Saudi director Aymen Khoja discusses his latest movie ‘Il Signore’ 

(From left) Aymen Khoja, actors Bayoumi Fouad and Yasir Alsaggaf, and Mahmoud Mirza from production house Muvi Studios. (Supplied)
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Updated 09 August 2024
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Saudi director Aymen Khoja discusses his latest movie ‘Il Signore’ 

  • ‘We care about building a sustainable industry,’ says Aymen Khoja 

RIYADH: When Saudi film director and producer Aymen Khoja started his own company, AK Pictures, two years ago, most of his pitches were rejected by investors. Half-jokingly, he told his business partner that he wished he was a foreigner. “If my hair was blond and my eyes were blue, they would’ve accepted at least five of these projects,” he tells Arab News that he said. “And then I looked at him, like, ‘Oh. This could be an idea.’” 

It was. And now that idea has become “Il Signore,” Khoja’s latest film as director, currently showing in cinemas across the GCC.  

“Il Signore” is, Khoja says, “a light comedy” about a Saudi architect called Salem, who has been working hard to earn a promotion. But on the day he comes to the office expecting to be told that he has been successful in his endeavours, he learns that he is being fired instead, because a Westerner working in the company “put in a word” that Salem wasn’t needed anymore.  




Saudi film director and producer Aymen Khoja has his own company, AK Pictures. (Supplied)

Salem searches for a new senior-level job, but most of the positions he applies for are taken by expats. Desperate, Salem decides to adopt a fake identity — an Italian called Paolo.  

“That’s the fun journey you’ll see in the first 20 or 30 minutes of the film, until he becomes the Italian guy,” says Khoja. “And then his life changes. He gets the Porsche, he gets the high salary, and he gets the lifestyle that he wanted to have as a Saudi. But he doesn’t have it as a Saudi, he has it as an Italian. And then he faces this identity problem. And he has to decide if he can confess to his family or not. 

“It’s so different from any other Saudi film,” Khoja continues. “It’s timely. I think it’s very important to discuss these challenges. I don’t want to call this a problem; it’s a challenge that we see around us. We’re not saying Westerners or experts coming from outside, are not adding value. No. They are adding value. At the same time, we’re saying Saudis deserve a chance. And how can we find the right balance between learning from the people coming from outside with experience, and also giving an opportunity to the locals?” 




A still from 'Il Signore.' (Supplied)

The film has “nothing to do with politics,” Khoja is quick to stress. “It’s purely comedy. When we made this film, we thought of three things: We wanted to entertain people, we wanted to touch people, and we wanted to fulfill people. We never thought about politics. We’re discussing this issue from a comedic point of view. And the takeaway is just that I think there are some locals that deserve a chance.” 

Finding an actor who could portray Salem/Paolo was also a challenge, Khoja says. “The reason why I picked Yasir (Alsaggaf) to act this role is I needed an actor that, when people look at him, they believe that he’s Italian, but they also believe he’s Saudi. That was really hard, but that’s why we cast Yasir.” 

“Il Signore” also features Egyptian A-lister Bayoumi Fouad as Paolo’s boss. “The great thing about Bayoumi is, he can play the comedic and the serious at the same time, so you never know, like, ‘Is he serious? Is he joking?’ We needed someone like him to play this part. And you can see that chemistry between Yasir and Bayoumi. It’s there.” 




A still from 'Il Signore.' (Supplied)

Khoja practiced what he’s preaching in terms of giving Saudis a chance when he was putting his crew together. He estimates it was a roughly even split between Saudis and non-Saudis. “We had people from Tunisia, from Egypt, the UAE. We did the United Arab nation,” he says with a laugh. “But I would say more than 50 percent were Saudi.”  

Clearly, he’s keen to support Saudi’s blossoming film industry. But he’s also eager to ensure that it is approached as a business, with the need to turn a profit.  

