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Celebrities who rang in 2019 in Dubai

Celebrities who rang in 2019 in Dubai. (Shutterstock)
Updated 01 January 2019
Arab News
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Celebrities who rang in 2019 in Dubai

Updated 01 January 2019
Arab News

DUBAI: Bollywood actress Jacqueline Fernandez partied in Dubai on New Year’s Eve, sharing pictures from the celebrations on her Instagram. “So blessed to ring in this 2019 with my famfam,” the Sri Lankan beauty wrote.

The actress, who was born and raised in Bahrain, is in the UAE on a four-day visit with her family. She visited the Harvey Nichols store in Mall of the Emirates on Dec. 30, inviting fans to meet her there and tagging the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) in her post.

Fernandez posted an image of herself and her family members with shopping bags, captioning it: “@dsfsocial you sure know how to spoil us!! Love from my famfam!!!”
She also shared a short clip of an impromptu dance performance at the hotel she was staying in – the Emerald Palace Kempinski Dubai on the Palm Jumeirah — writing: “This is saying goodbye to you 2018!!!! Love you so much for everything you taught us!! Will never forget you; time to dance ahead into the future!!”

Fernandez will be visiting the UAE again for a concert with actor Salman Khan on Mar. 15.
“Dabangg: The Tour — Reloaded,” which will be held at Dubai Festival City, also stars Katrina Kaif, Sonakshi Sinha, Prabhu Deva, Manish Paul, Daisy Shah, Guru Randhawa and others.
Meanwhile, former Irish model and businesswoman Pippa O’Connor and husband Brian Ormond were also in Dubai for New Year’s Eve. The TV presenter shared photos of her vacation with a series of snaps on Instagram.

“A different type of NYE for us… feeling so grateful to end such a memorable year here… with everyone I need by my side,” O’Connor wrote alongside photos of her New Year celebrations with her husband and two boys at Anantara The Palm Dubai Resort. Dressed in a blue sequinned dress, the Irish beauty seemed to revel in her family time.
Footballer Cristiano Ronaldo was also in Dubai for New Year’s Eve, witnessing its magnificent firework show with fiancée Georgina Rodriguez and son Cristiano Junior and posting the picture on his Instagram. Rodriquez also documented her stay for her 8.5 million Instagram followers, posting images of a boat trip the family took off the Dubai coast.



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Happy New Year!

A post shared by Cristiano Ronaldo (@cristiano) on

Ronaldo is in the UAE for the Globe Soccer Awards at Madinat Jumeirah on Thursday, where he has been nominated for the Best Player Award.
Another celebrity in the UAE for the holiday was English model Ferne McCann. The former reality TV star, who was holidaying with her daughter Sunday Sky in the Middle East, flaunted her washboard abs in a yellow bikini on the beach. She also posted images of her New Year’s Eve party from Dubai’s Le Royal Meridien Beach Resort & Spa on Instagram.

“So happy to be away this year to welcome in 2019. I have had a lovely year 2018 I will never ever forget. My baby girl turned 1 & I have so many special memories made,” she wrote.

Topics: celebrities New Years Dubai

Saudi filmmakers showcase their upcoming short films in Cannes   

Updated 39 min 31 sec ago
Hams Saleh
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Saudi filmmakers showcase their upcoming short films in Cannes   

Updated 39 min 31 sec ago
Hams Saleh

DUBAI: Saudi filmmakers Hana Alfasi, Maram Taibah, and sister duo Raneem and Dana Almohandes showcased snippets of their upcoming short films — which are being created as part of the ‘AlUla Creates: Film Program’ platform — to a select audience of industry professionals this week at the Saudi pavilion during the 77th Cannes Film Festival.

Alfasi, director of “When the Shelves Hymn,” told Arab News: “It’s a great opportunity to have industry professionals attend a screening of a scene from our new short film.

Raneem and Dana Almohandes. (AN/ Ammar Abd Rabbo)

“We hope this film will find its way to A-list festivals, gaining the spotlight it deserves through screenings like the one we’re having today,” she added.

Alfasi hopes that the screening will connect her and her team with more professionals as she prepares to direct a feature film, for which she will need additional financial funding and support.

Taibah’s “Malika” is a short fantasy film about a young girl who goes on an adventure to find her dying grandmother’s lost crown, only to discover unexpected parts of herself, the filmmaker said. 

Maram Taiba (L). (AN/ Ammar Abd Rabbo)

“I’m very proud of what we made. It was such a delightful process to work with such talented visionaries starting from my producer, cinematographer, and casting director to the postproduction team,” Taibah said.

