Egyptian short film vying for Cannes’ Palme d’Or

It is the only Arab film to be selected to compete for the prestigious prize. Supplied
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Updated 20 June 2020
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Egyptian short film vying for Cannes’ Palme d’Or

DUBAI: Congratulations are in order for Egyptian director Sameh Alaa whose short film “I Am Afraid to Forget Your Face” has been selected among 10 other shorts in competition for the Short Film Palme d’Or at Cannes. 

The film is up against “Blue Fear” by Marie Jacotey and Lola Halifa-Legrand, the Evi Kalogiropoulou-directed “Motorway65,” “Sudden Light” from Sophie Littman, “Son of Sodom” by Theo Montaya, Paul Nouhet’s “Camille, Contactless” and “Benjamin, Benny, Ben” from Paul Shkordoff, among others.

The 11 shorts were selected from a total of 3,810 films from 137 different countries, the festival announced on its website.

“Happy to announce that our new short film ‘I Am Afraid to Forget Your Face’ will have its world premiere at the 73rd Festival de Cannes, as part of the Short Films Competition,” Alaa wrote on his Instagram account.

Starring Seif Eldin Hemida and Nourhan Ali Abdelazez, the 15-minute film tells the story of a man who travels down a rough road after two months of seperation in hopes of a reunion. It is the only Arab film to be selected to compete for the prestigious prize. 

The short-film competition is scheduled to take place at the 73rd edition of the Cannes Film Festival in fall. 


Lindsay Lohan steps out in Dubai

Updated 17 January 2026
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Lindsay Lohan steps out in Dubai

DUBAI: Dubai-based Hollywood star Lindsay Lohan was spotted in the city this week alongside her husband, Kuwaiti financier Bader Shammas, as the couple stepped out in coordinated black looks.

Lohan was wearing a sleek black long-sleeved mini dress with a high neckline and softly draped silhouette, featuring gathered ruching across the skirt with a tie detail at the waist. She paired the look with pointed black heels and kept her accessories minimal, opting for delicate earrings and a statement ring from Italian fine jewelry label Bijouq.

The couple were attending the opening of Japanese restaurant Nobu’s new outpost at One Za’abeel.

Lohan has been based in Dubai for more than 10 years, where she has built a quieter, more private life away from Hollywood.

She married Shammas in 2022, and the couple welcomed their first child, a son named Luai, in 2023.

The actress has since continued to balance family life in the UAE with her acting career, including her recent return to film and television projects.

Lohan most recently starred in “Freakier Friday,” the Disney sequel to “Freaky Friday,” which was released in August 2025 and marked her return to theatrical film acting alongside Jamie Lee Curtis.

It follows another body-swap chaos — this time across generations. Lohan and Lee Curtis return as Anna and Tess, but the story expands to include Anna’s own daughter, creating a multi-generational switch that complicates family dynamics even further.

The film explores motherhood, identity and how perspectives change as roles reverse again.

Lohan is also set to star in and executive-produce the Hulu limited series “Count My Lies,” an adaptation of Sophie Stava’s novel that is currently in development and marks one of her first major television roles.

She will play Violet Lockhart alongside co-lead Shailene Woodley, who stars as Sloane Caraway, a compulsive liar whose small deceptions land her a job as a nanny for the seemingly perfect Lockhart family. Kit Harington has also joined the cast in a leading role.

 

As Sloane becomes increasingly entangled in Violet and her husband Jay’s world, hidden secrets begin to unravel, revealing dangerous truths beneath the family’s polished exterior. The series does not yet have an official release date.