With Eid Al Adha approaching, anticipation is growing for the films set to be released during the holiday.
This year, Eid Al Adha is expected to fall on June 6. While many of the summer’s biggest blockbusters will be released later in June and July, there’s a nice selection of films coming out this Eid for fans of action and horror.
Here are the major releases coming to cinemas in the UAE for Eid Al Adha 2025.
From the World of John Wick: Ballerina
The John Wick films have grown in popularity with each instalment. As a result, the Keanu Reeves-fronted film series about a skilled assassin has now spawned a cinematic universe. The first spin-off from the series was a television show titled The Continental: From the World of John Wick, which was released in 2023.
The second spin-off is a film titled Ballerina, starring Ana de Armas. Reeves also appears in the film, but the focus is expected to be on de Armas and her character’s journey. Ballerina is directed by Len Wiseman, who previously directed Underworld. The film also stars Ian McShane, Anjelica Huston and Gabriel Byrne.
Project X
Karim Abdel Aziz stars in Project X, an Egyptian action film directed by doctor-turned-filmmaker, Peter Mimi. The film follows a police officer fighting an antiquity smuggling gang in Europe.
Mimi previously directed Abdel Aziz in the 2024 Ramadan series The Assassins. Project X also features other talented Egyptian actors, including Essam El Sakka, Mariam El Gendy, Eyad Nassar and Yasmine Sabri.
Thug Life
Mani Ratnam, considered one of the greatest living directors in India, directs the South Indian film Thug Life. The film stars Kamal Haasan, Pankaj Tripathi, Trisha Krishnan, Sanya Malhotra and Silambarasan TR.
Ratnam, who previously directed the popular Shah Rukh Khan film Dil Se.. in 1998, is known for his profound storytelling and socially relevant themes. Haasan and Ratnam reunite for the first time since their last collaboration in 1987’s Nayakan. The film’s music is composed by frequent Ratnam collaborator AR Rahman.
The Bitter Taste
The Bitter Taste, directed by Guido Tolke, is a horror-action film that follows a retired pentathlete who is captured by the undead Countess Badesky and her cursed followers. The pentathlete must revive her athletic skills to survive a deadly hunt.
The film pays homage to 1980s horror and adventure classics, drawing inspiration from The Evil Dead, The Thing and From Dusk Till Dawn. The Bitter Taste stars Julia Dordel, Nicolo Pasetti, Anne Alexander-Sieder and John Keogh.
Dangerous Animals
Survival horror film Dangerous Animals, directed by Australian filmmaker Sean Byrne, debuted at the Cannes Film Festival's Directors' Fortnight on May 17. The film, which stars Hassie Harrison, Jai Courtney and Josh Heuston, follows a surfer with a troubled past who is abducted by a shark-obsessed serial killer, who films his victims being fed to sharks.
The Monster Beneath Us
Directed by Sophie Osbourne, The Monster Beneath Us is a Gothic horror film set in 1898 Yorkshire, England. The story follows a grieving widow, who returns to her late husband's ancestral home, Doloridge Manor, with her young son. As they settle into the eerie mansion, the son discovers a mysterious creature lurking in the basement, forming an unsettling bond with it. The mother, unaware of the creature's presence, begins to experience strange occurrences that heighten her anxiety and fear.
The Monster Beneath Us stars Becca Hirani, Marshall Hawkes, Nicola Wright and Jennifer Lim.
How to help
Call the hotline on 0502955999 or send "thenational" to the following numbers:
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The squad traveling to Brazil:
Faisal Al Ketbi, Ibrahim Al Hosani, Khalfan Humaid Balhol, Khalifa Saeed Al Suwaidi, Mubarak Basharhil, Obaid Salem Al Nuaimi, Saeed Juma Al Mazrouei, Saoud Abdulla Al Hammadi, Taleb Al Kirbi, Yahia Mansour Al Hammadi, Zayed Al Kaabi, Zayed Saif Al Mansoori, Saaid Haj Hamdou, Hamad Saeed Al Nuaimi. Coaches Roberto Lima and Alex Paz.
Ferrari
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Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
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Where to Find Me by Alba Arikha
Alma Books
