As we spend more time at home, a big chunk of it is being consumed firstly by social media, and secondly by watching films and television shows.
As a result, in the past few months, many filmmakers, including those from the Arab world, have been making their works available online so more people can see them.
We round up must-watch documentaries from, and about, the Arab world, now available for viewing over the internet.
For Sama
For Sama is an award-winning documentary feature that was shot over five years during the uprising in Aleppo, Syria. It tells the story of Waad Al Kateab as she falls in love, gets married and gives birth to her daughter, Sama, all during a catastrophic conflict. Directed by Al Khateab and Edward Watts, the film is a love letter to Sama.
It won numerous awards, including a Bafta for Best Documentary. It was also nominated for an Oscar this year, for Best Documentary Feature, but lost to American Factory. The film is available for streaming online via the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam website.
A World Not Ours
A World Not Ours is a brilliant documentary that takes its title from Palestinian author Ghassan Kanafani's novel. Directed by Mahdi Fleifel, the film, based on Fleifel's own family story, looks at three generations living in exile in a refugee camp in southern Lebanon.
It is pieced together using a wealth of archival footage, telling a sensitive story on the themes of belonging and friendship. The documentary feature film has won several awards, including the Black Pearl Award at Abu Dhabi Film Festival in 2012. It's available to buy or rent on Vimeo or watch via the IDFA's website.
Return to Homs
This is a documentary by Oscar-nominated Syrian director Talal Derki (Of Fathers and Sons). The film follows the tragic story of Abdul Baset Al Sarout, 19, goalkeeper for the Syrian national soccer team, and his friend and journalist Ossama, 24. When the Syrian conflict breaks out, the young athlete becomes a renowned protest leader and singer who is filmed regularly by his friend Ossama.
But when the army cracks down on Homs, the two protestors take up arms and become insurgents. Return to Homs was screened at festivals around the world and won the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary at the Sundance festival in 2014. It is available to buy or rent on Vimeo and is also on the IDFA website.
5 Broken Cameras
Co-directed by Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi, 5 Broken Cameras documents the resistance of the residents of Palestinian town Bilin, west of Ramallah in the West Bank, against settlements. The story is told through the lenses of five cameras owned by Burnat, a farmer, who bought his first camera in 2005 to document the birth of his son.
The film's awards include Best Documentary at the International Emmy Awards in 2013, and was nominated for an Oscar for Best Documentary Feature that year. It's available to rent or buy on Vimeo.
Gaza Surf Club
This documentary received its world premiere at Toronto International Film Festival in 2016. Directed by Philip Gnadt and Mickey Yamine, Gaza Surf Club tells the story of a group of young boys in the Palestinian enclave who surf as a way to escape real life.
It’s a heartwarming story about finding a little bit of freedom in a place that has been described as “an open-air prison”. The film is available for streaming on video-on-demand site Cinemoz.
Cairo Drive
Cairo Drive, directed by Sherief Elkatsha, takes viewers on a ride around the streets of the Egyptian capital, showing the diversity of the city’s population. With a bit of comedy, the film captures voices in the days leading up to the Egyptian revolution.
The film had its world premiere at Abu Dhabi Film Festival in 2013 and won the Best Documentary From the Arab World award. The film is available to buy or rent on Vimeo.
Teta, Alf Marra (Grandma, A Thousand Times)
This charming film comes from Mahmoud Kaabour, the award-winning director of 2004 documentary Being Osama, which follows six individuals united by their first name. Teta, Alf Marra, meanwhile, celebrates Kaabour's grandmother, Teta Fatima, 83. Kaabour documents her life, as she talks of her love story with her violinist husband, who had died 20 years prior. The film is a beautiful exploration of the themes of love, family, growing old and death. It is available to buy or rent on Vimeo.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
From Europe to the Middle East, economic success brings wealth - and lifestyle diseases
A rise in obesity figures and the need for more public spending is a familiar trend in the developing world as western lifestyles are adopted.