“Il Signore,” Khoja says, is a “high-quality, very low” budget film shot over just 18 days, following two months of preparation. 
“If you make movies that cost, say, two or three million dollars, how are you going to bring profits from the box office?” he says. “The risk is so high. You don’t need a lot of money. It’s about the stories, the characters… it’s about the idea. Honestly, I asked for this (low) budget specifically. We did this to help stabilize the market. This is a statement, because if we keep spending money to make films that don’t make money, then this industry will not survive. The support of the government isn’t going to last forever. We need the private sector to understand how to make movies within a budget that actually brings in profits so we can build a sustainable industry. That’s the goal. We could have pitched this film for three million dollars, but we chose this budget because now we only need around 50,000 admissions to break even. And our projection is about 250,000 admissions. 

“You know, we care about what we do. And we care about building a sustainable industry. It’s such a great industry. You can impact people’s lives,” he continues. “That’s why I love movies. People might be sad, they watch a film, they’re happy, you know? And that’s why I believe in what I’m doing. I like making films because it changes people.” 

Ultimately, Khoja wants to see not just his own movies flourishing, but the entire Saudi film industry.  

“I want to make movies that travel to the 400 million people that live in the Arab world. And I want to help other filmmakers (do that too),” he says. “I want Saudi films to fly.” 


Saudi artist Obaid AlSafi shortlisted for 2024 Sigg Art Prize

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Saudi artist Obaid AlSafi shortlisted for 2024 Sigg Art Prize

DUBAI: Saudi artist Obaid AlSafi has been shortlisted for the Sigg Art Prize organized by Saudi Arabia-based curator Pierre Sigg, with the winner set to be announced on Oct. 10 during a ceremony at Asprey Studio in London. 
The award aims to redefine the boundaries of artistic creation through the integration of Artificial Intelligence and this year’s theme is “Future Desert.”
 AlSafi studied computer science but discovered his passion was art. After realizing he could blend the two disciplines together, AlSafi’s work evolved into a hybrid of art, photography and graphic design.
“As an artist who merges digital knowledge with contemporary art, I felt this prize was a perfect fit for my practice,” he told Arab News. 
 The creative said his proposal for this prize “challenges the contrast between perception and reality by questioning the concept of emptiness.
“Often perceived as a barren void, the desert, my birthplace, conceals a spiritual richness that far exceeds its arid appearance,” he explained via email. 
“By merging code and creativity, we aim to reveal the latent richness of this ancient landscape, inviting viewers to contemplate a profound question: Is emptiness merely a mirage, masking the boundless depths of existence waiting to be discovered?”
 Relying on AI to create art presents many challenges, AlSafi noted. 
“It redefines our understanding of creativity, authorship, and the human experience. It paves the way for a new realm of artistic exploration, where traditional boundaries are fluid, and the concept of art is constantly evolving,” he said. 
 More than 300 applicants from 70 countries applied for the prize with only seven shortlisted. The winner will be awarded $10,968.
 The seven finalists for the Sigg Art Prize 2024 are Alsafi, Dana-Fiona Armour, Léa Collet, Agnieszka Kurant in collaboration with John Menick, Harrison Pearce, Aaron Scheer, and Sasha Stiles.


Mad for momos: Pakistan’s first dumplings-only café carves a niche

Updated 09 October 2024
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Mad for momos: Pakistan’s first dumplings-only café carves a niche

  • Maria Mushtaq opened first branch of Mariyah’s Den in Karachi in 2021, she now has two more outlets in Pakistan
  • Food critic Ahmer Naqvi says dumplings popular as they “fit into modern life in terms of convenience and fusion”

