DUBAI: Scotland’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe this week presented a Yemeni play titled “Saber Came to Tea” to give visitors a taste of the Middle East.
The short play, based on a true story, follows a young couple who stand against the constraining social norms of their families and risk their lives to be together.
The play, which features musical and multimedia elements, is by award-winning Yemeni artist Shatha Altowai and her composer husband Saber Bamatraf.
The couple worked with Palestinian poet Ghazi Hussein and writer and director Robert Rae on the narrative.
Edinburgh Festival Fringe kicked off on Aug. 5 and will run until Aug. 29.
This year’s event returned in full capacity after it was canceled in 2020 and was reduced in size in 2021.
DUBAI: British Afghani Pakistan multi-disciplinary artist Osman Yousefzada has unveiled a series of installations titled “What is Seen and What is Not” at London’s Victoria & Albert Museum.
Running until Sept. 25, the artworks respond to Pakistan's 75th Independence Day and explore themes of displacement, movement and migration.
The site-specific works created by Yousefzada, who is also a world-famous fashion designer, bring together textiles, wrapped objects and a seating installation.
“It’s a great honor to be commissioned to reflect on the 75 years of Pakistan’s independence,” said the artist in a released statement. “‘What is Seen and What is Not’ offers a portrait of contemporary Pakistan, through a British diasporic lens as it attempts to reel away from colonial subjugation.”
LOS ANGELES: The stylized action romp “Bullet Train,” starring Brad Pitt, earned $62.5 million worldwide over its opening weekend, according to studio estimates this week, with Saudi Arabia earning a spot on the overseas play ranking.
The film racked up $32.4 million at the international box office and $30.1 million on the domestic charts.
Overseas play was led by the UK with a $3.5 million start, followed by France at $3.1 million, Mexico delivering $3 million, Australia rolling to $2.2 million and Saudi Arabia clocking $1.9 million.
The UAE ranked sixth, delivering $1.3 million.
The “Bullet Train” debut for Sony Pictures was solid but unspectacular for a movie that cost $90 million to make and was propelled by Pitt’s substantial star power. Even if it holds well in coming weeks, movie theaters have no major studio releases on the horizon for the rest of August, and few sure things to look forward to in early fall.
The movie trailer and a message from Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny, who stars in the film as the Wolf, were displayed on the world’s tallest building, Burj Khalifa, this week to elevate the anticipation of the movie-goers for the film.
DUBAI: From US Egyptian jewelry maker Jacquie Aiche to Lebanese eyewear maven Karen Wazen, celebrities from around the world are turning to Arab designers to accessorize their summer looks.
US actress Vanessa Hudgens recently shared a picture of herself wearing a ring designed by Aiche. The “High School Musical” star championed the brand’s double pyramid triangle ring in smoky topaz.
Hudgens’ summery look featured a vintage Versace tie dye mini dress and a midsize Queen Nefertiti necklace in yellow gold designed by jewelry label FoundRae.
A post shared by Vanessa Hudgens (@vanessahudgens)
Another one of Aiche’s loyal clients is Canadian supermodel and former “America’s Next Top Model” contestant Winnie Harlow.
The star was spotted flaunting one of the brand’s turquoise beaded necklaces.
Earlier this week, Brazilian supermodel Alessandra Ambrosio stepped out wearing Aiche’s pave diamond Small Mama necklace that retails at $5,750.
On her Malibu stroll, the catwalk star wore a linen jumpsuit which she paired with a cotton bandeau top. Later that evening, she posed for pictures in an oversized suit by The Mannei, a brand founded by Polish-Jordanian stylist and model Sara Boruc Mannei.
A post shared by Alessandra Ambrosio (@alessandraambrosio)
In a previous interview with Arab News, Aiche said that to her, jewelry is “everything” — it is much more than just adornment. “It speaks to the soul. It is a form of self-expression, a way of deep healing and a talisman of personal meaning,” she explained.
Aiche, who launched her eponymous label from her garage in 2008, amassed an impressive celebrity client list that includes Hailey Bieber, Usher, Rihanna, Jada Pinkett Smith and Blake Lively.
“I have such a strong, beautiful tribe, who have all sort of organically found and gravitated towards my designs. I love that about life, the unknown and the unexpected,” she said.
A post shared by Karen Wazen Eyewear (@bykarenwazen)
Meanwhile, Lebanese eyewear designer Karen Wazen also had her moment in the spotlight this week with a number of international celebrities stepping out in her shades.
Real estate broker and breakout star of Netflix’s popular “Selling Sunset” reality show Christine Quinn wore Wazen’s Pam reflective glasses in gold.
A post shared by Karen Wazen Eyewear (@bykarenwazen)
Meanwhile, US content creator Chriselle Lim, who has more than 1.4 million followers on Instagram, wore the Jen shades in brown.
LONDON: When details began to emerge of the daring rescue of a Thai football team from flooded caves in Tham Luang Nang Non, it seemed only a matter of time before Hollywood swooped in to buff the real-life drama with the polish of a big-budget movie adaptation. Happily, “Thirteen Lives” is more than a shameless cash in. Director Ron Howard treads carefully, telling the story of a truly monumental international rescue effort which eventually expanded to include more than 10,000 people. Rather than attempting to only superficially capture that sense of scale, however, Howard focuses in on a few crucial players — the British dive team who first located the boys, the small group who planned and orchestrated the rescue of the 12 young players and their coach, the local governor tasked with bringing everybody home, the Thai engineer working with locals to divert the floodwaters, and the Thai Navy SEALs who spearheaded the initial response.
For the most part, this focused approach works well. Viggo Mortensen and Colin Farrell (questionable English accents aside) are excellent as divers Richard Stanton and John Volanthen, as are co-stars Joel Edgerton (as Australian Richard Harris) and Sahajak Boonthanakit as Governor Narongsak. Though the famous faces inevitably get the lion’s share of the screentime, Howard does his best to tell more than just the tale of the Western saviors – taking a few beats to flesh out characters such as the parents of the boys, local farmers and the frustrated SEALs.
In order to do so, Howard also had to be a little ruthless with his 150 minutes — so there is no mention of Elon Musk’s contentious contributions to the rescue effort, and no time to find out much about any of the innumerous supporting volunteers. Instead, “Thirteen Lives” is a tense, taut drama, claustrophobically shot and scored. It’s perhaps impossible to accurately recreate the sheer terror that must have gripped the rescuers and rescued alike, but Howard goes some way towards acknowledging their magnificence.
LONDON: A film dubbed the “Muslim version of ‘Home Alone’” is set to appear in UK cinemas in aid of international charity Penny Appeal’s campaign on behalf of orphans.
The critically acclaimed “Super Hijabi,” which stars a Muslim girl wearing a hijab, will be screened in five British cities — London, Bradford, Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow — from Aug. 19-29.
“Super Hijabi” is based around a 10-year-old girl tech genius whose parents who are on the brink of divorce. After thieves steal the family safe, she uses her skills to track down the bad guys and reclaim the family’s belongings before financial stress forces her parents to call it quits, Penny Appeal said in a statement.
The charity described the film as a “Muslim version of ‘Home Alone’,” and said the production “is revolutionary to the world of Muslim-inspired movies.”
Poet and performer Boonaa Mohammed and stand-up comedian and actor Omar Regan head the film’s cast.
Penny Appeal founder Adeem Younis said: “We are very proud to present a film made by Muslims and distributed by Muslims.”
Younis said that the screenings will raise money for the charity’s OrphanKind projects, which provide vulnerable orphans around the world with basic necessities, including school uniforms, clothing and books.