John Malkovich is set to join Diana Lane in Disney's upcoming racehorse drama, Secretariat, The Hollywood Reporter writes. Malkovich will play Lucien Laurin, a jockey well known to American equestrians for training the horse (named Secretariat) that won America's 1973 Triple Crown race. To be directed by Randall Wallace, Secretariat will focus on the relationship between the horse and its owner, Penny Chenery (Lane), a housewife who knew nothing about racing when she took over her ailing father's farm in Virginia. Malkovich's recent films include the Coen Brothers' Burn After Reading and the Clint Eastwood drama, Changeling.
The Iraqi film In the Sands of Babylon has taken the top prize at San Sebastian's recent Cinema in Motion showcase for films from the Arab world and Portuguese-speaking Africa. Mohamed al Daradji's film shows the descent into hell for an Iraqi soldier who was captured on the so-called Highway of Death in 1991 as he returned from Kuwait. Other films taking part in the San Sebastian event include Imam Kamel's Nomad Home and the Palestinian director Kamal Aljafari's Port of Memory, which tells the story of a Bedouin woman who flaunts her tribe's traditions by studying, working and then marrying an Egyptian. Shot in a documentary style, the film is set in a militarised zone between Egypt and Israel. Al Daradji's sequel to In The Sands, Son of Babylon, will world premiere in competition at the Middle East International Film Festival in Abu Dhabi.
Stephanie Szostak, previously seen in The Devil Wears Prada, has been cast as the female lead in the upcoming Paramount comedy, Dinner for Schmucks, Variety reports. Jay Roach, will direct the film, which revolves around what the trade paper calls the "most pathetic" guy invited to a weekly dinner party hosted by a friend. Szostak joins Steve Carell, Zach Galifianakis, Lucy Punch, and Paul Rudd in the film, which is based on a French comedy. Schmucks begins filming this autumn for a summer 2010 release.
The trend of turning toys into feature films is getting a female touch with Universal Pictures acquiring rights to the world's best-loved doll, Barbie. The studio plans to create a live-action movie based on Mattel's best-known brand, which remains the number-one toy for girls after 50 years on the market. Mattel's Richard Dickson will serve as an executive producer on the film. The producer Laurence Mark is looking for writers. In most cases, storylines for films based on toys, such as the recent box-office hit Transformers, have to be created entirely from scratch. Let's hope the writers don't forget Ken.
India has submitted Harishchandrachi Factory, a regional film about the making of India's first feature film to represent the country in this year's foreign-Oscar race, The Hollywood Reporter writes. Directed by Paresh Mokashi, the film tells the story of India's godfather of cinema, Saheb Phalke as he travelled to London to learn about filmmaking before shooting Raja Harischandra in 1913. Harishandrachi is only the second Marathi-language film India has submitted to the Oscars. The first was the 2004 title Shwaas. Regional films remain a strong business in India despite strong competition from Bollywood. The Bollywood films Fashion, Dev D, Delhi 6, New York and Kaminey were among 12 features under consideration to represent the country at the annual Academy Awards.
Paul Dano has signed on to play a scientist in Fox's untitled action-comedy, formerly known as Wichita. James Mangold (Walk The Line) will direct the film which co-stars Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz as an FBI agent and a wholesome Midwestern woman who get caught up in a case revolving around one of Dano's mad inventions. according to The Hollywood Reporter. Cathy Konrad, Todd Garner, Steve Pink and Joe Roth are producing for the studio. Filming is to begin in Boston next month.
Warner Bros is hatching plans for a sequel to its new Sherlock Holmes franchise ahead of its December launch, Variety reports. The studio has hired the writing team of Kieran and Michele Mulroney to pen the script for the sequel, which will be based on the classic Sherlock Holmes stories from Arthur Conan Doyle and on the comic book Sherlock Holmes. Guy Ritche directs the first film in the franchise, which stars Jude Law, Rachel McAdams and Robert Downey Jr.
Forced Deportations
While the Lebanese government has deported a number of refugees back to Syria since 2011, the latest round is the first en-mass campaign of its kind, say the Access Center for Human Rights, a non-governmental organization which monitors the conditions of Syrian refugees in Lebanon.
“In the past, the Lebanese General Security was responsible for the forced deportation operations of refugees, after forcing them to sign papers stating that they wished to return to Syria of their own free will. Now, the Lebanese army, specifically military intelligence, is responsible for the security operation,” said Mohammad Hasan, head of ACHR.
