First wide-angle view from Cannes

The final day at Cannes is always an odd affair. The works in contention for the Palme d'Or are all replayed as the world waits for the big prize announcement. The Egyptian entry The Last Battle, dealing with the fallout from the 2011 Tahrir Square demonstrations, and Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami's Tokyo-set Like Someone in Love, are both in the mix. The critics' favourites are Michael Haneke's tale of ageing Amour and Leos Carax's bizarre and fantastical Holy Motors.

It's also the first opportunity to pause and reflect on all the films that have debuted. A feature of the festival this year has been the increasing importance of films from and dealing with the Arab world. This week saw two standout films from the region: El Taaib (The Repentant) from the 67-year-old Algerian filmmaker Merzak Allouache and God's Horses by the 42-year-old Moroccan Nabil Ayouch.

El Taaib deals with the amnesty given by the Algerian government to rebel Islamist fighters after the end of the civil war in 2000. One such fighter, Rashid (Nabil Asli), is seen descending the mountains returning to an emotional welcome with his parents. Not everyone is so happy. He is confronted by a neighbour convinced that he saw Rashid on television participating in an attack that resulted in the death of his family members. Trying to reintegrate into society, Rashid finds a job in a cafe. The action jumps between these scenes and those of a young pharmacist (Khaled Benaissi), who has separated from his wife (Adila Bendimerad). Allouache then keeps us guessing as to why this couple has such marriage problems and what this has to do with Rashid until an explosive ending.

Speaking to me under a marquee hiding from the unseasonal rain that became a surprise feature of Cannes this year, Allouache said, "Filmmakers from the region always feel like they have to explain details of the story so that international audiences can understand what is going on, so Arab films tend to have too much exposition. I decided to make a film where each time the audience is about to be given an exposition, I cut away. This way I get to make a mystery."

By contrast, we already know what happens at the end of God's Horses before the action commences. It's inspired by the tale of two brothers who were part of the May 2003 Casablanca bombings that killed 45 people. Ayouch has made a potted history of the brothers, starting from their dreams of football stardom at age 10, to their reactions to the death of King Hassan II in 1999 and the September 11, 2001, attacks on the US. It's a tale more of broken dreams and frustrations than a terrorist handbook.

Both of the lead actors are from the shanty town of Sidi Moumen where all the suicide bombers came from. Ayouch says, "It's time for Arab filmmakers to tell our stories from our perspective."

One person who doesn't have trouble telling stories from his own perspective is the French philosopher, writer and filmmaker Bernard Henri-Levy. The Oath of Tobruk is his tale of how he encouraged Nicolas Sarkozy and his British and American allies to organise foreign intervention in the Libyan uprising that resulted in the overthrow of Muammar Qaddafi. Featuring interviews with Sarkozy, David Cameron and Hillary Clinton, it's a fascinating insight into the war from an international perspective. Told in eight chapters, it shows the background to meetings between the rebels and the French president, how the decisions were made and why he thinks foreign intervention is important. Levy told me in an interview: "I did the film for Syria." He believes the French must act now in the region, cementing the belief, shared by all three films, that the lessons of the past should be learnt and used for the future.

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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

FINAL RESULT

Sharjah Wanderers 20 Dubai Tigers 25 (After extra-time)

Wanderers
Tries: Gormley, Penalty
cons: Flaherty
Pens: Flaherty 2

Tigers
Tries: O’Donnell, Gibbons, Kelly
Cons: Caldwell 2
Pens: Caldwell, Cross

NO OTHER LAND

Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal

Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham

Rating: 3.5/5

Where to buy

Limited-edition art prints of The Sofa Series: Sultani can be acquired from Reem El Mutwalli at www.reemelmutwalli.com

The rules on fostering in the UAE

A foster couple or family must:

be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
not be younger than 25 years old
not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially

Killing of Qassem Suleimani

National Editorial: Suleimani has been killed, now we must de-escalate

Mina Al Oraibi: Air strike casts a long shadow over the decade ahead

Jack Moore: Why the assassination is such a monumental gamble

Matthew Levitt: Iran retains its ability to launch terror attacks

Damien McElroy: A CEO tasked with spreading Iran's influence

Simon Waldman: Cautious Israel keeping a low profile

The%20specs%20

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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe

Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010

Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille

Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm

Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year

Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”

Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners

TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013

The Bio

Favourite place in UAE: Al Rams pearling village

What one book should everyone read: Any book written before electricity was invented. When a writer willingly worked under candlelight, you know he/she had a real passion for their craft

Your favourite type of pearl: All of them. No pearl looks the same and each carries its own unique characteristics, like humans

Best time to swim in the sea: When there is enough light to see beneath the surface

A MINECRAFT MOVIE

Director: Jared Hess

Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa

Rating: 3/5

Sarfira

Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad

Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal

Rating: 2/5

Mountain%20Boy

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GOLF’S RAHMBO

- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)

FIGHT CARD

1. Featherweight 66kg

Ben Lucas (AUS) v Ibrahim Kendil (EGY)

2. Lightweight 70kg

Mohammed Kareem Aljnan (SYR) v Alphonse Besala (CMR)

3. Welterweight 77kg

Marcos Costa (BRA) v Abdelhakim Wahid (MAR)

4. Lightweight 70kg

Omar Ramadan (EGY) v Abdimitalipov Atabek (KGZ)

5. Featherweight 66kg

Ahmed Al Darmaki (UAE) v Kagimu Kigga (UGA)

6. Catchweight 85kg

Ibrahim El Sawi (EGY) v Iuri Fraga (BRA)

7. Featherweight 66kg

Yousef Al Husani (UAE) v Mohamed Allam (EGY)

8. Catchweight 73kg

Mostafa Radi (PAL) v Abdipatta Abdizhali (KGZ)

9. Featherweight 66kg

Jaures Dea (CMR) v Andre Pinheiro (BRA)

10. Catchweight 90kg

Tarek Suleiman (SYR) v Juscelino Ferreira (BRA)

Kanguva

Director: Siva

Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley

Rating: 2/5

Virus and the economy

Harvey Jones: Stock market crash could be buying opportunity

Peter Cooper: Key is adopting a long-term financial strategy

Harvey Jones: Steps to take to protect your money amid crisis

Specs

Engine: 51.5kW electric motor

Range: 400km

Power: 134bhp

Torque: 175Nm

Price: From Dh98,800

Available: Now

Wonka

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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

The specs

Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel

Power: 579hp

Torque: 859Nm

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

Price: From Dh825,900

On sale: Now

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

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.

The biog

Name: Atheja Ali Busaibah

Date of birth: 15 November, 1951

Favourite books: Ihsan Abdel Quddous books, such as “The Sun will Never Set”

Hobbies: Reading and writing poetry

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Company profile

Name: Infinite8

Based: Dubai

Launch year: 2017

Number of employees: 90

Sector: Online gaming industry

Funding: $1.2m from a UAE angel investor

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