Middle Eastern identity and culture were the focus of eight thought-provoking films at the launch of a Mena Arts UK event on Friday.
The filmmakers were selected to show their films following a competition last year by Mena Arts UK, a newly established organisation aimed at promoting film and theatre professionals connected to Mena+, a term for the region that includes the Middle East, North Africa and surrounding countries.
Participating artists used animation, poetry and dance in minute-long films examining issues such as media representation, identity and politics.
Each artist received £1,000 ($1,366) to create their work.
A film by Amina Atiq, a British-Yemeni woman from Liverpool, showed her reading a poem about coffee, which she used as a metaphor to express solidarity across the Arab world. Originally brought from Africa to Yemen by traders, coffee is enjoyed at funerals and weddings across the region.
Her poem expressed the pain of war and focused particularly on coffee farmers, who have struggled during the conflict in Yemen.
“I think we need to take time to heal and to reflect. So there is still a sense of rage and pain we're trying to navigate.”
Majid Adin, an animator who fled to Britain from Iran in 2016, presented his abstract work A Cube in Love, which drew on Iran's tradition of poetry and Middle Eastern philosophy. Jida Akil's piece examined her Lebanese and Syrian background and growing up as a "third culture kid".
Other winner included London-born Peyvand Sadeghian, an actor, puppeteer and theatre-maker and Nooriyah Qais a DJ, presenter and filmmaker.
Films from May Ziade, a French-Lebanese filmmaker, and Maral Mamaghanizadeh, an Iranian artist whose work explores being deaf, female and a refugee.
Sepy Baghaei, an Iranian theatre director who serves as co-vice chair for Mena Arts UK, said she was blown away by the standard of the projects.
"Our winning eight ideas are an eclectic mix and feature animation, set design, poetry and music. Their makers are from all around the country – including Liverpool and the West Midlands – and are connected to Mena regions including Iran, Palestine, Syria, Yemen and Lebanon. I am so excited to see these films come to life and to share their celebrations of Mena+ identity with a wider audience."
MENA Arts is part funded by the Film and TV Charity and Arts Council England. You can watch the films here.
Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
The Byblos iftar in numbers
29 or 30 days – the number of iftar services held during the holy month
50 staff members required to prepare an iftar
200 to 350 the number of people served iftar nightly
160 litres of the traditional Ramadan drink, jalab, is served in total
500 litres of soup is served during the holy month
200 kilograms of meat is used for various dishes
350 kilograms of onion is used in dishes
5 minutes – the average time that staff have to eat
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