KARACHI: If by chance you are a lover of dumplings and based in Karachi or Islamabad, then consider this a good time to pay a visit to Mariyah’s Den, Pakistan’s first dumplings-only café.
While Chinese dishes like fried rice, chow mein noodles and chicken manchurian have long been beloved to the Pakistani flavor palate, a taste for dumplings, a globe-spanning culinary trope, has been on the rise in the South Asian city in recent years. This growing taste is what founder and chef Maria Mushtaq was counting on when she started Mariyah’s Den as a delivery service for ready-to-cook frozen dumplings which she made and sold from home in 2020, as people opened up to trying new recipes and dishes during coronavirus lockdowns.
“Then my husband, who is also a partner in this venture, said ‘The way you steam it [dumpling] and the way you make it and serve it in the sauce, it’s very unique, so, you should open a café’,” Mushtaq told Arab News in an interview earlier this month.
The first branch of Mariyah’s Den opened in Karachi in November 2021. Three years later, the cafe has another outlet in Karachi and one in Islamabad as well.
The restaurant serves nine types of dumplings including beef, chicken, lamb, prawn, a combination of prawn and chicken, vegetarian, mushroom and a sweet variety filled with chocolate.
“A lot of people did come up and say, ‘Oh, you’re very brave that you opened a restaurant just on the basis of one dish’,” Mushtaq said. “But I realized that in Karachi, we do have specific places where we go to eat specific foods like nihari and bun kebab so why not dumplings?”
The cafe was a “hit since day one,” the chef added.
“Dumplings as a dish in itself were not that popular a long time ago, but now people do consider that it’s a snack and they like it,” Mushtaq said, explaining that she had tweaked what she thought were the “bland flavors” of Chinese dumplings to Pakistani tastes.
The dumplings at Mariyah’s Den are also served in the sauce, rather than with the sauce of the side.
“Dumplings have been there for a very long time, it’s like a 2000-year-old Chinese dish and dumplings are present in every culture but everyone has adapted it to their own taste and liking,” Mushtaq said. “The Nepalese have their own version, we have mamtus in the mountains [of Pakistan].
Customers also said dumplings were the “perfect comfort food,” filled with both carbohydrates and protein ingredients. Others liked the ease of eating them.
“I think we live in an era of snack foods. Most people like me prefer [dumplings], because it’s instantly available to grab and go,” Mohammad Shams, who was visiting Mariyah’s Den earlier this month, told Arab News.
Ahmer Naqvi, a Pakistani culture and food critic, agreed that dumplings were a comfort food and “very common” across cultures.
“It’s actually one of the oldest and most familiar things going around, like a samosa,” he said, “It is a different dough texture but using the same logic. As a result of globalization, you are seeing a combination of a more Chinese style of the dumplings. It’s more popular now because of the ways it fits into modern life whether in terms of convenience or in terms of fusion.”
Dumplings were also very easy to cook and store, Naqvi added.
For the future, Mushtaq plans to expand her menu but wants to stay true to the cafe’s roots in Chinese flavors.
“We are slowly adding noodles also. So, we have chilly noodles. We have just added a soup bowl, which is noodles with chicken curry,” she said. “I think the genre is just going to be dumplings and we’d just keep on experimenting with that kind of food which is fast, not junk, and it’s very healthy.”


Chinese cinemas to showcase Saudi films for the first time

Updated 08 October 2024
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Chinese cinemas to showcase Saudi films for the first time

  • Special screenings from Oct. 21-26 in Beijing, Shanghai and Suzhou follow similar events in Morocco and Australia

RIYADH: A series of Saudi Film Nights will take place in China, the world’s largest cinema market, for the first time this month to showcase movies from the Kingdom. It follows similar events in Morocco and Australia.

The special screenings, organized by the Saudi Film Commission, will run from Oct. 21-26 in Beijing, Shanghai and Suzhou, before the films go on general release in Chinese theaters. The diverse selection of films includes features and shorts, and the screenings will be accompanied by discussions with filmmakers, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

This initiative reflects the commission’s efforts to develop and grow the Saudi film industry, highlight local talent, and promote cultural exchanges and collaborations.


Palestinian Jordanian designer overcomes hurdles to gain Fashion Trust Arabia nomination

Updated 08 October 2024
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Palestinian Jordanian designer overcomes hurdles to gain Fashion Trust Arabia nomination

  • Sylwia Nazzal in running for Franca Sozzani Debut Talent Award, to be announced on Oct. 24

DUBAI: Qatar’s Fashion Trust Arabia Awards have become something of a powering force in the regional fashion scene, with winning designers often looking back on the grant as the catalyst that shifted their careers up a gear. That is something that this year’s finalists are hoping for, including Palestinian Jordanian designer Sylwia Nazzal, whose story so far is one of overcoming hurdles.

