Film historian and former Abu Dhabi Film Festival chief Peter Scarlet is to curate a new season of screenings and lectures titled The 7th Art at Manarat Al Saadiyat, in association with Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi) and Image Nation Abu Dhabi. Beginning October 11 the series will take place at 7:30pm every other Sunday and all films will be subtitled in Arabic and English. Special additional “7th Art Discovery” screenings will occasionally be presented in different venues, to show how film screenings can transform new places.
The screenings are part of TCA Abu Dhabi’s continuing cultural programme dedicated to developing awareness and understanding of the interdisciplinary role of culture, and the programme’s title is drawn from a manifesto written in 1911, less than 20 years after movies were invented, by Ricciotto Canudo, an Italian theoretician. Canudo surmised that since film is a synthesis of dance, music and poetry (the three temporal arts) and architecture, painting and sculpture (the three spatial arts) it should rightly be classed as the “7th Art.”
Image Nation board member Noura Al Kaabi commented: “Film making and film appreciation is at the heart of Abu Dhabi’s culture and personality. This new platform will teach Abu Dhabi residents about film using the medium of film and will significantly add to the culture of film we have cultivated in the Capital over many years. I hope it will also encourage more young people to explore the power of film as a vehicle for their creativity and their career.”
Image Nation CEO Michael Garin added: “Audience awareness about the film world is a key part of Image Nation’s mission. Improving the public’s understanding of the history of film will enhance their viewing and help to build a film culture here in the UAE.”
The series will kick off on Sunday, October 11 with the first two episodes of The Story of Film: An Odyssey, the acclaimed 15-chapter documentary by the UK's Mark Cousins, exploring the history of filmmaking around the world and how it has evolved.
From there, the twice monthly screenings will alternate between showings of The Story of Film and masterpieces of world cinema presented in the context of the art movements from which they emerged. Several of these screenings will also be accompanied by a brief lecture by a specially invited speaker who will help set the films in their art-historical context.
Other highlights include a digitally remastered version of the classic 1920 silent German Expressionist film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, accompanied by its original orchestral score; The surrealist classic, Luis Bunuel/Salvador Dali collaboration Un Chien Andalou (An Andalucian Dog), and Cubism documentary Picasso and Braque Go to the Movies.
All screenings are free to attend on a first-come-first-served basis. The line up in full is as follows:
10/11 — STORY OF FILM, episodes 1 & 2
10/25 — THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI (Expressionism)
11/8 — STORY OF FILM, episodes 3 & 4
11/24 — FACES OF CHILDREN (Impressionism) (Please note this film will be screened on a Tuesday)
12/6 — STORY OF FILM, episodes 5 & 6
12/20 — BLOOD OF A POET and AN ANDALUSIAN DOG (Surrealism)
01/10 — STORY OF FILM, episodes 7 & 8
01/24 — PICASSO AND BRAQUE GO TO THE MOVIES and BALLET MÉCANIQUE (Cubism)
Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
Sonchiriya
Director: Abhishek Chaubey
Producer: RSVP Movies, Azure Entertainment
Cast: Sushant Singh Rajput, Manoj Bajpayee, Ashutosh Rana, Bhumi Pednekar, Ranvir Shorey
Rating: 3/5
Navdeep Suri, India's Ambassador to the UAE
There has been a longstanding need from the Indian community to have a religious premises where they can practise their beliefs. Currently there is a very, very small temple in Bur Dubai and the community has outgrown this. So this will be a major temple and open to all denominations and a place should reflect India’s diversity.
It fits so well into the UAE’s own commitment to tolerance and pluralism and coming in the year of tolerance gives it that extra dimension.
What we will see on April 20 is the foundation ceremony and we expect a pretty broad cross section of the Indian community to be present, both from the UAE and abroad. The Hindu group that is building the temple will have their holiest leader attending – and we expect very senior representation from the leadership of the UAE.
When the designs were taken to the leadership, there were two clear options. There was a New Jersey model with a rectangular structure with the temple recessed inside so it was not too visible from the outside and another was the Neasden temple in London with the spires in its classical shape. And they said: look we said we wanted a temple so it should look like a temple. So this should be a classical style temple in all its glory.
It is beautifully located - 30 minutes outside of Abu Dhabi and barely 45 minutes to Dubai so it serves the needs of both communities.
This is going to be the big temple where I expect people to come from across the country at major festivals and occasions.
It is hugely important – it will take a couple of years to complete given the scale. It is going to be remarkable and will contribute something not just to the landscape in terms of visual architecture but also to the ethos. Here will be a real representation of UAE’s pluralism.
The Brutalist
Director: Brady Corbet
Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn
Rating: 3.5/5
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
AGL AWARDS
Golden Ball - best Emirati player: Khalfan Mubarak (Al Jazira)
Golden Ball - best foreign player: Igor Coronado (Sharjah)
Golden Glove - best goalkeeper: Adel Al Hosani (Sharjah)
Best Coach - the leader: Abdulaziz Al Anbari (Sharjah)
Fans' Player of the Year: Driss Fetouhi (Dibba)
Golden Boy - best young player: Ali Saleh (Al Wasl)
Best Fans of the Year: Sharjah
Goal of the Year: Michael Ortega (Baniyas)
More on Quran memorisation:
Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
Profile
Company name: Marefa Digital
Based: Dubai Multi Commodities Centre
Number of employees: seven
Sector: e-learning
Funding stage: Pre-seed funding of Dh1.5m in 2017 and an initial seed round of Dh2m in 2019
Investors: Friends and family
BULKWHIZ PROFILE
Date started: February 2017
Founders: Amira Rashad (CEO), Yusuf Saber (CTO), Mahmoud Sayedahmed (adviser), Reda Bouraoui (adviser)
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: E-commerce
Size: 50 employees
Funding: approximately $6m
Investors: Beco Capital, Enabling Future and Wain in the UAE; China's MSA Capital; 500 Startups; Faith Capital and Savour Ventures in Kuwait
