A rich selection of films by Arab directors will be shown at the 69th BFI London Film Festival, which runs from October 8 to 19 in the English capital.
Spanning documentary, drama and shorts, the programme brings urgent stories and fresh voices from Palestine, Tunisia, Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, Morocco, Sudan and the UAE to British audiences.
Here are the 13 films from the Arab world set to screen at the festival this year.
Kaouther Ben Hania follows her acclaimed Four Daughters with a hybrid feature centred on the harrowing true story of five-year-old Hind Rajab, whose phone call from a car trapped in Gaza shocked the world.
Ben Hania’s film, which blends documentary and reconstruction, arrives in London after winning the Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival.
Speaking to The National from Venice, Ben Hania said: “Cinema cannot bring Hind back, nor can it erase the atrocity committed against her, but it can preserve her voice, make it resonate across borders, because her story is not hers alone.”
Sink (Gharaq)
Jordanian filmmaker Zain Duraie’s striking feature is set on the country’s windswept outskirts. Duraie previously earned attention with the short Give Up the Ghost, which premiered in Venice and won the Orizzonti Award for Best Short.
With the backing of the Doha Film Institute, she has moved on to features with a story rooted in contemporary family struggles.
Palestine 36
Annemarie Jacir’s film is set against the backdrop of the 1936 revolt during British rule. The cast includes Hiam Abbass, Saleh Bakri, Jeremy Irons, Liam Cunningham and Dhafer L’Abidine.
The film is being shown in London, following screenings at the Venice and Toronto festivals. Jacir has been a central figure in Palestinian cinema for two decades, previously directing Salt of This Sea, When I Saw You and Wajib.
The Vile
Emirati filmmaker Majid Al Ansari returns to feature films for the first time since his debut Zinzana. In this film he explores the subtle horrors of broken trust between a married couple.
Promised Sky
Following her breakout Under the Fig Trees, Tunisian director Erige Sehiri returns with a drama about three Ivorian women forging a life in Tunisia. The film opened the Un Certain Regard category at Cannes this year.
Tetes Brulees
Tunisian-Danish filmmaker Maja Ajmia Yde Zellama’s feature debut is about a 12-year-old girl who grapples with her older brother’s sudden death, finding solace in her creativity, resilience and the support of her brother’s friends as she navigates the grieving process.
The President’s Cake
The film by Iraqi director Hasan Hadi had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May. It won the Camera d’Or for best first feature and was also honoured with the Directors’ Fortnight People’s Choice Award, a rare double for a debutant and a historic milestone for Iraqi cinema.
The film follows nine-year-old Lamia, who must collect ingredients to bake a cake in honour of Saddam Hussein's birthday – or face severe consequences. The film stars Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Sajad Mohamad Qasem, Waheed Thabet Khreibat and Rahim AlHaj.
A Sad and Beautiful World
Cyril Aris’s sweeping romance, set over three decades in Lebanon, explores love, resilience and the pull between leaving and staying. The film starring Lebanese filmmaker Mounia Akl and Hasan Akil in the lead tells the story of a couple who must decide if they want to build a family despite the tragedies that has befallen their country.
Calle Malaga
This movie by Moroccan filmmaker Maryam Touzani stars Spanish screen legend Carmen Maura and is set in Tangier. The film premiered in Venice and won the Audience Prize. Touzani’s sensitive direction and focus on women’s inner lives continue the themes that defined her previous work.
Khartoum
A hybrid of real and filmed footage, Khartoum amplifies the voices of five residents forced to flee the Sudanese capital’s conflict. The project’s roots stretch back to on-the-ground footage and testimonies, assembled into a tapestry of memory and hope. The directors are Anas Saeed, Rawia Alhag, Ibrahim Snoopy Ahmad and Timeea Mohamed Ahmed along with creative director and writer Philip Cox.
With Hasan in Gaza
A lost film reel is the starting point for Kamal Aljafari’s With Hasan in Gaza. Shot in 2001 and rediscovered years later, the footage is reworked into a meditation on memory, loss and the persistence of everyday life.
Aljafari, the Palestinian filmmaker known for Port of Memory and Recollection, uses cinema as an archival tool against erasure. The film screens in London following its appearance at the Toronto festival.
Radius Catastrophe
Part of the Experimenta selection, Jad Youssef’s short is described as a coastal odyssey in which an alien figure drifts along the Lebanese shoreline. The 19-minute film situates Lebanon’s landscape as a site of myth, memory and transformation.
Morning Circle
Also screening in the Experimenta selection, Basma Al Sharif’s 18-minute short explores image, repetition and resistance. The Palestinian filmmaker, long celebrated for gallery and festival work, uses formal precision to probe the politics embedded in everyday routines and gestures.
