• 'The Cage' is Netflix's first Kuwaiti project. All Photos: Netflix
    'The Cage' is Netflix's first Kuwaiti project. All Photos: Netflix
  • The show comes out on Netflix on September 23.
    The show comes out on Netflix on September 23.
  • The light-hearted show stars several beloved Kuwaiti stars including Khaled Ameen, Hussain AlMahdi and Rawan Mahdi.
    The light-hearted show stars several beloved Kuwaiti stars including Khaled Ameen, Hussain AlMahdi and Rawan Mahdi.
  • AlMahdi and Mahdi play a married couple going through counselling.
    AlMahdi and Mahdi play a married couple going through counselling.
  • The series follows the couple and the evolution of their relationship across 10 years.
    The series follows the couple and the evolution of their relationship across 10 years.

'The Cage': Netflix announces first Kuwaiti series


Razmig Bedirian
  • English
  • Arabic

Netflix’s first Kuwaiti project will be a dramedy following the highs and lows of marital life.

The series, titled The Cage, will be released on the streaming platform on September 23. The show features several popular Kuwaiti talents including Khaled Ameen, Hussain AlMahdi, Rawan Mahdi, Lamya Tareq and Hessah Al-Nabhan.

Ameen portrays a social counsellor who is working with a married couple — played by AlMahdi and Mahdi — to help them better communicate and empathise with each other in an effort to save their marriage. However, as the counsellor helps them rekindle their relationship, he faces struggles in his own personal life as well.

The show puts family life under the spotlight. Photo: Netflix
The show puts family life under the spotlight. Photo: Netflix

The eight-episode show will trace the evolution of their relationships across a decade. With its light-hearted tone, the series aims to offer a fresh take on how marital challenges are portrayed in Arab drama.

The Cage is produced by Abdullah Boushahri, who is known for Europa and Al Namous. It is directed by Jasem Al-Muhanna, the filmmaker behind Alnamous, a Kuwaiti show set in the 1970s that revolves around the mysterious disappearance of a wealthy businessman and patriarch.

This project is only the beginning of Netflix’s ambitions in Kuwait. The streaming platform has announced it is working on another project set in the Gulf country. However, though it promises to star several high-profile talents and will be full of “exciting twists and turns”, Netflix is being tight-lipped about what the show, or film, will be about.

Netflix has been behind a number of Arabic Original series, starting with 2019's Jinn, which was directed by Mir-Jean Bou Chaaya and Amin Matalqa, and AlRawabi School for Girls, directed by Tima Shomali, which was a hit when it came out in 2021.

Over the past two years, the streaming platform has also increased its library of Arabic films, creating collections to promote award-winning features and shorts.

Earlier this year, it released an Arabic remake of Perfect Strangers, starring Lebanese director and actress Nadine Labaki, Egyptian star Mona Zaki, Eyad Nassar, as well as Georges Khabbaz, Adel Karam, Fouad Yammine and Diamand Bou Abboud.

'Mo', a landmark Netflix series filled with humour and authenticity — in pictures