Taibah believes that Saudi Arabia has many untold stories. 

“Each filmmaker in Saudi is showing one piece of the tapestry and mine shows the magical side of our culture and the treasured relationships we have with our grannies,” she said. “I hope to share the magic of the film and raise anticipation for the completed piece here in Cannes.”

The Almohandes sisters felt “honored” to showcase their movie “Mosquito” to industry experts. 

“Since the beginning of our careers, we always looked forward to showing our films at Cannes and here we are and we’re extremely grateful to the AlUla Creates program for making this happen,” they said. 

The sisters just wrapped up the post-production phase of their animated film, which is about an ambitious mosquito who wants to become the Umm Kulthum of the mosquito world, and she goes on a journey to make her dream come true.

Raneem and Dana have big dreams themselves.

“Our dream is to show our stories and share our voices with international audiences,” they said. 

“It’s just the beginning with this short film and we aim to have the first Saudi musical here at Cannes very soon.” 

Topics: Cannes Film Festival

Speakers, headliners pull out of UK’s Great Escape festival over Gaza

Updated 21 May 2024
Arab News
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Speakers, headliners pull out of UK’s Great Escape festival over Gaza

Updated 21 May 2024
Arab News

DUBAI: Keynote speakers and headliners scheduled to take part in the UK’s annual Great Escape music festival in Brighton refused to appear at this year’s event due to the war in Gaza.  

According to The Guardian, numerous acts withdrew due to a pro-Palestinian boycott targeting the event’s sponsorship by Barclays Bank. Campaigners allege that Barclays has increased its investments in arms companies that trade with Israel.

Bands Boycott Barclays (BBB), the organization spearheading the campaign, asserted that the bank was engaged in “laundering its reputation” through its association with the music festival, a claim that Barclays refutes.

A BBB spokesperson told the BBC that 163 acts, four showcases and two venues had pulled out of the festival.

The Great Escape is an annual music festival held in Brighton, showcasing emerging artists from around the world. It features hundreds of performances across various venues, along with industry panels and networking opportunities.

It is the event that has been key in launching the careers of artists such as Stormzy, AlunaGeorge, Fat White Family and Anna Calvi.

Topics: Great Escape

‘Material Woman’ exhibition in London creates synergy of Arab women’s fashion and art

Updated 21 May 2024
Tamara Turki
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‘Material Woman’ exhibition in London creates synergy of Arab women’s fashion and art

  • Curation tells a “story about how women use their hands to craft their destinies,” Shoucair says
Updated 21 May 2024
Tamara Turki

LONDON: The worlds of fashion and art from Arab female creatives converged this week at the “Material Woman” exhibition in London.

The exhibition, held from May 17 to May 19 at Soho Revue, is the brainchild of the art collective Hayaty Diaries, in collaboration with the fashion platform and pop-up series 3eib.

"The Warmth of My Bed" (2023) and "Thulathia" (2024) by Lebanese artist Yasmina Hilal. (Supplied)

Featuring an eclectic mix of sculptural art, mixed media, projection installations, fashion and jewelry, the exhibition explored craftsmanship and materiality.

“Each element came together to tell a cohesive and beautiful story about how women use their hands to craft their destinies and honor their heritages through both creative worlds of art and fashion,” Lebanese curator and Hayaty Diaries co-founder, Christina Shoucair, told Arab News. 

The curatorial process began with the pairing of artists and designers, creating a harmony between the works. 

"Communion" (2023) and "Wound" (2023) by Bahraini artist Zayn Qahtani

Bahraini artist Zayn Qahtani’s shrine-like objects, featuring delicate ethereal drawings on date paper, explore themes of venerative mourning. These are paired alongside a series of rustic sculptures and draped garments by Egyptian designer Nadine Mos.

Lebanese artist Yasmina Hilal’s photo sculptures, which incorporate her distinctivve metalwork and soldering technique, are complemented by a curated display of contemporary silver and gold accessories by Celine Dagher, a Lebanese jewelry designer.

Meanwhile, Egyptian artist Hanya Elghamry examines the process of remembering by graphically recreating various details and narratives in her installation “Abandoned Projection.” Set as a backdrop against her floating “Tampered Redux” series, along with Moroccan designer Hanan Sharifa’s mesh and delicate dresses, the space offers visitors an immersive experience.