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Freezer tips
- Always make sure food is completely cool before freezing.
- If you’re cooking in large batches, divide into either family-sized or individual portions to freeze.
- Ensure the food is well wrapped in foil or cling film. Even better, store in fully sealable, labelled containers or zip-lock freezer bags.
- The easiest and safest way to defrost items such as the stews and sauces mentioned is to do so in the fridge for several hours or overnight.
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
Other simple ideas for sushi rice dishes
Cheat’s nigiri
This is easier to make than sushi rolls. With damp hands, form the cooled rice into small tablet shapes. Place slices of fresh, raw salmon, mackerel or trout (or smoked salmon) lightly touched with wasabi, then press, wasabi side-down, onto the rice. Serve with soy sauce and pickled ginger.
Easy omurice
This fusion dish combines Asian fried rice with a western omelette. To make, fry cooked and cooled sushi rice with chopped vegetables such as carrot and onion and lashings of sweet-tangy ketchup, then wrap in a soft egg omelette.
Deconstructed sushi salad platter
This makes a great, fuss-free sharing meal. Arrange sushi rice on a platter or board, then fill the space with all your favourite sushi ingredients (edamame beans, cooked prawns or tuna, tempura veggies, pickled ginger and chilli tofu), with a dressing or dipping sauce on the side.
Key products and UAE prices
iPhone XS
With a 5.8-inch screen, it will be an advance version of the iPhone X. It will be dual sim and comes with better battery life, a faster processor and better camera. A new gold colour will be available.
Price: Dh4,229
iPhone XS Max
It is expected to be a grander version of the iPhone X with a 6.5-inch screen; an inch bigger than the screen of the iPhone 8 Plus.
Price: Dh4,649
iPhone XR
A low-cost version of the iPhone X with a 6.1-inch screen, it is expected to attract mass attention. According to industry experts, it is likely to have aluminium edges instead of stainless steel.
Price: Dh3,179
Apple Watch Series 4
More comprehensive health device with edge-to-edge displays that are more than 30 per cent bigger than displays on current models.
What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
Four reasons global stock markets are falling right now
There are many factors worrying investors right now and triggering a rush out of stock markets. Here are four of the biggest:
1. Rising US interest rates
The US Federal Reserve has increased interest rates three times this year in a bid to prevent its buoyant economy from overheating. They now stand at between 2 and 2.25 per cent and markets are pencilling in three more rises next year.
Kim Catechis, manager of the Legg Mason Martin Currie Global Emerging Markets Fund, says US inflation is rising and the Fed will continue to raise rates in 2019. “With inflationary pressures growing, an increasing number of corporates are guiding profitability expectations downwards for 2018 and 2019, citing the negative impact of rising costs.”
At the same time as rates are rising, central bankers in the US and Europe have been ending quantitative easing, bringing the era of cheap money to an end.
2. Stronger dollar
High US rates have driven up the value of the dollar and bond yields, and this is putting pressure on emerging market countries that took advantage of low interest rates to run up trillions in dollar-denominated debt. They have also suffered capital outflows as international investors have switched to the US, driving markets lower. Omar Negyal, portfolio manager of the JP Morgan Global Emerging Markets Income Trust, says this looks like a buying opportunity. “Despite short-term volatility we remain positive about long-term prospects and profitability for emerging markets.”
3. Global trade war
Ritu Vohora, investment director at fund manager M&G, says markets fear that US President Donald Trump’s spat with China will escalate into a full-blown global trade war, with both sides suffering. “The US economy is robust enough to absorb higher input costs now, but this may not be the case as tariffs escalate. However, with a host of factors hitting investor sentiment, this is becoming a stock picker’s market.”
4. Eurozone uncertainty
Europe faces two challenges right now in the shape of Brexit and the new populist government in eurozone member Italy.
Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at IG, which has offices in Dubai, says the stand-off between between Rome and Brussels threatens to become much more serious. "As with Brexit, neither side appears willing to step back from the edge, threatening more trouble down the line.”
The European economy may also be slowing, Mr Beauchamp warns. “A four-year low in eurozone manufacturing confidence highlights the fact that producers see a bumpy road ahead, with US-EU trade talks remaining a major question-mark for exporters.”
2019 ASIAN CUP FINAL
Japan v Qatar
Friday, 6pm
Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Liverpool's all-time goalscorers
Ian Rush 346
Roger Hunt 285
Mohamed Salah 250
Gordon Hodgson 241
Billy Liddell 228
The five pillars of Islam
Breaking News: The Remaking of Journalism and Why It Matters Now
Alan Rushbridger, Canongate
