Back in March 2020, South by Southwest (SXSW) was the first major festival to announce its cancellation as the pandemic began to take hold across the globe. But the SXSW is back for 2021, albeit in a different format.
Taking place from Wednesday to Sunday, the film festival is being held almost entirely virtually this year, with films and documentaries streaming across multiple platforms.
As well as film premieres, the festival will host a number of keynote speeches and presentations, hip-hop performances and interactive discussions. There will also be a schedule of comedy performances, and, for those with virtual reality capacities, there will be virtual 360-degree meet-ups.
Here are five films and documentaries to look out for at this year’s SXSW:
‘Introducing, Selma Blair’
This documentary film follows actress Selma Blair on a quest to take control of her personal health and adapt to new ways of living while pursuing a risky medical procedure, after revealing her Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis in 2018. The film, directed by Rachel Fleit will enjoy its world premiere at the festival.
‘Demi Lovato: Dancing with the Devil’
Highly-anticipated YouTube Original documentary Demi Lovato: Dancing with the Devil premieres at this year's SXSW, before making its way online. The powerful documentary, directed by Michael D Ratner, explores every aspect that led to pop star Lovato's near-fatal overdose back in 2018, and details her awakenings in the aftermath.
‘The Lost Sons’
This powerful film, set in 1960s Chicago, follows the story of a baby who is kidnapped from hospital. Fifteen months later, a toddler is abandoned. Could he be the same baby? Full of twists and turns, it’s a tale of two mysteries that begin to unravel and reveal dark family secrets. The film, directed by Ursula Macfarlane and starring Paul Fronczak, will see its world premiere at SXSW.
‘Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America’
American Civil Liberties Union lawyer and podcast host Jeffery Robinson's recorded talk on the history of US anti-black racism is interwoven with archival footage, interviews and Robinson's own story. The lawyer has spent more than 40 years fighting for criminal and racial justice. The talk explores the legacy of white supremacy and the collective responsibility to overcome it and features a number of influential figures, including Chief Egunwale F Amusan of the African Ancestral Society, Tiffany Crutcher, Reverend Robert Turner, and Commissioner Tami Sawyer.
‘Trapped’
This Egyptian film will see its world premiere at SXSW, and is the only Arabic title showing at the festival. Trapped revolves around a number of women from different walks of life whose destinies are tied together – all being under one siege. As the events unfold, their own personal stories reflect a far bigger siege of the restrictions imposed on them by a patriarchal society. Directed by Manal Khaled, the film stars Caroline Khalil, Reem Hegab, Osama Abo El Ata, Ne'ma Mohsen, Mona Mokhtar and Sara'a Jebel.
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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
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
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BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Saturday (UAE kick-off times)
Cologne v Union Berlin (5.30pm)
Fortuna Dusseldorf v Borussia Dortmund (5.30pm)
Hertha Berlin v Eintracht Frankfurt (5.30pm)
Paderborn v Werder Bremen (5.30pm)
Wolfsburg v Freiburg (5.30pm)
Bayern Munich v Borussia Monchengladbach (8.30pm)
Sunday
Mainz v Augsburg (5.30pm)
Schalke v Bayer Leverkusen (8pm)
How to keep control of your emotions
If your investment decisions are being dictated by emotions such as fear, greed, hope, frustration and boredom, it is time for a rethink, Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at online trading platform IG, says.
Greed
Greedy investors trade beyond their means, open more positions than usual or hold on to positions too long to chase an even greater gain. “All too often, they incur a heavy loss and may even wipe out the profit already made.
Tip: Ignore the short-term hype, noise and froth and invest for the long-term plan, based on sound fundamentals.
Fear
The risk of making a loss can cloud decision-making. “This can cause you to close out a position too early, or miss out on a profit by being too afraid to open a trade,” he says.
Tip: Start with a plan, and stick to it. For added security, consider placing stops to reduce any losses and limits to lock in profits.
Hope
While all traders need hope to start trading, excessive optimism can backfire. Too many traders hold on to a losing trade because they believe that it will reverse its trend and become profitable.
Tip: Set realistic goals. Be happy with what you have earned, rather than frustrated by what you could have earned.
Frustration
Traders can get annoyed when the markets have behaved in unexpected ways and generates losses or fails to deliver anticipated gains.
Tip: Accept in advance that asset price movements are completely unpredictable and you will suffer losses at some point. These can be managed, say, by attaching stops and limits to your trades.
Boredom
Too many investors buy and sell because they want something to do. They are trading as entertainment, rather than in the hope of making money. As well as making bad decisions, the extra dealing charges eat into returns.
Tip: Open an online demo account and get your thrills without risking real money.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The five pillars of Islam
