Films from Lebanon, Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, Palestine and Iraq have been entered into the Best International Film category for next year's Oscars.
Originally called Best Foreign Language Film, the category dates back to 1947 and was renamed Best International Film in 2020. The first Oscar nearly 80 years ago went to Italy’s Shoeshine directed by Vittorio De Sica, while this year's winner was The Zone of Interest from the UK, directed by Jonathan Glazer.
More than 86 films have been submitted so far from around the world, according to Deadline.
Here are the entries from Lebanon, Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, Palestine and Iraq hoping to make the final shortlist for the 2025 Academy Awards.
Arze (Lebanon)
Lebanon's entry is Arze, a film directed by Mira Shaib about a mother who accompanies her son across Beirut to retrieve his stolen scooter. The film stars Diamand Abou Abboud as the mother, Arze, which means cedar tree, the symbol of Lebanon.
The film was written and produced by Louay Khraish and Faissal Sam Shaib and was among the first recipients of the Red Sea Film Festival Foundation Production Fund. The film's production started in 2019 but faced turbulence due to protests in Lebanon and was halted altogether due to the pandemic. Production continued in 2022 despite difficulties arising from the country facing a financial crisis.
Arze had its premiere at last year's Cairo International Film Festival before being screened at the Beijing International Film Festival and Tribeca Festival this year.
Flight 404 (Egypt)
Flight 404 is primarily a thriller, with actor Mona Zaki doing most of the heavy lifting. Directed by Hani Khalifa, Zaki stars in the film as Ghada, a young woman who is set to travel to Makkah to perform the Hajj pilgrimage. Ghada faces financial setbacks days before she is set to take off and must deal with unsavoury characters from her past in order to make her flight. The first Egyptian film to shoot scenes in Saudi Arabia, it screened in cinemas across the Arab world in January, making more than $3 million in ticket sales. Flight 404 can now be watched on Shahid Plus.
Everybody Loves Touda (Morocco)
French-Moroccan director Nabil Ayouch’s film screened at the most recent Cannes Festival and received positive reviews. It stars Nisrin Erradi as the titular Touda, a single mother who is a Sheikha, or a traditional Moroccan singer. The film follows as she performs in the bars of her small town in the hope of making it to Casablanca to become a famous singer. In his review for The National, James Mottram described the film as a “euphoric watch, driven by Erradi, who handles the emotional heft of the film as competently as she manages the musical numbers”.
Algiers (Algeria)
Chakib Taleb-Bendiab’s debut feature follows the kidnapping of a little girl in the Algerian capital, Algiers. The event brings together a psychiatrist and a police inspector as they work together to solve the crime and bring the child home. Algiers stars Meriem Medjkane, Nabil Asli and Hichem Mesbah and was filmed on the streets of the Algerian capital. Algiers will hope to replicate the success of Algerian political thriller Z, the first Arab film to win the Oscar in 1970.
From Ground Zero (Palestine)
A collection of 22 short films by Gazan filmmakers make up From Ground Zero. These films, led by Palestinian filmmaker Rashid Masharawi, first screened at this year’s Amman International Film Festival. The project was initially expected to be shown at the Cannes Festival but was then pulled. Masharawi then led a protest screening in the French resort town with no official backing from Cannes.
The stories presented in From Ground Zero vary across a spectrum of emotions, ranging from resilience and tragedy to hope and finding joy in unlikely places. They also incorporate unexpected elements, including animation, puppetry and stop-motion. One of the shorts, titled Recycling, shows how people have to make do with scarce resources. The film, directed by Rabab Khamis, revolves around a mother, who utilises a single bucket of water to hydrate her children, bathe them, clean the floors of their house and do the laundry.
Baghdad Messi (Iraq)
Filmmaker Sahim Omar Kalifa has adapted his short film of the same name from 2012 into a feature film that follows the story of a child who lost his leg during the US invasion of Iraq. The child’s dreams of playing football are not perturbed, though, despite needing the use of crutches, and he continues to enjoy the game with his friends.
The feature film’s production was supported by Belgium, with the screenplay written by Kobe Van Steenberghe, who also produced the film alongside Hendrik Verthe. Baghdad Messi screened at several film festivals, including the Ostend Film Festival in Belgium and Shanghai International Film Festival in China.
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Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
Shooting Ghosts: A U.S. Marine, a Combat Photographer, and Their Journey Back from War by Thomas J. Brennan and Finbarr O’Reilly
Essentials
The flights
Whether you trek after mountain gorillas in Rwanda, Uganda or the Congo, the most convenient international airport is in Rwanda’s capital city, Kigali. There are direct flights from Dubai a couple of days a week with RwandAir. Otherwise, an indirect route is available via Nairobi with Kenya Airways. Flydubai flies to Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, via Entebbe in Uganda. Expect to pay from US$350 (Dh1,286) return, including taxes.
