The Palm Springs International Shortfest returns to the Palm Springs Cultural Centre this month.
Running from June 22 to 28, the festival is already an important date in the industry calendar. It's the largest short film festival in North America, a designated awards-qualifying event for the Oscars, Baftas and their Spanish equivalent the Goyas, and offers prizes of up to $25,000 for winners.
This year, however, Shortfest takes on even greater significance as the first festival in California to hold all of its screenings in cinemas, albeit with limited capacity, and stringent cleaning and mask-wearing policies in place, after more than a year of online festivals brought about by the pandemic.
Eight films from the Arab world will be among the 295 titles screening at this year's event, which includes 32 world premieres.
One Canadian film that deserves special mention is Ain't No Time for Women from Tunisian-Canadian director Sarra El Abed, which is set in Tunis and features dialogue in Arabic and French. This intimate documentary is set in a Tunis hair salon that becomes an arena for political discussion on the eve of the country's presidential elections. The chaos – and frequent humour – of the lively discussions often mirror the turmoil of Tunisia's democracy.
Here's a closer look at the eight Arab films competing this year.
'I Am Afraid to Forget Your Face' (Egypt)
Sameh Alaa's tale of a young man undertaking a treacherous journey to be reunited with his love has already picked up a clutch of awards on its festival journey so far, not least the short film Palme d'Or at Cannes 2020.
I Am Afraid to Forget Your Face became the first Egyptian short to be nominated and to win the top Cannes prize.
It heads to Palm Springs next, where it will compete for the Best of the Festival Award and Young Cineastes Award.
'The Promised' (Egypt)
Ahmed El Ghoneimy's documentary details the tension between the government-appointed guards who watch over the historic Fustat site in Old Cairo and local residents.
The film will screen in the festival's City Symphony section, featuring titles about life in cities around the world, and compete for the Best Documentary Short prize. The film, which was also selected at the Berlinale last year, is El Ghoneimy's fifth short.
'What We Don't Know About Mariam' (Egypt)
Director Morad Mostafa began 2020 by premiering Henet Ward at France's seminal Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival, the world's biggest, in January.
He began 2021 in a similar manner, debuting What We Don't Know About Mariam at the same event before bringing it to Palm Springs, where it will surely be a challenger for the Best Live Action Short Over 15 Minutes prize.
The film centres on Mariam, who goes to the hospital with her family after suffering from severe pain in her abdomen. After an examination, tensions escalate between Mariam and her husband.
'Drought' (Lebanon)
The only Lebanese film at this year's festival, Remi Itani's Drought follows Carine, a Beirut property agent who frequently finds herself in empty apartments waiting for clients to show up. She creates an intimate relationship with these empty homes that echo her own loneliness. Finally, she decides to go outdoors and look for a physical experience.
The film will compete for Best Live Action Short Under 15 Minutes.
'Nour Shams' (Saudi Arabia)
Saudi Arabia continues to establish itself as a regional production hub, with two films in competition in Palm Springs this year.
Shams's only son desperately wants to leave Saudi Arabia to try his luck at becoming a rapper. Shams, however, is a little more traditional and simply wants her golden boy to settle down and have a family. Director and screenwriter Faiza Ambah's film will compete for Best Live Action Short Over 15 minutes.
'The Girls Who Burnt the Night' (Saudi Arabia)
When two Saudi sisters are refused permission to go to the grocery store while helping their mother prepare for an engagement party, things escalate surprisingly quickly.
Sara Mesfer's film picked up a special mention after its debut at last year's Cairo International Film Festival, and will compete in California for the Best Live Action Short Over 15 Minutes and Best Student International Short prizes.
'Al-Sit' (Sudan)
Suzannah Mirghani's Al-Sit tells the story of a 15-year-old Sudanese girl called Nafisa who's torn between the love of her life in her cotton-farming village and her parents' plans for an arranged marriage abroad.
The film has already picked up a host of awards on its festival journey, including Clermont-Ferrand's Canal+ Award and Busan's Jury Prize. It features in Palm Springs' Women on Top section, where it will compete for the Best Live Action Short Over 15 Minutes and Young Cineastes prizes.
'Borekas' (Palestine)
Saleh Saadi's semi-autobiographical film is named after the popular Palestinian snack his father would treat him to on a weekend. The film centres on a father and son granted an unexpected opportunity to bond after their car breaks down on the way to the airport. The film is Saadi's first and competes for the Best LGBT+ Short prize.
