A television reality show launching tonight aims to breathe new life into some of the world's most pressing issues, and it has enlisted help from some seriously big hitters to achieve its goal. Chance of a Lifetime counts the United Nations, the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Variety magazine and Hyde Park-Image Nation among its partners (Image Nation is a subsidiary of Abu Dhabi Media, which also owns The National).
The show’s presenter and executive producer Ashok Amritraj explains how it all started: “I know the UN assistant secretary general Bob Orr, and about three years ago he asked me to come up with an idea that blends entertainment with the UN’s social causes.
"I came up with Chance of a Lifetime and they loved it, so I approached Image Nation and we all started working together and brought Variety and UCLA on board, too. We started shooting in April last year."
The show doesn’t just highlight some of the UN’s burning issues, such as water preservation and child mortality, it also offers fascinating insight into how different cultures interact and the collaborative process of filmmaking.
Four young filmmakers each from Singapore, the UAE and India – 12 total – were split into four teams, with one of each nationality on each team.
“Over the course of seven half-hour shows, the teams have to first pitch an idea for a film, then make one-minute, five-minute and 10-minute films on the issues presented,” says Amritraj. “After each film, a team is eliminated until only one remains, and the winner then flew to New York to screen their winning film at the UN, and also to the Cannes Film Festival.”
The teams had full access to the UN’s archive footage for their projects, including public service announcements from stars such as George Clooney and Nicole Kidman, while the UCLA team were also on hand to help explain matters if things got a little complex.
The biggest challenge, says Amritraj, was avoiding making depressing “issue films” while remaining within the UN’s social conscience, or quite simply, “how do I make this entertaining?”
“Everyone has seen these sort of information and public service films and sadly, after a while they start to fall on deaf ears,” says Amritraj. “I thought, is there a way to take these subjects and put them in a reality-show format so you kind of follow the subjects incidentally because you’re following the people?
“The message ceases to be the focal point and it becomes sort of an embedded message that you hope comes across.”
Just as fascinating as the messages or the films themselves was watching how the team members from vastly different cultures related to each other. “The first week or so was a real surprise for them. They hadn’t expected to be split up with different nationalities and they were mostly used to working alone, so there was a period of acclimatisation.
“It was really interesting to watch the different cultures interact. I had wondered how they’d get on, especially things like Emirati girls being teamed with foreign males they’d never met, but you’ll see in the show – they were terrific,” he says.
“I was genuinely surprised. It’s incredible to watch the developing dynamic of the groups as these cultures come together. Part of the project was making movies, but another part was also bringing cultures together. Could they get along, communicate, could they even understand each other? The team that was eliminated first was probably the one that got along and communicated the worst. They just struggled to get their thoughts in order.”
The show ends up being simultaneously educational, entertaining and a fascinating lesson for competitors and audience in the value of collaboration between individuals and cultures – vital both for those seeking to enter the cooperative world of filmmaking and for those seeking to address some of the world’s most pressing problems.
• Chance of a Lifetime premieres on March 25 at 9pm on National Geographic Abu Dhabi
cnewbould@thenational.ae
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
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The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
The specs: 2018 Peugeot 5008
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Engine: 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
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Fuel economy, combined: 5.8L / 100km
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Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
SPECS
Toyota land Cruiser 2020 5.7L VXR
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Specs
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On sale: Now
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Transmission Six-speed gearbox
Power 110hp) @ 7,750rpm
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The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
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No more lice
Defining head lice
Pediculus humanus capitis are tiny wingless insects that feed on blood from the human scalp. The adult head louse is up to 3mm long, has six legs, and is tan to greyish-white in colour. The female lives up to four weeks and, once mature, can lay up to 10 eggs per day. These tiny nits firmly attach to the base of the hair shaft, get incubated by body heat and hatch in eight days or so.
Identifying lice
Lice can be identified by itching or a tickling sensation of something moving within the hair. One can confirm that a person has lice by looking closely through the hair and scalp for nits, nymphs or lice. Head lice are most frequently located behind the ears and near the neckline.
Treating lice at home
Head lice must be treated as soon as they are spotted. Start by checking everyone in the family for them, then follow these steps. Remove and wash all clothing and bedding with hot water. Apply medicine according to the label instructions. If some live lice are still found eight to 12 hours after treatment, but are moving more slowly than before, do not re-treat. Comb dead and remaining live lice out of the hair using a fine-toothed comb.
After the initial treatment, check for, comb and remove nits and lice from hair every two to three days. Soak combs and brushes in hot water for 10 minutes.Vacuum the floor and furniture, particularly where the infested person sat or lay.
Courtesy Dr Vishal Rajmal Mehta, specialist paediatrics, RAK Hospital
SPECS
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Plan to boost public schools
A major shake-up of government-run schools was rolled out across the country in 2017. Known as the Emirati School Model, it placed more emphasis on maths and science while also adding practical skills to the curriculum.
It was accompanied by the promise of a Dh5 billion investment, over six years, to pay for state-of-the-art infrastructure improvements.
Aspects of the school model will be extended to international private schools, the education minister has previously suggested.
Recent developments have also included the introduction of moral education - which public and private schools both must teach - along with reform of the exams system and tougher teacher licensing requirements.
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
'Cheb%20Khaled'
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City's slump
L - Juventus, 2-0
D - C Palace, 2-2
W - N Forest, 3-0
L - Liverpool, 2-0
D - Feyenoord, 3-3
L - Tottenham, 4-0
L - Brighton, 2-1
L - Sporting, 4-1
L - Bournemouth, 2-1
L - Tottenham, 2-1
The biog
Hobbies: Writing and running
Favourite sport: beach volleyball
Favourite holiday destinations: Turkey and Puerto Rico
