Vivien Sansour, one of the co-producers of The Golden Harvest, walking with farmer Abu Nidal, near the town of Walaji in the West Bank.
Vivien Sansour, one of the co-producers of The Golden Harvest, walking with farmer Abu Nidal, near the town of Walaji in the West Bank.
Vivien Sansour, one of the co-producers of The Golden Harvest, walking with farmer Abu Nidal, near the town of Walaji in the West Bank.
Vivien Sansour, one of the co-producers of The Golden Harvest, walking with farmer Abu Nidal, near the town of Walaji in the West Bank.

The Theatre: community space in Mall of the Emirates to screen regional and local films


Razmig Bedirian
  • English
  • Arabic

Two features by filmmakers based in the UAE will be screening at experimental space The Theatre in the Mall of the Emirates this month.

Musk by Emirati director Humaid AlSuwaidi will show at the venue on Saturday, September 19, at 8pm. The family drama explores the relationship between Ahmed, a cynical man on the verge of a divorce, and his aloof 12-year-old son.

The Golden Harvest by Palestinian-American filmmaker Alia Yunis – an associate professor teaching audio-visual media at Zayed University – will show the week after, screening on Saturday, September 26, at 8pm.

The two films are among the first film screenings at The Theatre since the venue reopened in July after coronavirus-related restrictions eased.

The venue was previously known as Dubai Community Theatre & Arts Centre (Ductac), which closed in 2018.

Its closure was a disappointment to many as Ductac was one of the earliest places in Dubai where residents could enjoy small productions and amateur shows.

The venue reopened earlier this year on a trial basis, rebranded as The Theatre. However, as the coronavirus broke out, The Theatre closed and its scheduled shows were cancelled.

Since it reopened again earlier this summer, it has hosted a number of shows and activities to patrons, including a 3D modelling summer camp for children, The Princess Show sing-a-long stage performance and a stand-up comedy show by South Korean comic Wonho Chung.

Rania Ashur, founder of Art For All and the force behind The Theatre’s reopening, says while the coronavirus pandemic has affected many of The Theatre’s plans, making it difficult to bring performers to the venue from abroad, it has also brought the opportunity to present more regional films.

“I always wanted to do a film club within The Theatre for the films and documentaries that aren’t screened in cinemas,” Ashur says. “Somewhere where we can present local and regional works.”

The two films showing this month mark a step towards achieving that goal, Ashur says. “We’ll be screening more works from the region in the next few months. We’ll also be showing international films, but the focus will be on regional works.

The venue has also begun offering a wide range of classes, from language courses teaching Italian, French and Arabic to ballet classes and performing arts workshops in English and Arabic.

“The venue is a community theatre for the people of the UAE,” Ashur says. “We are trying to cater to different nationalities, different backgrounds, different ages and interests. There is something for everyone.”

Ashur says the venue is still on a trial run. However, its tentative end date has been pushed until the end of this year. Whether or not the curtain will come down on The Theatre, is up to the community. They need to show they're going to use it.

Still, Ashur is hopeful.

“Many were disappointed that Ductac closed down in 2018,” Ashur says. “So people are excited that we have reopened. We need a space that delivers small to amateur shows and smaller-scale productions for the community.”

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
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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.

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The Orwell Prize for Political Writing

Twelve books were longlisted for The Orwell Prize for Political Writing. The non-fiction works cover various themes from education, gender bias, and the environment to surveillance and political power. Some of the books that made it to the non-fiction longlist include: 

  • Appeasing Hitler: Chamberlain, Churchill and the Road to War by Tim Bouverie
  • Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me by Kate Clanchy
  • Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez
  • Follow Me, Akhi: The Online World of British Muslims by Hussein Kesvani
  • Guest House for Young Widows: Among the Women of ISIS by Azadeh Moaveni
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
From exhibitions to the battlefield

In 2016, the Shaded Dome was awarded with the 'De Vernufteling' people's choice award, an annual prize by the Dutch Association of Consulting Engineers and the Royal Netherlands Society of Engineers for the most innovative project by a Dutch engineering firm.

It was assigned by the Dutch Ministry of Defence to modify the Shaded Dome to make it suitable for ballistic protection. Royal HaskoningDHV, one of the companies which designed the dome, is an independent international engineering and project management consultancy, leading the way in sustainable development and innovation.

It is driving positive change through innovation and technology, helping use resources more efficiently.

It aims to minimise the impact on the environment by leading by example in its projects in sustainable development and innovation, to become part of the solution to a more sustainable society now and into the future.

Company profile

Name:​ One Good Thing ​

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Who are the Sacklers?

The Sackler family is a transatlantic dynasty that owns Purdue Pharma, which manufactures and markets OxyContin, one of the drugs at the centre of America's opioids crisis. The family is well known for their generous philanthropy towards the world's top cultural institutions, including Guggenheim Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, Tate in Britain, Yale University and the Serpentine Gallery, to name a few. Two branches of the family control Purdue Pharma.

Isaac Sackler and Sophie Greenberg were Jewish immigrants who arrived in New York before the First World War. They had three sons. The first, Arthur, died before OxyContin was invented. The second, Mortimer, who died aged 93 in 2010, was a former chief executive of Purdue Pharma. The third, Raymond, died aged 97 in 2017 and was also a former chief executive of Purdue Pharma. 

It was Arthur, a psychiatrist and pharmaceutical marketeer, who started the family business dynasty. He and his brothers bought a small company called Purdue Frederick; among their first products were laxatives and prescription earwax remover.

Arthur's branch of the family has not been involved in Purdue for many years and his daughter, Elizabeth, has spoken out against it, saying the company's role in America's drugs crisis is "morally abhorrent".

The lawsuits that were brought by the attorneys general of New York and Massachussetts named eight Sacklers. This includes Kathe, Mortimer, Richard, Jonathan and Ilene Sackler Lefcourt, who are all the children of either Mortimer or Raymond. Then there's Theresa Sackler, who is Mortimer senior's widow; Beverly, Raymond's widow; and David Sackler, Raymond's grandson.

Members of the Sackler family are rarely seen in public.

'C'mon C'mon'

Director:Mike Mills

Stars:Joaquin Phoenix, Gaby Hoffmann, Woody Norman

Rating: 4/5

How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE

When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.

Tips for entertaining with ease

·         Set the table the night before. It’s a small job but it will make you feel more organised once done.

·         As the host, your mood sets the tone. If people arrive to find you red-faced and harried, they’re not going to relax until you do. Take a deep breath and try to exude calm energy.

·         Guests tend to turn up thirsty. Fill a big jug with iced water and lemon or lime slices and encourage people to help themselves.

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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.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
U19 WORLD CUP, WEST INDIES

UAE group fixtures (all in St Kitts)
Saturday 15 January: v Canada
Thursday 20 January: v England
Saturday 22 January: v Bangladesh

UAE squad
Alishan Sharafu (captain), Shival Bawa, Jash Giyanani, Sailles Jaishankar, Nilansh Keswani, Aayan Khan, Punya Mehra, Ali Naseer, Ronak Panoly, Dhruv Parashar, Vinayak Raghavan, Soorya Sathish, Aryansh Sharma, Adithya Shetty, Kai Smith

RESULT

RS Leipzig 3 

Marcel Sabitzer 10', 21'

Emil Forsberg 87'

Tottenham 0