Anyone with even a passing interest in independent cinema in the UAE knows the name Butheina Kazim. The Bahraini-Emirati entrepreneur is the founder of the first arthouse cinema in the region, Cinema Akil.
Originally a nomadic series of film nights across the country, since 2018 it has had a permanent home in a converted warehouse in Dubai’s Alserkal Avenue, as well as a much more recent outpost at the 25hours Hotel Dubai One Central.
Kazim is part of the fabric of the Dubai – a fact cemented by her guest editorship of the first Louis Vuitton guide dedicated to the city in 2023. “My city is Dubai. And my life is cinema,” she told The National at the time.
What is your favourite time of day and why?
Sunset – the OG Lord’s filter and harbinger of the dark.
What is your favourite restaurant anywhere in the world?
The cafe in Jim Jarmusch’s Coffee and Cigarettes.
When was the first time you realised your parents were human?
When I bled my mum with my pre-teen long nails and my dad cried at his mother’s deathbed.
What do you want to be when you grow up?
Passport control officer at DXB airport.
Do you have any hidden talents?
I do an on-demand helium balloon voice singing Mohammed Abdu songs.
Your favourite book?
This is too agonising of a question. Though, I’ll never stop loving Madonna in a Fur Coat by Sabahattin Ali.
What type of music can’t you stand?
Lazy use of onomatopoeia and unfinished lyrics.
What puts you in a bad mood?
Unsolicited advice.
What can you not live without?
Interesting people.
Dream dinner guests?
Stitch [from Lilo and Stitch], Gurgi [from The Black Cauldron], Batty [from Ferngully: The Last Rainforest] and all the Curious Oysters [from Alice in Wonderland].
Sitting on the sofa or out with friends?
Both in the same day, multiple times, at different times of day.
What smell takes you straight back to childhood?
Lily of the Valley and Mastik.
What food takes you back to childhood?
Cerelac and Rasgulla ... separately.
Which city do you love but would hate to live in?
I have two. Delhi and Amman.
Can you play a musical instrument?
No. Music was banned at our school after the principal became religiously conservative.
Have you ever been on a motorcycle?
Yes.
Any words to live by?
“We tell ourselves stories in order to live” - Joan Didion
Biggest pet peeve?
Nosiness.
Do you believe in aliens?
Yes, along with the djinns and warawaras.
What is your favourite Arabic word?
Ya’ni [editor’s note: hard to translate but used similarly to "like" in English]
The most niche thing you watch on YouTube?
Recently, how-to-videos on making organic pools in the English countryside by retired BBC videographer David Pagan Butler… and vintage Kuwaiti music videos.
How do you take your tea?
Fragrant, sweet, caffeinated.
What makes you cry?
Stagnancy, apathy, bad taste.
What do social algorithms think you’re interested in?
Chili oil, baby content and vinyls.
TikTok or Instagram?
TikTok is the city I love but can’t live in.
What is it about you that would surprise people?
My unrequited love of sardines.
When was the last time you did something for the first time?
This morning, I used a Dyson Airwrap.
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
MATCH INFO
Barcelona 5 (Lenglet 2', Vidal 29', Messi 34', 75', Suarez 77')
Valladolid 1 (Kiko 15')
Neil Thomson – THE BIO
Family: I am happily married to my wife Liz and we have two children together.
Favourite music: Rock music. I started at a young age due to my father’s influence. He played in an Indian rock band The Flintstones who were once asked by Apple Records to fly over to England to perform there.
Favourite book: I constantly find myself reading The Bible.
Favourite film: The Greatest Showman.
Favourite holiday destination: I love visiting Melbourne as I have family there and it’s a wonderful place. New York at Christmas is also magical.
Favourite food: I went to boarding school so I like any cuisine really.
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
McLaren GT specs
Engine: 4-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: seven-speed
Power: 620bhp
Torque: 630Nm
Price: Dh875,000
On sale: now
Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
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The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: ten-speed
Power: 420bhp
Torque: 624Nm
Price: Dh325,125
On sale: Now
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 Mercedes-AMG C63 S Cabriolet
Price, base: Dh429,090
Engine 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission Seven-speed automatic
Power 510hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque 700Nm @ 1,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 9.2L / 100km
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How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
