Al Sidr Environmental Film Festival is returning this year as a two-day programme at NYU Abu Dhabi, presenting a selection of feature narratives, documentaries and short films that emphasise the importance of water in attaining environmental sustainability.
Taking place in the run-up to Cop28, the festival is presenting four feature films as well as several shorts that aim to provide novel, intimate perspectives of the human relationship with the environment. It is being held on Sunday and Monday at The Arts Center at NYUAD, in collaboration with the university as well as the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi. The event is free to attend.
“Cop is about policies and clear steps to change the world. We need to do [them] and they’re urgent,” the festival’s artistic director Nezar Andary says. “But a film festival is creating the awareness, sensibility, emotional landscapes that makes change even more possible.”
Andary says he selected water as a theme after attending a talk at Expo 2020 Dubai, in which one of the speakers underscored that “water is climate change, and climate change is water.”
“I wanted something that’s culturally communicative,” Andary says. “All religions make it sacred. Dirty water is a sign of evil. There are all these metaphors and culture. In film, too, there are all these metaphors of water that have been used by different directors.”
Among the featured films is Everyday Life in a Syrian Village by acclaimed director Omar Amiralay. The 1976 documentary, which won the Interfilm award at the Berlin International Film Festival, is a scathing account of the agricultural and land reforms carried out by the Syrian government. The film was, Andary says, “ahead of its time” and puts a “question mark on building these dams in Syria. It’s also [full of] metaphors of what happens when there’s no water.”
Another highlight is Whispers of Fire and Water by Lubdhak Chatterjee. The 2023 film was nominated for the Golden Leopard at the Locarno International Film Festival. It follows an audio installation artist who visits the largest coal mine in Eastern India. He soon faces a landscape of depleting resources that is embroiled in a complicated sociopolitical system.
“It’s an amazing fiction film,” Andary says.
The First Days by French filmmaker and ethnologist Stephane Breton will also be screening. The documentary came as a result of Breton’s visit to Chile, where the landscape of stone and ocean inspired him. The film aims to evoke a instinctual appreciation for nature and its might.
Films by Arab filmmakers are a strong focus of the festival, particularly when it comes to its short offerings. Drowning Fish by Egyptian documentarian Amir El-Shenawy tells the story of one of the last fishermen in Qarun Lake. The 67-year-old is from the Shakshouk village, where fishing is a vital source of income. The lake, however, has succumbed to issues of pollution and many young fishermen moved to coastal cities across Egypt as a result. The older population, meanwhile, recall lusher memories of the lake.
The Land by Moe Sabbah, meanwhile, examines the Bisri village protests when the Lebanese government revealed plans to build a dangerous dam leading up to the valley. Farmers and shepherds express their fears of losing the land, with which they had developed a cherished relationship. The film highlights the geological dangers of the dam, and the impact its construction would have had. The film draws to a close as the World Bank pulled funding from the dam project, showing how community activism can have marked effects on policy.
The festival is also presenting a selection of minute-long films from two specialised programmes in the Middle East. These include children’s films from Rural Encounters on Environment and Film and others from Dibeen Lab, an initiative founded by director Mahmoud Massad dedicated to training aspiring filmmakers in Jordan.
“They're a way to celebrate and to introduce to the audience different ideas that can maybe be done in UAE in the future,” Andary says. “The one in Lebanon, for instance, combines watching films with hiking and music. It’s a three-day event where people stay in a village in the north of Lebanon at the border with Syria.”
Along with the films, Al Sidr Environmental Film Festival will also host talks that revolve around the event’s theme. Environmentalist Rasha Saleh, founder of the Enta Green initiative, will present a talk on water and activism. Mahmoud Dawoud, a water expert from the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi, will speak on strategies of using water for the future.
More information is available at nyuad-artscenter.org
AIDA%20RETURNS
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MATCH INFO
Manchester United 1 (Fernandes pen 2') Tottenham Hotspur 6 (Ndombele 4', Son 7' & 37' Kane (30' & pen 79, Aurier 51')
Man of the match Son Heung-min (Tottenham)
Company Profile
Company name: OneOrder
Started: October 2021
Founders: Tamer Amer and Karim Maurice
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Industry: technology, logistics
Investors: A15 and self-funded
THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick
Hometown: Cologne, Germany
Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)
Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes
Favourite hobby: Football
Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk
How to get exposure to gold
Although you can buy gold easily on the Dubai markets, the problem with buying physical bars, coins or jewellery is that you then have storage, security and insurance issues.
A far easier option is to invest in a low-cost exchange traded fund (ETF) that invests in the precious metal instead, for example, ETFS Physical Gold (PHAU) and iShares Physical Gold (SGLN) both track physical gold. The VanEck Vectors Gold Miners ETF invests directly in mining companies.
Alternatively, BlackRock Gold & General seeks to achieve long-term capital growth primarily through an actively managed portfolio of gold mining, commodity and precious-metal related shares. Its largest portfolio holdings include gold miners Newcrest Mining, Barrick Gold Corp, Agnico Eagle Mines and the NewMont Goldcorp.
Brave investors could take on the added risk of buying individual gold mining stocks, many of which have performed wonderfully well lately.
