The Blue Caftan, Hanging Gardens and Ashkal were among the big winners of the seventh Critics Awards for Arab Films. The annual ceremony has been held on the sidelines of the Cannes Film Festival since 2015. It is organised by Mad Solutions in partnership with the IEFTA and the Arab Cinema Center.
Hanging Gardens won the award for best film. Directed by Iraqi filmmaker Ahmed Yassin Aldaradji, it tells the story of a 12-year-old boy in Baghdad who, while scavenging a landfill for metal and plastic he can sell with his brother, comes across a human-sized doll, presumably left behind by US soldiers.
The boy, Asaad, who names the doll Salwa, decides to keep it and care for it. He bathes the doll and tries to keep it from prying eyes – from both children his own age and fundamentalist groups.
Adam Bessa won the best actor prize for his performance in Harka. The French-Tunisian actor portrays a street vendor, who is driven into bitter isolation and hopelessness as he is sidelined by the Tunisian system. Bessa has been a film festival favourite for his performance, having earned prizes at Cannes Film Festival and the Red Sea Film Festival last year.
The best actress prize was awarded to Lubna Azabal for her performance in The Blue Caftan. The film was Morocco’s entry in the 2023 Oscars shortlist for the International Feature Film award. It tells the story of a couple who run a caftan store in the medina of Sale. Their lives are upended with the arrival of their handsome new apprentice.
The film was directed by Maryam Touzani who, along with her co-writer Nabil Ayouch, was awarded the best screenplay prize at the Critics Awards for Arab Films. The film’s cinematographer Virginie Surdej was also awarded the best cinematography prize for her role in the film.
Tunisian filmmaker Youssef Chebbi received the best director prize for Ashkal. The film follows an investigation around the death of a caretaker, whose burnt remains are found in the middle of a construction site in the gardens of Carthage – an area where new buildings are juxtaposed with abandoned sites and wastelands. Valentin Feron also received the best editing prize for his work in Ashkal.
Foragers by Palestinian filmmaker Jumana Manna won the award for best documentary. The film revolves around the practice of foraging for wild edible plants in Palestine and the effect that Israeli nature laws have had on the age-old custom.
The film, which moves between fiction, documentary and archival footage, was named the special mention winner of the Harrell Award for Best Documentary Feature at last year's Camden International Film Festival. Manna also won the Green Dox award at Dokufest International Documentary and Short Film Festival in August.
French-Tunisian composer Amine Bouhafa was awarded the prize for best music at the Critics Awards for Arab Films for his work on Under the Fig Tree. Directed by Erige Sehiri, the film follows a group of men and women who develop relationships with each other while working the summer harvest.
This year, the international jury panel, which encompassed 193 film critics from 72 countries, evaluated the nominated films using the Festival Scope digital platform – a partner of the Arab Cinema Centre.
The Centre has also launched an English-language Arab Cinema Guide, available on its website. The resource is a comprehensive cinematic guide that provides tools presented collectively for the first time, offering information on Arab cinema to filmmakers inside and outside the Arab world. It also aims to facilitate filmmakers' access to international markets and help film industry representatives easily identify Arab film productions.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
if you go
The flights
Air Astana flies direct from Dubai to Almaty from Dh2,440 per person return, and to Astana (via Almaty) from Dh2,930 return, both including taxes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Ritz-Carlton Almaty cost from Dh1,944 per night including taxes; and in Astana the new Ritz-Carlton Astana (www.marriott) costs from Dh1,325; alternatively, the new St Regis Astana costs from Dh1,458 per night including taxes.
When to visit
March-May and September-November
Visas
Citizens of many countries, including the UAE do not need a visa to enter Kazakhstan for up to 30 days. Contact the nearest Kazakhstan embassy or consulate.
Match info
Manchester United 1
Fred (18')
Wolves 1
Moutinho (53')
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Ticket prices
- Golden circle - Dh995
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Babumoshai Bandookbaaz
Director: Kushan Nandy
Starring: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Bidita Bag, Jatin Goswami
Three stars
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
PROVISIONAL FIXTURE LIST
Premier League
Wednesday, June 17 (Kick-offs uae times) Aston Villa v Sheffield United 9pm; Manchester City v Arsenal 11pm
Friday, June 19 Norwich v Southampton 9pm; Tottenham v Manchester United 11pm
Saturday, June 20 Watford v Leicester 3.30pm; Brighton v Arsenal 6pm; West Ham v Wolves 8.30pm; Bournemouth v Crystal Palace 10.45pm
Sunday, June 21 Newcastle v Sheffield United 2pm; Aston Villa v Chelsea 7.30pm; Everton v Liverpool 10pm
Monday, June 22 Manchester City v Burnley 11pm (Sky)
Tuesday, June 23 Southampton v Arsenal 9pm; Tottenham v West Ham 11.15pm
Wednesday, June 24 Manchester United v Sheffield United 9pm; Newcastle v Aston Villa 9pm; Norwich v Everton 9pm; Liverpool v Crystal Palace 11.15pm
Thursday, June 25 Burnley v Watford 9pm; Leicester v Brighton 9pm; Chelsea v Manchester City 11.15pm; Wolves v Bournemouth 11.15pm
Sunday June 28 Aston Villa vs Wolves 3pm; Watford vs Southampton 7.30pm
Monday June 29 Crystal Palace vs Burnley 11pm
Tuesday June 30 Brighton vs Manchester United 9pm; Sheffield United vs Tottenham 11.15pm
Wednesday July 1 Bournemouth vs Newcastle 9pm; Everton vs Leicester 9pm; West Ham vs Chelsea 11.15pm
Thursday July 2 Arsenal vs Norwich 9pm; Manchester City vs Liverpool 11.15pm
UAE%20v%20West%20Indies
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Like a Fading Shadow
Antonio Muñoz Molina
Translated from the Spanish by Camilo A. Ramirez
Tuskar Rock Press (pp. 310)
JOKE'S%20ON%20YOU
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The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable
Amitav Ghosh, University of Chicago Press
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Leaderboard
64 - Gavin Green (MAL), Graeme McDowell (NIR)
65 - Henrik Stenson (SWE), Sebastian Soderberg (SWE), Adri Arnaus (ESP), Victor Perez (FRA), Jhonattan Vegas (VEN)
66 - Phil Mickelson (USA), Tom Lewis (ENG), Andy Sullivan (ENG), Ross Fisher (ENG), Aaron Rai (ENG), Ryan Fox (NZL)
67 - Dustin Johnson (USA), Sebastian Garcia Rodriguez (ESP), Lucas Herbert (AUS), Francesco Laporta (ITA), Joost Luiten (NED), Soren Kjeldsen (DEN), Marcus Kinhult (SWE)
68 - Alexander Bjork (SWE), Matthieu Pavon (FRA), Adrian Meronk (POL), David Howell (ENG), Christiaan Bezuidenhout (RSA), Fabrizio Zanotti (PAR), Sean Crocker (USA), Scott Hend (AUS), Justin Harding (RSA), Jazz Janewattananond (THA), Shubhankar Sharma (IND), Renato Paratore (ITA)
Punchy appearance
Roars of support buoyed Mr Johnson in an extremely confident and combative appearance
FULL%20FIGHT%20CARD
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