In just the first four months of 2023 the number of forced deportations is nearly double that of the entirety of 2022.
Since the beginning of 2023, ACHR has reported 407 forced deportations – 200 of which occurred in April alone.
In comparison, just 154 people were forcfully deported in 2022.
Violence
Instances of violence against Syrian refugees are not uncommon.
Just last month, security camera footage of men violently attacking and stabbing an employee at a mini-market went viral. The store’s employees had engaged in a verbal altercation with the men who had come to enforce an order to shutter shops, following the announcement of a municipal curfew for Syrian refugees.
“They thought they were Syrian,” said the mayor of the Nahr el Bared municipality, Charbel Bou Raad, of the attackers.
It later emerged the beaten employees were Lebanese. But the video was an exemplary instance of violence at a time when anti-Syrian rhetoric is particularly heated as Lebanese politicians call for the return of Syrian refugees to Syria.
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Blah
Started: 2018
Founder: Aliyah Al Abbar and Hend Al Marri
Based: Dubai
Industry: Technology and talent management
Initial investment: Dh20,000
Investors: Self-funded
Total customers: 40
Company Profile
Company name: EduPloyment
Date started: March 2020
Co-Founders: Mazen Omair and Rana Batterjee
Base: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Recruitment
Size: 30 employees
Investment stage: Pre-Seed
Investors: Angel investors (investment amount undisclosed)
Company profile
Company name: Letswork
Started: 2018
Based: Dubai
Founders: Omar Almheiri, Hamza Khan
Sector: co-working spaces
Investment stage: $2.1 million in a seed round with investors including 500 Global, The Space, DTEC Ventures and other angel investors
Number of employees: about 20
BACK TO ALEXANDRIA
Director: Tamer Ruggli
Starring: Nadine Labaki, Fanny Ardant
Rating: 3.5/5
Other key dates
-
Finals draw: December 2
-
Finals (including semi-finals and third-placed game): June 5–9, 2019
-
Euro 2020 play-off draw: November 22, 2019
-
Euro 2020 play-offs: March 26–31, 2020
The Iron Claw
Director: Sean Durkin
Starring: Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, Harris Dickinson, Maura Tierney, Holt McCallany, Lily James
Rating: 4/5
1,000 Books to Read Before You Die: A Life-Changing List
James Mustich, Workman
Ways to control drones
Countries have been coming up with ways to restrict and monitor the use of non-commercial drones to keep them from trespassing on controlled areas such as airports.
"Drones vary in size and some can be as big as a small city car - so imagine the impact of one hitting an airplane. It's a huge risk, especially when commercial airliners are not designed to make or take sudden evasive manoeuvres like drones can" says Saj Ahmed, chief analyst at London-based StrategicAero Research.
New measures have now been taken to monitor drone activity, Geo-fencing technology is one.
It's a method designed to prevent drones from drifting into banned areas. The technology uses GPS location signals to stop its machines flying close to airports and other restricted zones.
The European commission has recently announced a blueprint to make drone use in low-level airspace safe, secure and environmentally friendly. This process is called “U-Space” – it covers altitudes of up to 150 metres. It is also noteworthy that that UK Civil Aviation Authority recommends drones to be flown at no higher than 400ft. “U-Space” technology will be governed by a system similar to air traffic control management, which will be automated using tools like geo-fencing.
The UAE has drawn serious measures to ensure users register their devices under strict new laws. Authorities have urged that users must obtain approval in advance before flying the drones, non registered drone use in Dubai will result in a fine of up to twenty thousand dirhams under a new resolution approved by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai.
Mr Ahmad suggest that "Hefty fines running into hundreds of thousands of dollars need to compensate for the cost of airport disruption and flight diversions to lengthy jail spells, confiscation of travel rights and use of drones for a lengthy period" must be enforced in order to reduce airport intrusion.
Kandahar
Director: Ric Roman Waugh
Stars: Gerard Butler, Navid Negahban, Ali Fazal
Rating: 2.5/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
SPECS
Engine: 4-litre V8 twin-turbo
Power: 630hp
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: 8-speed Tiptronic automatic
Price: From Dh599,000
On sale: Now
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Xpanceo
Started: 2018
Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality
Funding: $40 million
Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Haltia.ai
Started: 2023
Co-founders: Arto Bendiken and Talal Thabet
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: AI
Number of employees: 41
Funding: About $1.7 million
Investors: Self, family and friends
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.