Robin Wright in a scene from 'Land', her directorial debut which will premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. AP
Robin Wright in a scene from 'Land', her directorial debut which will premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. AP
Robin Wright in a scene from 'Land', her directorial debut which will premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. AP
Robin Wright in a scene from 'Land', her directorial debut which will premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. AP

10 female directors paving the way for women in Hollywood in 2021


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Last year was one to forget for pretty much everyone on the planet. But there were some positives  such as the fact it proved to be a milestone year for female filmmakers. The Centre for the Study of Women in Television and Film at San Diego State University revealed that 16 per cent of directors who worked on the 100 highest-grossing films of last year were women. That's up from 12 per cent in 2019 and 4 per cent in 2018.

Birds of Prey's Cathy Yan, Wonder Woman 1984's Patty Jenkins and Emma's Autumn de Wilde are only a few of the creatives to have altered the gender imbalance that has pervaded Hollywood for years. And there are more to look forward to.

Here are the names (and their films), to look out for this year.

Kay Cannon: 'Cinderella'

You might not have heard of US screenwriter Kay Cannon, but you'll almost certainly know her work. A writer on TV series 30 Rock and New Girl, she moved into films with the Pitch Perfect trilogy, before directing the 2018 hit comedy Blockers, starring John Cena and Leslie Mann. Cannon's latest seemingly brings together all of her sensibilities, as she has written and directed a musical romantic comedy take on Cinderella. The film stars Camila Cabello, Billy Porter, Idina Menzel, James Corden, John Mulaney, Minnie Driver and Pierce Brosnan.

Robin Wright: 'Land'

US actress Robin Wright's feature-length directorial debut has been a long time coming. Not only did she become a Hollywood treasure at the age of 21, thanks to her performance in The Princess Bride, but over the past few years she directed a short film, as well as 10 episodes of House of Cards, in which she stars. Land, in which Wright also stars, revolves around a woman who has to become comfortable with living again after a near-death experience in the wilderness. It will have its debut at the Sundance Film Festival this month.

Jane Campion: 'The Power of the Dog'

Director Jane Campion. WireImage
Director Jane Campion. WireImage

As New Zealander Jane Campion is one of only five women to be nominated for a Best Director Academy Award, any new film by her is met with huge anticipation. What's even more exciting about The Power of the Dog is that she has lined up such a formidable cast, because The Piano, Bright Star and In the Cut director always manages to eke out incredible performances from her actors. We'll get to see what Campion achieves with Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons and Kodi Smit-McPhee, when the family drama hopefully hits Netflix towards the end of the year.

Jasmila Zbanic: 'Quo Vadis, Aida?'

Her film Grbavica achieved great success at the 2006 Berlin Film Festival, where it won the prestigious Golden Bear accolade, as well as the Ecumenical Jury and Peace Film prizes. Jasmila Zbanic's subsequent films, On the Path and For Those Who Can Tell No Tales, were also prime showcases for her ability to make uniquely captivating and emotional dramas. Quo Vadis, Aida?, the Bosnian director's first film in six years, might eclipse them all, as her depiction of a UN translator trying to save her family during the Srebrenica massacre immediately drew critical acclaim after its Venice and Toronto Film Festival screenings.

Melanie Laurent: 'The Nightingale'

Primarily recognised as the star of Inglourious Basterds, Beginners and 6 Underground, French actress Melanie Laurent has spent the past 12 years working on a variety of films as a director. These have included shorts, documentaries and award-winning features, which makes her adaptation of Second World War drama The Nightingale all the more intriguing, especially since it stars Dakota and Elle Fanning as sisters. The prolific Laurent is already shooting her follow-up, too, the thriller The Mad Woman's Ball, which she wrote and will also star in.

Chloe Zhao: 'Eternals'

Chloe Zhao will helm the Marvel film, 'The Eternals'. AP
Chloe Zhao will helm the Marvel film, 'The Eternals'. AP

There is an awful lot of buzz surrounding Chloe Zhao. Not only has her latest film, Nomadland, been touted as one of the front-runners for an Oscar, but her follow-up, Eternals, just so happens to be the latest $200 million instalment to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This underlines the versatility of the Chinese director, who is likely to bring a quiet majesty to Marvel while also imbuing the required spectacle and action with her unique vision.

Naomi Kawase: 'True Mothers'

Naomi Kawase was supposed to have a busy summer. But although her plans to oversee the official film for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics were delayed by a year, at least she could bask in the positive response to True Mothers after its Cannes Film Festival debut. The film revolves around two new parents who worry that the birth mother of their adopted 5-year-old wants her child back. Reviews suggest the drama is yet further proof that Japanese director Kawase, who rose to prominence as a documentarian, continues to get more confident and formidable as a narrative director.