The 23-year-old Parsons Paris graduate is a finalist for the Franca Sozzani Debut Talent Award, alongside Iraqi Mahmood Al-Safi and Lebanese Mira Maktabi.

Look 1. (Supplied)

She may be a fashion scene fledgling, but Nazzal has the sort of confident resilience that would impress even the most steely industry mogul, having faced what she says was heavy pushback over her politically inspired final project, “What Should Have Been Home.”

The collection is a statement on Palestinian strength, according to the designer, who was inspired by archival images of the harsh treatment of children and adults by Israeli armed forces.

Look 2. (Supplied)

“When I was coming up with the name, it came to me because I was sitting with a group of people and they were talking to me about how they want to do their thesis about their home … I’m like, ‘mine is what should have been,’” she said.

Nazzal said she had faced a lack of interest from potential job prospects as well as European fashion awards due to the collection.

Sylwia Nazzal. (Supplied)

“When you open my portfolio, the first thing is my thesis collection, which is called ‘What Should Be Home’ about Palestinian resistance against oppression and then you see the imagery of children being arrested by soldiers. I think immediately people closed the portfolio and sent it back,” she said.

But then she chanced upon Fashion Trust Arabia and its yearly award, the next edition of which will be held in Marrakesh, Morocco in October.

Look 3. (Supplied)

The FTA 2024 Advisory Board selected 18 finalists from applications submitted by emerging talent from across the MENA region, who are competing for six awards: The Ready-to-Wear Award, the Eveningwear Award, the Jewelry Award, the Accessories Award, the Fashion Tech Award and the Franca Sozzani Debut Talent Award.

The board included the likes of British celebrity-loved designer Erdem Moralıoglu, jewelry designer Gaia Repossi and US designer Kelly Wearstler.

The winners will receive a financial grant of $100,000 to $200,000, depending on the size of their business, with $50,000 for the Franca Sozzani Debut Talent Award. Various mentoring and retail opportunities are also available, dependent on the award category.

Sylwia Nazzal's design process. (Supplied)

Nazzal is under consideration for a collection that plays heavily on form and fabric, with textiles chosen for the largely monochromatic collection reflecting the concepts of endurance and resilience, with heavy use of nylon across the pieces.

Meanwhile, silhouettes echo the traditional khimar dress, to recall Islamic attire and traditions. The shapes and materials offer a sense of “otherworldliness,” according to the designer, because: “I’m Palestinian, I’ve only been to Palestine once … I have friends who’ve never been to Palestine but are super-connected to Palestine … some might say it doesn’t exist or it partially exists or it’s no longer Palestine, and yet we all still claim it and so it kind of creates this other world, other universe of where Palestine exists, as it does in the physical, but also in a spiritual sense.”

Sylwia Nazzal's design process. (Supplied)

When it comes to choosing one piece that sums up her collection, Nazzal deliberated before opting for a dress made from 10,000 Palestinian coins.

“I worked with Palestinian refugee women here in Jordan to hand stitch it and it was a lot of effort. That is actually what embodies the collection … (because) there’s this weight, this reflectiveness, this sense of armor, as a spiritual armor … protecting the entity of Palestine.”


Justin Bieber spotted wearing keffiyeh in Los Angeles

Updated 08 October 2024
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Justin Bieber spotted wearing keffiyeh in Los Angeles

DUBAI: Canadian pop sensation Justin Bieber was photographed leaving the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles this weekend, wearing what appeared to be a keffiyeh.

The 30-year-old was photographed with the keffiyeh wrapped around his head while driving his car, sparking a debate online about whether he was inadvertently commenting on the ongoing war in Gaza.

The 30-year-old was photographed with the keffiyeh wrapped around his head while driving his car. (X, previously Twitter)

The pop star has been mostly silent on social media regarding the ongoing conflict, after briefly sharing and deleting a post in support of Israel following the attacks by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023.

Across the world, the chequered head scarf has become an emblem of solidarity with the Palestinian cause, as Israel continues to bombard Gaza, and now Lebanon.