In this week’s episode of Culture Bites podcast, hosts Enas Refaei and Farah Andrews discuss how celebrities around the world are showing solidarity for Gaza on awards show red carpets, with many actors and actresses calling for a ceasefire. Stars who have spoken out about the war include American actor Mark Ruffalo and Spanish artists at the recent Goya Awards.
The hosts also talk about Al Yamaniah, a new publication founded by Yemeni-British singer Noha Al Maghafi, aka Intibint, which spotlights Yemeni female creatives and aims to create a space for the work of established and upcoming artists.
Enas and Farah then discuss Saltburn, a recently-released thriller comedy movie, sharing their impressions and rating it. They also enthuse over Netflix’s new limited series, One Day, and the trailer for Ariana Grande’s musical film Wicked.
Arts and culture reporter Maan Jalal joins the conversation to talk about his favourite performances from Perform Sharjah, where 16 artists from diverse disciplines are giving a variety of live performances. He also lists some of the big names appearing this weekend at one of the UAE's most anticipated music festivals, Untold Dubai.
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
THE TWIN BIO
Their favourite city: Dubai
Their favourite food: Khaleeji
Their favourite past-time : walking on the beach
Their favorite quote: ‘we rise by lifting others’ by Robert Ingersoll
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)
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Revibe
Started: 2022
Founders: Hamza Iraqui and Abdessamad Ben Zakour
Based: UAE
Industry: Refurbished electronics
Funds raised so far: $10m
Investors: Flat6Labs, Resonance and various others
The biog
First Job: Abu Dhabi Department of Petroleum in 1974
Current role: Chairperson of Al Maskari Holding since 2008
Career high: Regularly cited on Forbes list of 100 most powerful Arab Businesswomen
Achievement: Helped establish Al Maskari Medical Centre in 1969 in Abu Dhabi’s Western Region
Future plan: Will now concentrate on her charitable work
Ramez Gab Min El Akher
Creator: Ramez Galal
Starring: Ramez Galal
Streaming on: MBC Shahid
Rating: 2.5/5
Herc's Adventures
Developer: Big Ape Productions
Publisher: LucasArts
Console: PlayStation 1 & 5, Sega Saturn
Rating: 4/5