creed III” punched above its weight at the domestic box office in its first weekend in theaters. The MGM release knocked “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” out of first place and far surpassed both industry expectations and the opening weekends of the first two movies in the franchise. Playing in 4,007 locations in North America,…
Despite War, Ukrainian Women Continue Knitting for Top Designer Brands
Oscar de la Renta, Calvin Klein, Alexandra Alonso Rojas and many others produce their collections with hand-knitted products made by Ukrainian women. It’s been a year since Russia invaded Ukraine, but despite the war, Ukrainian women continue to work. Nina Vishneva has the story, narrated by Anna Rice. VOA footage by Vladimir Badikov, Natalia Latukhina. …
War, Anger Cloud Ukrainian Athletes’ Path to Paris Olympics
Ukrainian diver Stanislav Oliferchyk proudly bears the name of his late grandfather, who died in brutalized Mariupol. Russia’s troops turned the Ukrainian port city into a killing zone in the process of capturing it. The elder Stanislav could no longer get the cancer treatment he needed in the ruins, his grandson says. He was 74…
Ancient Restaurant Highlights Iraq’s Archeology Renaissance
An international archeological mission has uncovered the remnants of what is believed to be a 5,000-year-old restaurant or tavern in the ancient city of Lagash in southern Iraq. The discovery of the ancient dining hall — complete with a rudimentary refrigeration system, hundreds of roughly made clay bowls and the fossilized remains of an overcooked…
Archaeologists Find Well-Preserved 500-Year-Old Spices on Baltic Shipwreck
Archaeologists say they have uncovered a “unique” cache of well-preserved spices, from strands of saffron to peppercorns and ginger, on the wreck of a royal ship that sank off Sweden’s Baltic coast more than 500 years ago. The wreck of the Gribshund, owned by King Hans of Denmark and Norway, has lain off the coast…
Tom Sizemore, ‘Saving Private Ryan’ Actor, Dies at 61
Tom Sizemore, the “Saving Private Ryan” actor whose bright 1990s star burned out under the weight of his own domestic violence and drug convictions, died Friday at age 61. The actor had suffered a brain aneurysm on Feb. 18 at his home in Los Angeles. He died in his sleep Friday at a hospital in…