The Red Sea International Film Festival, has announced a line up of five Arab films that will screen as part of its Arab Spectacular programme. The fourth edition of the festival will run from December 5 to 14 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Antoine Khalife, Director of Arab Programs & Film Classics for the festival, said of the selection: “We know that our stories and the quality of the way we tell them deserve a place alongside other international films, which is why we are working hard to support and nurture our region’s filmmakers, providing them with a prestigious platform to present their work to international audiences, and facilitating networking opportunities with industry leaders.”
Here are the five Arab films that will screen at the festival.
Abdo and Saneya (Egypt)
Directed by Omar Bakry, Abdo and Saneya is a silent movie filmed in black and white. The story follows an Egyptian couple as they make their journey from rural Egypt to New York City. Their journey is spurred on by their need to find a cure for their infertility.
The film stars Bakry as Abdo and Inji El-Gammal as Saneya. Other members of the cast include Haythem Noor, Kathleen Regan, Clara Francesca and Katharine McLeod. The film tracks the couple’s journey as they defy the odds, including illiteracy and having no grasp of the English language, to get to their destination and find help for their issue.
Front Row (Algeria)
Algerian director Merzak Allouache has had a storied career with films like 1976’s Omar Gatlato, 1979’s Mughamarat batal and 1994’s Bab El Oued City. His latest film, Front Row, tells the story of two mothers who get into a feud while their families are vacationing at the beach.
The film stars a cast of Algerian actors, including Nabil Asli, Fatiha Ouared, Idir Benaibouche and Hichem Benmesbah. Front Row is a comedy of errors that pits two matriarchs against each other while their families look on in support and bemusement.
Allouche is considered one of Algeria’s most influential filmmakers, with his films having garnered positive attention on the international festival circuit and with the Algerian public. His 1996 film Salut Cousin!, a comedy starring Gad Elmaleh and Messaoud Hattau, was the country’s entry for the Best Foreign Language Film category at the 69th Academy Awards.
Hobal (Saudi Arabia)
Set in the early 1990s, Abdulaziz Alshlahei’s Hobal tells the story of a Saudi family that is told to remain in one place in the desert by their grandfather. This quickly proves impossible, as mysterious events occur that put the family in danger.
The film stars Saudi actors Mila Al Zahrani, Fayez Bin Jurays, Hamdy Alfridi and Ibrahim Al-Hasawi. Director Alshlahei has previously worked in television before directing his first feature film Zero Distance in 2020 following it up with The Tambour of Retribution in the same year.
Lail Nahar (Saudi Arabia)
Directed by Abdulaziz Almuzaini, Lail Nahar is a satirical comedy which follows two musicians who experience different levels of fame. The film particularly focuses on the Saudi entertainment industry and lampoons its absurdities in a humorous way.
The film’s Saudi cast includes Ziyad Alamri, Abrar Faisal, Abdullah Alsadhan, Nawaf Alsulaiman and Ali Ibrahim. The film’s script is written by Almuzaini alongside Ahmed Nada and Adwa Bader who recently starred in Meshal Al Jaser’s Naga.
My Driver & I (Saudi Arabia)
This coming-of-age film tells the story of the relationship between a young Saudi girl and her Sudanese driver over the period of ten years as he drives her to school every day until she graduates from high school.
The film is directed by Ahd who has previously directed short films but has also acted in films such as Tobe Hooper’s Djinn, Saudi film Wadjda and the successful comedy series Ramy.
The Details
Article 15
Produced by: Carnival Cinemas, Zee Studios
Directed by: Anubhav Sinha
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa, Sayani Gupta, Zeeshan Ayyub
Our rating: 4/5
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8
Power: 503hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 685Nm at 2,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Price: from Dh850,000
On sale: now
'C'mon C'mon'
Director:Mike Mills
Stars:Joaquin Phoenix, Gaby Hoffmann, Woody Norman
Rating: 4/5
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
SANCTIONED
- Kirill Shamalov, Russia's youngest billionaire and previously married to Putin's daughter Katarina
- Petr Fradkov, head of recently sanctioned Promsvyazbank and son of former head of Russian Foreign Intelligence, the FSB.
- Denis Bortnikov, Deputy President of Russia's largest bank VTB. He is the son of Alexander Bortnikov, head of the FSB which was responsible for the poisoning of political activist Alexey Navalny in August 2020 with banned chemical agent novichok.
- Yury Slyusar, director of United Aircraft Corporation, a major aircraft manufacturer for the Russian military.
- Elena Aleksandrovna Georgieva, chair of the board of Novikombank, a state-owned defence conglomerate.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
THE%20HOLDOVERS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAlexander%20Payne%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Paul%20Giamatti%2C%20Da'Vine%20Joy%20Randolph%2C%20Dominic%20Sessa%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
'My Son'
Director: Christian Carion
Starring: James McAvoy, Claire Foy, Tom Cullen, Gary Lewis
Rating: 2/5
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