The tours
Superb ape-watching tours that take in all three gorilla countries mentioned above are run by Natural World Safaris. In September, the company will be operating a unique Ugandan ape safari guided by well-known primatologist Ben Garrod.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, local operator Kivu Travel can organise pretty much any kind of safari throughout the Virunga National Park and elsewhere in eastern Congo.
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
SPEC SHEET
Display: 10.4-inch IPS LCD, 400 nits, toughened glass
CPU: Unisoc T610; Mali G52 GPU
Memory: 4GB
Storage: 64GB, up to 512GB microSD
Camera: 8MP rear, 5MP front
Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, USB-C, 3.5mm audio
Battery: 8200mAh, up to 10 hours video
Platform: Android 11
Audio: Stereo speakers, 2 mics
Durability: IP52
Biometrics: Face unlock
Price: Dh849
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
Cricket World Cup League 2 Fixtures
Saturday March 5, UAE v Oman, ICC Academy (all matches start at 9.30am)
Sunday March 6, Oman v Namibia, ICC Academy
Tuesday March 8, UAE v Namibia, ICC Academy
Wednesday March 9, UAE v Oman, ICC Academy
Friday March 11, Oman v Namibia, Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Saturday March 12, UAE v Namibia, Sharjah Cricket Stadium
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza (captain), Chirag Suri, Muhammad Waseem, CP Rizwan, Vriitya Aravind, Asif Khan, Basil Hameed, Rohan Mustafa, Kashif Daud, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Karthik Meiyappan, Akif Raja, Rahul Bhatia
Seven tips from Emirates NBD
1. Never respond to e-mails, calls or messages asking for account, card or internet banking details
2. Never store a card PIN (personal identification number) in your mobile or in your wallet
3. Ensure online shopping websites are secure and verified before providing card details
4. Change passwords periodically as a precautionary measure
5. Never share authentication data such as passwords, card PINs and OTPs (one-time passwords) with third parties
6. Track bank notifications regarding transaction discrepancies
7. Report lost or stolen debit and credit cards immediately
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
PROFILE OF INVYGO
Started: 2018
Founders: Eslam Hussein and Pulkit Ganjoo
Based: Dubai
Sector: Transport
Size: 9 employees
Investment: $1,275,000
Investors: Class 5 Global, Equitrust, Gulf Islamic Investments, Kairos K50 and William Zeqiri
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma
When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
HOW TO WATCH
Facebook: TheNationalNews
Twitter: @thenationalnews
Instagram: @thenationalnews.com
TikTok: @thenationalnews
LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Astroworld
Travis Scott
Grand Hustle/Epic/Cactus Jack
Andor
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House-hunting
Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove
- Edinburgh, Scotland
- Westminster, London
- Camden, London
- Glasgow, Scotland
- Islington, London
- Kensington and Chelsea, London
- Highlands, Scotland
- Argyll and Bute, Scotland
- Fife, Scotland
- Tower Hamlets, London
Analysis
Maros Sefcovic is juggling multiple international trade agreement files, but his message was clear when he spoke to The National on Wednesday.
The EU-UAE bilateral trade deal will be finalised soon, he said. It is in everyone’s interests to do so. Both sides want to move quickly and are in alignment. He said the UAE is a very important partner for the EU. It’s full speed ahead - and with some lofty ambitions - on the road to a free trade agreement.
We also talked about US-EU tariffs. He answered that both sides need to talk more and more often, but he is prepared to defend Europe's position and said diplomacy should be a guiding principle through the current moment.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
How Alia's experiment will help humans get to Mars
Alia’s winning experiment examined how genes might change under the stresses caused by being in space, such as cosmic radiation and microgravity.
Her samples were placed in a machine on board the International Space Station. called a miniPCR thermal cycler, which can copy DNA multiple times.
After the samples were examined on return to Earth, scientists were able to successfully detect changes caused by being in space in the way DNA transmits instructions through proteins and other molecules in living organisms.
Although Alia’s samples were taken from nematode worms, the results have much bigger long term applications, especially for human space flight and long term missions, such as to Mars.
It also means that the first DNA experiments using human genomes can now be carried out on the ISS.
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Get Out
Director: Jordan Peele
Stars: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Catherine Keener, Bradley Whitford
Four stars
The Intruder
Director: Deon Taylor
Starring: Dennis Quaid, Michael Ealy, Meagan Good
One star
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More coverage from the Future Forum
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
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