One in five deaths around the world is now caused by bad diet, with obesity the fastest growing global risk. A high body mass index is also the top cause of metabolic diseases relating to death and disability in Kuwait, Qatar and Oman – and second on the list in Bahrain.
In Britain, heart disease, lung cancer and Alzheimer’s remain among the leading causes of death, and people there are spending more time suffering from health problems.
The UK is expected to spend $421.4 billion on healthcare by 2040, up from $239.3 billion in 2014.
And development assistance for health is talking about the financial aid given to governments to support social, environmental development of developing countries.
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
The specs: 2018 Harley-Davidson Fat Boy
Price, base / as tested Dh97,600
Engine 1,745cc Milwaukee-Eight v-twin engine
Transmission Six-speed gearbox
Power 78hp @ 5,250rpm
Torque 145Nm @ 3,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 5.0L / 100km (estimate)
Champions League Last 16
Red Bull Salzburg (AUT) v Bayern Munich (GER)
Sporting Lisbon (POR) v Manchester City (ENG)
Benfica (POR) v Ajax (NED)
Chelsea (ENG) v Lille (FRA)
Atletico Madrid (ESP) v Manchester United (ENG)
Villarreal (ESP) v Juventus (ITA)
Inter Milan (ITA) v Liverpool (ENG)
Paris Saint-Germain v Real Madrid (ESP)
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Specs – Taycan 4S
Engine: Electric
Transmission: 2-speed auto
Power: 571bhp
Torque: 650Nm
Price: Dh431,800
Specs – Panamera
Engine: 3-litre V6 with 100kW electric motor
Transmission: 2-speed auto
Power: 455bhp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: from Dh431,800
The specs: 2018 Audi RS5
Price, base: Dh359,200
Engine: 2.9L twin-turbo V6
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 450hp at 5,700rpm
Torque: 600Nm at 1,900rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.7L / 100km
RESULTS
Bantamweight: Victor Nunes (BRA) beat Azizbek Satibaldiev (KYG). Round 1 KO
Featherweight: Izzeddin Farhan (JOR) beat Ozodbek Azimov (UZB). Round 1 rear naked choke
Middleweight: Zaakir Badat (RSA) beat Ercin Sirin (TUR). Round 1 triangle choke
Featherweight: Ali Alqaisi (JOR) beat Furkatbek Yokubov (UZB). Round 1 TKO
Featherweight: Abu Muslim Alikhanov (RUS) beat Atabek Abdimitalipov (KYG). Unanimous decision
Catchweight 74kg: Mirafzal Akhtamov (UZB) beat Marcos Costa (BRA). Split decision
Welterweight: Andre Fialho (POR) beat Sang Hoon-yu (KOR). Round 1 TKO
Lightweight: John Mitchell (IRE) beat Arbi Emiev (RUS). Round 2 RSC (deep cuts)
Middleweight: Gianni Melillo (ITA) beat Mohammed Karaki (LEB)
Welterweight: Handesson Ferreira (BRA) beat Amiran Gogoladze (GEO). Unanimous decision
Flyweight (Female): Carolina Jimenez (VEN) beat Lucrezia Ria (ITA), Round 1 rear naked choke
Welterweight: Daniel Skibinski (POL) beat Acoidan Duque (ESP). Round 3 TKO
Lightweight: Martun Mezhlumyan (ARM) beat Attila Korkmaz (TUR). Unanimous decision
Bantamweight: Ray Borg (USA) beat Jesse Arnett (CAN). Unanimous decision
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Eco%20Way%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20December%202023%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ivan%20Kroshnyi%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Electric%20vehicles%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Bootstrapped%20with%20undisclosed%20funding.%20Looking%20to%20raise%20funds%20from%20outside%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Simran
Director Hansal Mehta
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Soham Shah, Esha Tiwari Pandey
Three stars
The Details
Kabir Singh
Produced by: Cinestaan Studios, T-Series
Directed by: Sandeep Reddy Vanga
Starring: Shahid Kapoor, Kiara Advani, Suresh Oberoi, Soham Majumdar, Arjun Pahwa
Rating: 2.5/5
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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5
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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