London-listed Centamin is up more than 70 per cent in just three months, although in a sign of its volatility, it is down 5 per cent on two years ago. Trans-Siberian Gold, listed on London's alternative investment market (AIM) for small stocks, has seen its share price almost quadruple from 34p to 124p over the same period, but do not assume this kind of runaway growth can continue for long
However, buying individual equities like these is highly risky, as their share prices can crash just as quickly, which isn't what what you want from a supposedly safe haven.
Kat Wightman's tips on how to create zones in large spaces
- Area carpets or rugs are the easiest way to segregate spaces while also unifying them.
- Lighting can help define areas. Try pendant lighting over dining tables, and side and floor lamps in living areas.
- Keep the colour palette the same in a room, but combine different tones and textures in different zone. A common accent colour dotted throughout the space brings it together.
- Don’t be afraid to use furniture to break up the space. For example, if you have a sofa placed in the middle of the room, a console unit behind it will give good punctuation.
- Use a considered collection of prints and artworks that work together to form a cohesive journey.
Juliot Vinolia’s checklist for adopting alternate-day fasting
- Don’t do it more than once in three days
- Don’t go under 700 calories on fasting days
- Ensure there is sufficient water intake, as the body can go in dehydration mode
- Ensure there is enough roughage (fibre) in the food on fasting days as well
- Do not binge on processed or fatty foods on non-fasting days
- Complement fasting with plant-based foods, fruits, vegetables, seafood. Cut out processed meats and processed carbohydrates
- Manage your sleep
- People with existing gastric or mental health issues should avoid fasting
- Do not fast for prolonged periods without supervision by a qualified expert
Kanye%20West
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Recycle Reuse Repurpose
New central waste facility on site at expo Dubai South area to handle estimated 173 tonne of waste generated daily by millions of visitors
Recyclables such as plastic, paper, glass will be collected from bins on the expo site and taken to the new expo Central Waste Facility on site
Organic waste will be processed at the new onsite Central Waste Facility, treated and converted into compost to be re-used to green the expo area
Of 173 tonnes of waste daily, an estimated 39 per cent will be recyclables, 48 per cent organic waste and 13 per cent general waste.
About 147 tonnes will be recycled and converted to new products at another existing facility in Ras Al Khor
Recycling at Ras Al Khor unit:
Plastic items to be converted to plastic bags and recycled
Paper pulp moulded products such as cup carriers, egg trays, seed pots, and food packaging trays
Glass waste into bowls, lights, candle holders, serving trays and coasters
Aim is for 85 per cent of waste from the site to be diverted from landfill
Essentials
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct from the UAE to Delhi from about Dh950 return including taxes.
The hotels
Double rooms at Tijara Fort-Palace cost from 6,670 rupees (Dh377), including breakfast.
Doubles at Fort Bishangarh cost from 29,030 rupees (Dh1,641), including breakfast. Doubles at Narendra Bhawan cost from 15,360 rupees (Dh869). Doubles at Chanoud Garh cost from 19,840 rupees (Dh1,122), full board. Doubles at Fort Begu cost from 10,000 rupees (Dh565), including breakfast.
The tours
Amar Grover travelled with Wild Frontiers. A tailor-made, nine-day itinerary via New Delhi, with one night in Tijara and two nights in each of the remaining properties, including car/driver, costs from £1,445 (Dh6,968) per person.
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
Where to submit a sample
Volunteers of all ages can submit DNA samples at centres across Abu Dhabi, including: Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec), Biogenix Labs in Masdar City, NMC Royal Hospital in Khalifa City, NMC Royal Medical Centre, Abu Dhabi, NMC Royal Women's Hospital, Bareen International Hospital, Al Towayya in Al Ain, NMC Specialty Hospital, Al Ain
Why does a queen bee feast only on royal jelly?
Some facts about bees:
The queen bee eats only royal jelly, an extraordinary food created by worker bees so she lives much longer
The life cycle of a worker bee is from 40-60 days
A queen bee lives for 3-5 years
This allows her to lay millions of eggs and allows the continuity of the bee colony
About 20,000 honey bees and one queen populate each hive
Honey is packed with vital vitamins, minerals, enzymes, water and anti-oxidants.
Apart from honey, five other products are royal jelly, the special food bees feed their queen
Pollen is their protein source, a super food that is nutritious, rich in amino acids
Beewax is used to construct the combs. Due to its anti-fungal, anti-bacterial elements, it is used in skin treatments
Propolis, a resin-like material produced by bees is used to make hives. It has natural antibiotic qualities so works to sterilize hive, protects from disease, keeps their home free from germs. Also used to treat sores, infection, warts
Bee venom is used by bees to protect themselves. Has anti-inflammatory properties, sometimes used to relieve conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, nerve and muscle pain
Honey, royal jelly, pollen have health enhancing qualities
The other three products are used for therapeutic purposes
Is beekeeping dangerous?
As long as you deal with bees gently, you will be safe, says Mohammed Al Najeh, who has worked with bees since he was a boy.
“The biggest mistake people make is they panic when they see a bee. They are small but smart creatures. If you move your hand quickly to hit the bees, this is an aggressive action and bees will defend themselves. They can sense the adrenalin in our body. But if we are calm, they are move away.”
