The jury for the Short Films and Cinefondation competitions at Cannes Film Festival 2021, which will take place next month, has been announced, and it includes Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania and Egyptian director Sameh Alaa.
The jury is made up of three women and three men, with no president, and they will be awarding the Short Film Palme d’Or to one of the 10 shortlisted projects, as well as the three Cinefondation prizes to the best of the 17 selected films from the school’s students.
Other jury members include Spanish filmmaker and teacher Carlos Muguiro, Swedish director, writer and actress Tuva Novotny, plus Nicolas Pariser and Alice Winocour, both writers and directors from France.
For this year's festival, which will run from Tuesday, July 6 to Saturday, July 17, the selection committee viewed a total of 3,739 short films, with 10 shortlisted from Brazil, Denmark, China, France, Hong Kong, Iran, Portugal and, for the first time, Kosovo and North Macedonia.
The 14-minute Iran entry is called Orthodontics, by Mohammadreza Mayghani.
Ben Hania made international headlines this year when her film The Man Who Sold his Skin was nominated for an Oscar, competing in the International Feature Film category, but ultimately losing out to Another Round from Denmark.
The Man Who Sold His Skin, which stars Yahya Mahayni, follows the story of a Syrian refugee in Lebanon, who agrees to have his back tattooed by a famous artist in the hopes of joining his partner in Paris.
The story is inspired by real-life events, Ben Hania told The National last year. In 2006, Belgian artist Wim Delvoye tattooed the back of Tim Steiner, a former studio owner from Zurich. The living artwork was sold to a collector and Steiner agreed to have his back skinned after his death, so the owner could hang the piece.
“The original work of art was just a starting point,” said Ben Hania. “Many movies start with an image, then you have to have a story with an emotional journey.”
Alaa last year scooped the top prize Cannes with I Am Afraid to Forget Your Face, which won the Best Short Film Palme D'Or.
His tale of a young man undertaking a treacherous journey to be reunited with his love has picked up a clutch of awards on its festival journey so far, and it was the first Egyptian short to be nominated and to win the top Cannes prize.
It heads to Palm Springs International Shortfest next, where it will compete for the Best of the Festival Award and Young Cineastes Award.
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.
Yahya Al Ghassani's bio
Date of birth: April 18, 1998
Playing position: Winger
Clubs: 2015-2017 – Al Ahli Dubai; March-June 2018 – Paris FC; August – Al Wahda
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Abu Dhabi traffic facts
Drivers in Abu Dhabi spend 10 per cent longer in congested conditions than they would on a free-flowing road
The highest volume of traffic on the roads is found between 7am and 8am on a Sunday.
Travelling before 7am on a Sunday could save up to four hours per year on a 30-minute commute.
The day was the least congestion in Abu Dhabi in 2019 was Tuesday, August 13.
The highest levels of traffic were found on Sunday, November 10.
Drivers in Abu Dhabi lost 41 hours spent in traffic jams in rush hour during 2019
Six tips to secure your smart home
Most smart home devices are controlled via the owner's smartphone. Therefore, if you are using public wi-fi on your phone, always use a VPN (virtual private network) that offers strong security features and anonymises your internet connection.
Keep your smart home devices’ software up-to-date. Device makers often send regular updates - follow them without fail as they could provide protection from a new security risk.
Use two-factor authentication so that in addition to a password, your identity is authenticated by a second sign-in step like a code sent to your mobile number.
Set up a separate guest network for acquaintances and visitors to ensure the privacy of your IoT devices’ network.
Change the default privacy and security settings of your IoT devices to take extra steps to secure yourself and your home.
Always give your router a unique name, replacing the one generated by the manufacturer, to ensure a hacker cannot ascertain its make or model number.
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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