Nia DaCosta: 'Candyman'

When Candyman's trailer hit audiences in February last year, they couldn't help but be excited by what US director Nia DaCosta was going to bring to the horror genre. Those who saw DaCosta's 2018 feature debut Little Woods (a crime thriller starring Tessa Thompson and Lily James) were already aware of the talents that helped land her the role of directing the latest iteration of Candyman. And it appears DaCosta has done a good job, as she has been hired to oversee Captain Marvel 2.

Cate Shortland: 'Black Widow'

Scarlett Johansson's farewell to the Marvel Cinematic Universe could not be in safer hands, as Australian writer and director Cate Shortland has spent the best part of 25 years honing her craft on everything from short films to television series, all while also overseeing the feature films Somersault, Lore and Berlin Syndrome. Each of these have thrived at film festivals, gaining recognition at Cannes, Stockholm and Sundance, respectively.

Haifaa Al Mansour: 'The Selection'

Saudi Arabian director Haifaa Al Mansour. EPA
Saudi Arabian director Haifaa Al Mansour. EPA

Saudi Arabian filmmaker Haifaa Al Mansour's debut feature film Wadjda, released in 2012, instantly established her as one of the most exciting and original voices in world cinema. This made it all the more frustrating that it took five years for her second film to arrive. Luckily for cinephiles, she quickly followed up 2017's Mary Shelley with Nappily Ever After for Netflix in 2018, and then the acclaimed drama The Perfect Candidate in 2019. In April last year, it was announced that Al Mansour would reunite with Netflix for The Selection, an adaptation of Kiera Cass's sci-fi romance novel, which she will undoubtedly inject with the style and heart that have defined her past films.

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Infiniti QX80 specs

Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6

Power: 450hp

Torque: 700Nm

Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000

Available: Now

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

First Person
Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus 

Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Performance: the specs

Engine: 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 plus rear-mounted electric motor

Power: 843hp at N/A rpm

Torque: 1470Nm N/A rpm

Transmission: 9-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 8.6L/100km

On sale: October to December

Price: From Dh875,000 (estimate)

'The worst thing you can eat'

Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.

Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines: 

Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.

Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.

Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.

Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.

Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.

Gothia Cup 2025

4,872 matches 

1,942 teams

116 pitches

76 nations

26 UAE teams

15 Lebanese teams

2 Kuwaiti teams

WISH
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Our family matters legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

The advice provided in our columns does not constitute legal advice and is provided for information only. Readers are encouraged to seek independent legal advice. 

ICC Intercontinental Cup

UAE squad Rohan Mustafa (captain), Chirag Suri, Shaiman Anwar, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Saqlain Haider, Ahmed Raza, Mohammed Naveed, Imran Haider, Qadeer Ahmed, Mohammed Boota, Amir Hayat, Ashfaq Ahmed

Fixtures Nov 29-Dec 2

UAE v Afghanistan, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Hong Kong v Papua New Guinea, Sharjah Cricket Stadium

Ireland v Scotland, Dubai International Stadium

Namibia v Netherlands, ICC Academy, Dubai

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The specs

Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo

Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed

Power: 271 and 409 horsepower

Torque: 385 and 650Nm

Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000

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EPL's youngest
  • Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal)
    15 years, 181 days old
  • Max Dowman (Arsenal)
    15 years, 235 days old
  • Jeremy Monga (Leicester)
    15 years, 271 days old
  • Harvey Elliott (Fulham)
    16 years, 30 days old
  • Matthew Briggs (Fulham)
    16 years, 68 days old
Fast%20X
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Company profile

Company: Rent Your Wardrobe 

Date started: May 2021 

Founder: Mamta Arora 

Based: Dubai 

Sector: Clothes rental subscription 

Stage: Bootstrapped, self-funded 

The specs

Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6

Power: 400hp

Torque: 475Nm

Transmission: 9-speed automatic

Price: From Dh215,900

On sale: Now

Fixtures (all times UAE)

Saturday
Brescia v Atalanta (6pm)
Genoa v Torino (9pm)
Fiorentina v Lecce (11.45pm)

Sunday
Juventus v Sassuolo (3.30pm)
Inter Milan v SPAL (6pm)
Lazio v Udinese (6pm)
Parma v AC Milan (6pm)
Napoli v Bologna (9pm)
Verona v AS Roma (11.45pm)

Monday
Cagliari v Sampdoria (11.45pm)

World Series

Game 1: Red Sox 8, Dodgers 4
Game 2: Red Sox 4, Dodgers 2
Game 3: Saturday (UAE)

* if needed

Game 4: Sunday
Game 5: Monday
Game 6: Wednesday
Game 7: Thursday

Farage on Muslim Brotherhood

Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.

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UK%20record%20temperature
%3Cp%3E38.7C%20(101.7F)%20set%20in%20Cambridge%20in%202019%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

Company profile

Name: Fruitful Day

Founders: Marie-Christine Luijckx, Lyla Dalal AlRawi, Lindsey Fournie

Based: Dubai, UAE

Founded: 2015

Number of employees: 30

Sector: F&B

Funding so far: Dh3 million

Future funding plans: None at present

Future markets: Saudi Arabia, potentially Kuwait and other GCC countries