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
FFP EXPLAINED
What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.
What the rules dictate?
The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.
What are the penalties?
There are a number of punishments, including fines, a loss of prize money or having to reduce squad size for European competition – as happened to PSG in 2014. There is even the threat of a competition ban, which could in theory lead to PSG’s suspension from the Uefa Champions League.
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
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COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
LAST 16
SEEDS
Liverpool, Manchester City, Barcelona, Paris St-Germain, Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig, Valencia, Juventus
PLUS
Real Madrid, Tottenham, Atalanta, Atletico Madrid, Napoli, Borussia Dortmund, Lyon, Chelsea
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
A general guide to how active you are:
Less than 5,000 steps - sedentary
5,000 - 9,999 steps - lightly active
10,000 - 12,500 steps - active
12,500 - highly active
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
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
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BIG SPENDERS
Premier League clubs spent £230 million (Dh1.15 billion) on January transfers, the second-highest total for the mid-season window, the Sports Business Group at Deloitte said in a report.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The specs
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The specs
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Common OCD symptoms and how they manifest
Checking: the obsession or thoughts focus on some harm coming from things not being as they should, which usually centre around the theme of safety. For example, the obsession is “the building will burn down”, therefore the compulsion is checking that the oven is switched off.
Contamination: the obsession is focused on the presence of germs, dirt or harmful bacteria and how this will impact the person and/or their loved ones. For example, the obsession is “the floor is dirty; me and my family will get sick and die”, the compulsion is repetitive cleaning.
Orderliness: the obsession is a fear of sitting with uncomfortable feelings, or to prevent harm coming to oneself or others. Objectively there appears to be no logical link between the obsession and compulsion. For example,” I won’t feel right if the jars aren’t lined up” or “harm will come to my family if I don’t line up all the jars”, so the compulsion is therefore lining up the jars.
Intrusive thoughts: the intrusive thought is usually highly distressing and repetitive. Common examples may include thoughts of perpetrating violence towards others, harming others, or questions over one’s character or deeds, usually in conflict with the person’s true values. An example would be: “I think I might hurt my family”, which in turn leads to the compulsion of avoiding social gatherings.
Hoarding: the intrusive thought is the overvaluing of objects or possessions, while the compulsion is stashing or hoarding these items and refusing to let them go. For example, “this newspaper may come in useful one day”, therefore, the compulsion is hoarding newspapers instead of discarding them the next day.
Source: Dr Robert Chandler, clinical psychologist at Lighthouse Arabia
Omar Yabroudi's factfile
Born: October 20, 1989, Sharjah
Education: Bachelor of Science and Football, Liverpool John Moores University
2010: Accrington Stanley FC, internship
2010-2012: Crystal Palace, performance analyst with U-18 academy
2012-2015: Barnet FC, first-team performance analyst/head of recruitment
2015-2017: Nottingham Forest, head of recruitment
2018-present: Crystal Palace, player recruitment manager
The cost of Covid testing around the world
Egypt
Dh514 for citizens; Dh865 for tourists
Information can be found through VFS Global.
Jordan
Dh212
Centres include the Speciality Hospital, which now offers drive-through testing.
Cambodia
Dh478
Travel tests are managed by the Ministry of Health and National Institute of Public Health.
Zanzibar
AED 295
Zanzibar Public Health Emergency Operations Centre, located within the Lumumba Secondary School compound.
Abu Dhabi
Dh85
Abu Dhabi’s Seha has test centres throughout the UAE.
UK
From Dh400
Heathrow Airport now offers drive through and clinic-based testing, starting from Dh400 and up to Dh500 for the PCR test.
MAIN CARD
Bantamweight 56.4kg
Abrorbek Madiminbekov v Mehdi El Jamari
Super heavyweight 94 kg
Adnan Mohammad v Mohammed Ajaraam
Lightweight 60kg
Zakaria Eljamari v Faridoon Alik Zai
Light heavyweight 81.4kg
Mahmood Amin v Taha Marrouni
Light welterweight 64.5kg
Siyovush Gulmamadov v Nouredine Samir
Light heavyweight 81.4kg
Ilyass Habibali v Haroun Baka
Results
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How to donate
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
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6027 – Dh 100
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Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
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