Alana Hadid, the older half-sister of models Bella and Gigi, is joining the newly launched Watermelon Pictures as creative director.
Described as a Palestinian-owned independent film distribution, production and financing company, it will focus on “cultural representation and social advocacy” as well as aim to amplify the voices of underrepresented directors around the world.
“Our goal is to provide a safe haven for excluded voices striving for creative resistance,” said Hadid. “Through our film releases, we aim to educate and inspire audiences worldwide to stand up against injustice.”
A company statement added: “The Watermelon Pictures brand embodies the vibrancy and resilience of Palestinian culture, symbolised by the iconic fruit that shares its colours with the Palestinian flag."
Watermelon Pictures' debut film will be a documentary called Walled Off, directed by Vin Arfuso. It focuses on The Walled Off Hotel, a Palestinian-managed boutique in Bethlehem that is financed and designed by street artist Banksy. Through its narrative, the documentary delves into the daily realities of the Palestinian residents and highlights the importance of creative resistance as a form of protest.
The movie is co-produced by Hadid’s brother, American-Palestinian model and musician Anwar Hadid, Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters – whose political views, including those on Israel, have stoked controversy in recent years – and Kweku Mandela, grandson of former South African president Nelson Mandela.
The film will be released in select theatres and digital platforms on May 3.
Who is Alana Hadid?
Alana is one of two daughters from Mohamed Hadid’s first marriage to Mary Butler. She was born in July 1985 in Washington DC, and is known for being a great supporter of her half-siblings Bella, Gigi and Anwar, as well as her older sister Marielle.
She is a fashion designer and co-owner of an eyewear store. Alana also made her runway debut last year at Copenhagen Fashion Week by opening the Saks Potts show.
MORE ON TURKEY'S SYRIA OFFENCE
FIGHT%20CARD
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Company%20profile
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Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
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THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
What is blockchain?
Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.
However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
Company info
Company name: Entrupy
Co-founders: Vidyuth Srinivasan, co-founder/chief executive, Ashlesh Sharma, co-founder/chief technology officer, Lakshmi Subramanian, co-founder/chief scientist
Based: New York, New York
Sector/About: Entrupy is a hardware-enabled SaaS company whose mission is to protect businesses, borders and consumers from transactions involving counterfeit goods.
Initial investment/Investors: Entrupy secured a $2.6m Series A funding round in 2017. The round was led by Tokyo-based Digital Garage and Daiwa Securities Group's jointly established venture arm, DG Lab Fund I Investment Limited Partnership, along with Zach Coelius.
Total customers: Entrupy’s customers include hundreds of secondary resellers, marketplaces and other retail organisations around the world. They are also testing with shipping companies as well as customs agencies to stop fake items from reaching the market in the first place.
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