This month promises to be a great one for lovers of European cinema as the debut European Film Screenings programme brings the best movies from across the continent to Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
The week-long event, which begins on September 18 in the capital and the following day in Dubai, is something of a first. It is being led by the Italian Embassy in the UAE and an EU delegation to the UAE and presented in collaboration with the Abu Dhabi Film Festival (ADFF), the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) and 12 other European embassies.
This means that film buffs can look forward to movies from Italy, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Poland, the Czech Republic, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Sweden and Austria.
The programme will open with the Italian director Poalo Sorrentino's La Grande Belleza, which won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film at this year's Academy Awards.
It also features highlights such as Julien Temple's cut-and-paste homage to the English capital London: The Modern Babylon; Andrzej Wajda's biopic about Lech Walesa, the Polish politician and human-rights activist, Walesa: Man of Hope; and a personal favourite, Wolfgang Becker's Good Bye Lenin!
Meanwhile, ADFF and DIFF will select some of the best Emirati shorts from their extensive archives, to screen in Abu Dhabi and Dubai alongside each day’s European movies.
Among the selections are Nayla Al Khaja's critically acclaimed Arabana (September 23, Dubai) and Hani Kichi's global-award-winning animation Ostora (September 23, Abu Dhabi).
All of the European movies will screen in both cities. The programmes are the same but will screen in Dubai at the Mercato Mall cinema a day after the Abu Dhabi screenings, which will be at Vox Cinemas in Marina Mall.
Another intriguing feature of the programme is a panel discussion titled Cinema Co-Production: Europe and the Way To Go, which will be held on September 20 in Cinema 3 at Abu Dhabi’s Marina Mall. The panel will be chaired by Alessandra Priante, the Italian cultural representative and Eurimages board member, and feature representatives from across Europe including members of the production teams of the Austrian, French and Swedish films that are screening. Local industry figures will also take part, including Nawaf Al Janahi, the filmmaker and Emirati Cinema Campaign founder, DIFF’s Samr Al Marzooqi and ADFF’s Teresa Cavina.
The panel will look at ways in which cross-border co-productions have succeeded in Europe and whether the model could be applied to Arabian Gulf states.
“What better way to celebrate the European Union than cinema?” says Priante, who is coordinating the screenings programme. “Having worked in the sector for so long at European and Council of Europe level, the cinema is one of those areas where cooperation between member states is not only possible but actually encouraged by each of the governments.
“There’s a push through the European Convention for cooperation that means that as a filmmaker, as well as looking for funding from within my own country, I’m able to seek technical, artistic and financial cooperation outside my country through the existing treaties and the film will be recognised as national in all those countries participating, which gives immense added value as the different input that international co-production brings makes the film much more international and makes it appeal to different markets.
“I’m a firm believer that when European co-productions are done well they really work and I’m convinced the Arabian Gulf countries can learn from the model. I really think the UAE can take the lead here.”
All screenings are free and as an added incentive to audiences, voting slips will be handed out to determine an Audience Choice Award winner. One lucky voter drawn at random from the completed slips will win two tickets to Rome, courtesy of the sponsor Etihad Airways.
• The screenings will take place at Vox Cinemas in Marina Mall, Abu Dhabi (September 18 to 24) and at Mercato Mall, Dubai (September 19 to 25). For the full schedule, visit European Film Screenings on Facebook
cnewbould@thenational.ae
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Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
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Notable salonnières of the Middle East through history
Al Khasan (Okaz, Saudi Arabia)
Tamadir bint Amr Al Harith, known simply as Al Khasan, was a poet from Najd famed for elegies, earning great renown for the eulogy of her brothers Mu’awiyah and Sakhr, both killed in tribal wars. Although not a salonnière, this prestigious 7th century poet fostered a culture of literary criticism and could be found standing in the souq of Okaz and reciting her poetry, publicly pronouncing her views and inviting others to join in the debate on scholarship. She later converted to Islam.
Maryana Marrash (Aleppo)
A poet and writer, Marrash helped revive the tradition of the salon and was an active part of the Nadha movement, or Arab Renaissance. Born to an established family in Aleppo in Ottoman Syria in 1848, Marrash was educated at missionary schools in Aleppo and Beirut at a time when many women did not receive an education. After touring Europe, she began to host salons where writers played chess and cards, competed in the art of poetry, and discussed literature and politics. An accomplished singer and canon player, music and dancing were a part of these evenings.
Princess Nazil Fadil (Cairo)
Princess Nazil Fadil gathered religious, literary and political elite together at her Cairo palace, although she stopped short of inviting women. The princess, a niece of Khedive Ismail, believed that Egypt’s situation could only be solved through education and she donated her own property to help fund the first modern Egyptian University in Cairo.
Mayy Ziyadah (Cairo)
Ziyadah was the first to entertain both men and women at her Cairo salon, founded in 1913. The writer, poet, public speaker and critic, her writing explored language, religious identity, language, nationalism and hierarchy. Born in Nazareth, Palestine, to a Lebanese father and Palestinian mother, her salon was open to different social classes and earned comparisons with souq of where Al Khansa herself once recited.
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Stamp duty timeline
December 2014: Former UK finance minister George Osbourne reforms stamp duty, replacing the slab system with a blended rate scheme, with the top rate increasing to 12 per cent from 10 per cent:
Up to £125,000 - 0%; £125,000 to £250,000 – 2%; £250,000 to £925,000 – 5%; £925,000 to £1.5m: 10%; Over £1.5m – 12%
April 2016: New 3% surcharge applied to any buy-to-let properties or additional homes purchased.
July 2020: Rishi Sunak unveils SDLT holiday, with no tax to pay on the first £500,000, with buyers saving up to £15,000.
March 2021: Mr Sunak decides the fate of SDLT holiday at his March 3 budget, with expectations he will extend the perk unti June.
April 2021: 2% SDLT surcharge added to property transactions made by overseas buyers.
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Company: Libra Project
Based: Masdar City, ADGM, London and Delaware
Launch year: 2017
Size: A team of 12 with six employed full-time
Sector: Renewable energy
Funding: $500,000 in Series A funding from family and friends in 2018. A Series B round looking to raise $1.5m is now live.
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TEACHERS' PAY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
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- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
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Full name: Aisha Abdulqader Saeed
Age: 34
Emirate: Dubai
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Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
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Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
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Bournemouth 0
Liverpool 4 (Salah 25', 48', 76', Cook 68' OG)
Man of the match: Andrew Robertson (Liverpool)
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