  • Palestinian-American comedian Mo Amer stars in 'Mo', now available on Netflix. All photos: Netflix
    Palestinian-American comedian Mo Amer stars in 'Mo', now available on Netflix. All photos: Netflix
  • Mo Amer plays Mo, a Palestinian-American who is fired from his job at a tech shop because his boss worried that the business will be the target of immigration authorities.
    Mo Amer plays Mo, a Palestinian-American who is fired from his job at a tech shop because his boss worried that the business will be the target of immigration authorities.
  • Mo, a charismatic and charming guy, decides to sell counterfeit products from the boot of his car in order to provide for his family.
    Mo, a charismatic and charming guy, decides to sell counterfeit products from the boot of his car in order to provide for his family.
  • From left, Mo's mother Yusra, played by Farah Bsieso, Mo's elder brother Sameer played by Omar Elba, and Mo Amer who stars as Mo.
    From left, Mo's mother Yusra, played by Farah Bsieso, Mo's elder brother Sameer played by Omar Elba, and Mo Amer who stars as Mo.
  • The Najir family in 'Mo' were forced to flee Palestine in the 1940s and were displaced again in the 1990s during the Gulf War and left Kuwait for Houston, where they have lived awaiting for their asylum claim to be heard in court for 22 years.
    The Najir family in 'Mo' were forced to flee Palestine in the 1940s and were displaced again in the 1990s during the Gulf War and left Kuwait for Houston, where they have lived awaiting for their asylum claim to be heard in court for 22 years.
  • Mo's older brother Sameer, played by Omar Elba, is on the autism spectrum.
    Mo's older brother Sameer, played by Omar Elba, is on the autism spectrum.
  • Mo and his Catholic Mexican girlfriend Maria, played by Teresa Ruiz.
    Mo and his Catholic Mexican girlfriend Maria, played by Teresa Ruiz.
  • Maria is an intricate part of Mo's support system. She's a capable business owner who suffers from her own family trauma and is eager to impress Mo's mother who would prefer that Mo date a Muslim woman.
    Maria is an intricate part of Mo's support system. She's a capable business owner who suffers from her own family trauma and is eager to impress Mo's mother who would prefer that Mo date a Muslim woman.
  • Intergenerational and cross-cultural humour are woven into the serious themes of displacement and identity that Mo grapples with in his day-to-day life.
    Intergenerational and cross-cultural humour are woven into the serious themes of displacement and identity that Mo grapples with in his day-to-day life.
  • Mo bonds with Mexican workers in an olive grove in Houston, Texas, another place he attempts to work in without legal documentation.
    Mo bonds with Mexican workers in an olive grove in Houston, Texas, another place he attempts to work in without legal documentation.
  • Mo tells a saleswoman selling chocolate hummus to taste olive oil from Palestine.
    Mo tells a saleswoman selling chocolate hummus to taste olive oil from Palestine.
  • Palestine and politics are debated in shisha-smoking cafes over a game of backgammon or cards, in 'Mo'.
    Palestine and politics are debated in shisha-smoking cafes over a game of backgammon or cards, in 'Mo'.

Tori Amos
Native Invader
Decca

Groom and Two Brides

Director: Elie Semaan

Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla

Rating: 3/5

Ferrari 12Cilindri specs

Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12

Power: 819hp

Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm

Price: From Dh1,700,000

Available: Now

THE CLOWN OF GAZA

Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah 

Starring: Alaa Meqdad

Rating: 4/5

The 12 Syrian entities delisted by UK 

Ministry of Interior
Ministry of Defence
General Intelligence Directorate
Air Force Intelligence Agency
Political Security Directorate
Syrian National Security Bureau
Military Intelligence Directorate
Army Supply Bureau
General Organisation of Radio and TV
Al Watan newspaper
Cham Press TV
Sama TV

The specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLA

Price, base / as tested Dh150,900 / Dh173,600

Engine 2.0L inline four-cylinder

Transmission Seven-speed automatic

Power 211hp @ 5,500rpm

Torque 350Nm @ 1,200rpm

Fuel economy, combined 6.4L / 100km

First Person
Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus 

PAKISTAN v SRI LANKA

Twenty20 International series
Thu Oct 26, 1st T20I, Abu Dhabi
Fri Oct 27, 2nd T20I, Abu Dhabi
Sun Oct 29, 3rd T20I, Lahore

Tickets are available at www.q-tickets.com

MIDWAY

Produced: Lionsgate Films, Shanghai Ryui Entertainment, Street Light Entertainment
Directed: Roland Emmerich
Cast: Ed Skrein, Woody Harrelson, Dennis Quaid, Aaron Eckhart, Luke Evans, Nick Jonas, Mandy Moore, Darren Criss
Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Company Fact Box

Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019

Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO

Based: Amman, Jordan

Sector: Education Technology

Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed

Stage: early-stage startup 

Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.

The White Lotus: Season three

Creator: Mike White

Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell

Rating: 4.5/5

The five new places of worship

Church of South Indian Parish

St Andrew's Church Mussaffah branch

St Andrew's Church Al Ain branch

St John's Baptist Church, Ruwais

Church of the Virgin Mary and St Paul the Apostle, Ruwais

 

Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EHakbah%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2018%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENaif%20AbuSaida%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESaudi%20Arabia%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E22%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%24200%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Epre-Series%20A%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EGlobal%20Ventures%20and%20Aditum%20Investment%20Management%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

21 Lessons for the 21st Century

Yuval Noah Harari, Jonathan Cape
 

THE%20STRANGERS'%20CASE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20Brandt%20Andersen%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EOmar%20Sy%2C%20Jason%20Beghe%2C%20Angeliki%20Papoulia%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
GAC GS8 Specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh149,900

Updated: September 01, 2022, 12:59 PM