Garments designed by Nadine Mos on display at "Material Woman" in London. (Jules Foad)

“Christina and Kinzy presented the vision for The Material Woman and I loved the idea of blending the worlds of fashion and art together and utilizing the theme of materiality as a vehicle of creative empowerment and liberation,” 3eib founder, Dania Arafeh, told Arab News. 

Hayaty Diaries, which focuses on celebrating the artwork of Arab women, marked its debut last December with its inaugural exhibition, “Through Their Eyes: Perspectives Unveiled,” in the British capital. 

“Our Hayaty Diaries journey has been incredible. We’ve had the privilege of meeting many creatives from the region and have felt the warmth and support of the community. We are immensely grateful for all the encouragement we have received along the way,” Egyptian-Saudi curator and Hayaty Diaries cofounder Kinzy Diab told Arab News.

The London-based collective is now preparing for its exhibition “Levitate,” which will run from June 6 to June 16 and center around themes of fantasy and imagination.
 

Topics: London art exhibition

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Hoor Al-Qasimi appointed artistic director of the Biennale of Sydney

Updated 18 May 2024
Arab News
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Hoor Al-Qasimi appointed artistic director of the Biennale of Sydney

Updated 18 May 2024
Arab News

DUBAI: The Biennale of Sydney announced this week that Emirati creative Hoor Al-Qasimi will become its artistic director for 2026.

The 25th edition of the biennale will run from March 7 to June 8.

Since its inception in 1973, the biennale has grown to become one of the longest-running exhibitions of its kind and was the first biennale established in the Asia-Pacific region.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by IBA (@biennialassociation)

Al-Qasimi created the Sharjah Art Foundation in 2009 and is currently its president and director. Throughout her career, she acquired extensive experience in curating international biennials, including the second Lahore Biennale in 2020 and the UAE Pavilion at the 56th Venice Biennale in 2015.

In 2003, she co-curated the sixth edition of Sharjah Biennial and has remained the director of the event since.

Al-Qasimi has been president of the International Biennial Association since 2017 and is also president of the Africa Institute. She has previously served as a board member for MoMA PS1 in New York and the UCCA Center for Contemporary Art in Beijing, among other roles.

She is also the artistic director of the sixth Aichi Triennale, scheduled to take place in Japan in 2025.

Topics: Hoor Al-Qasimi Biennale of Sydney

Saudi pop star Mishaal Tamer feels ‘honored and grateful’ ahead of sold-out London gig

Updated 17 May 2024
Zaynab Khojji
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Saudi pop star Mishaal Tamer feels ‘honored and grateful’ ahead of sold-out London gig

  • Singer tells Arab News his fans in the city have a special place in his heart but he owes his success to people all over the world who have embraced his music
  • He says his debut album, “Home is Changing,” out in October, is a tribute to the changes and reforms that have swept through the Kingdom in recent years
Updated 17 May 2024
Zaynab Khojji

LONDON: Saudi singer Mishaal Tamer said he feels honored to be performing his first headline show outside Saudi Arabia in London and is grateful to his fans there for their support.

Speaking to Arab News ahead of his sold-out gig on Friday at Camden Assembly, a live music venue and nightclub in Chalk Farm, Tamer said his fans in London will always have a special place in his heart.

“The people attending the show in London have been with me from before the starting line and I really appreciate that,” he said of the 220 people who will attend the event. “I will love those people forever and they will be in my heart forever.”

Tamer also thanked his fans in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere in the world, saying he owes his success as an independent artist to them.

“The kids that are back home and the ones abroad that have found me have been supporting me,” he said. “This would be impossible without them. I am grateful to the fans for listening to the music and sharing it.

He told how he was approached by two fans in a restaurant after arriving in the UK, which helped him realize how his profile was growing.

“One of them was Saudi, the other wasn’t,” Tamer said. “When I looked at that, it made me realize that not only was this bigger than I expected for me, as an artist, but that what we’re doing is bigger than me.”

His debut album, “Home is Changing,” is due for release in October and he said it is a tribute to the changes and reforms that swept through the Kingdom in recent years.

“There are so many opportunities that keep popping up, so many cool new things,” he added. “People have the freedom and creativity to make the world around them and the environment around them, to shape it into what they see in their heads.

“It feels almost like every other country is decaying whereas the Kingdom is growing and that feeling makes me proud.”

The evolution of Saudi Arabia “sets an example of always being hopeful for the future and having a positive attitude,” Tamer said. “And I think the optimism that we have right now in the Kingdom is a beautiful thing.”

Topics: Mishaal Tamer

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