https://arab.news/2dc25
DUBAI: Hollywood star and humanitarian Angelina Jolie this week honored women in Afghanistan, “one year after the fall of the government.”
The 47-year-old actress shared on Instagram an op-ed she wrote for TIME and said: “It cannot end here.”
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In the article, the Oscar winner said: “The daughters of Afghanistan are extraordinary for their strength, resilience, and resourcefulness.”
The actress said that one year ago, Afghan women worked in all fields — being doctors, teachers, police officers and politicians.
“To my Afghan friends, I have faith in you and your resilience and your strength,” wrote Jolie. “I dream of visiting with my daughters, making friends, traveling around your beautiful country, and seeing you free to determine your own future … I know it’s possible. This does not end here.”
DUBAI: One of the most anticipated literary events in the Middle East, the Dubai-based Emirates Airline Festival of Literature — celebrating its 15th anniversary from Feb. 1-6, 2023 — announced its lineup at a glittering event at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Library on Monday evening.
Reflecting this year’s theme, “Old Friends,” the festival is bringing together more than 250 of the world’s writers, with several familiar names from previous editions of the festival.
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The lineup includes Brian Cox, Emmy-award winning patriarch of the hit streaming series “Succession;” authors Cecelia Ahern, Mohsin Hamid, Alexander McCall Smith and Jeffrey Archer; Indian politician Shashi Tharoor, and religious commentator Reza Aslan, who will be in conversation with Omar Saif Ghobash and Malaysian journalist and activist Marina Mahathir; notable Bahraini poet Qasim Haddad and Emirati author and poet Maisoon Saker Al-Qassimi, 2022 winner of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award.
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Highlights
The winner of the 2022 International Booker Prize Geetanjali Shree, who made history as her book “Tomb of Sand” became the first Hindi, Indian and South Asian novel to win the prestigious award, will also make an appearance.
Best-selling author of the “Dark Iceland” series and one of the top Scandinavian authors Ragnar Jónasson will introduce fans to his latest whodunit.
For fans of pop culture, social media sensation and creator of the popular webcomic “Strange Planet” Nathan Pyle will be in attendance. Also attending will be renowned video game writer and journalist Rhianna Pratchett, daughter of late fantasy author Terry Pratchett.
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Special events
The literature festival will celebrate the life and works of American Lebanese author and artist Gibran Kahlil Gibran, marking 100 years since the publication of his book “The Prophet,” and the 140th anniversary of his birth.
There will also be an atmospheric retelling of indigenous folklore and legend as authors gather under the moonlight for “Fables Around the Fire,” revisiting tales from Europe, the Philippines, Arabia and the Yoruba people of Nigeria.
Competitive wordsmiths can pit their skills against their favorite authors in the festival’s first ever Scrabble Tournament, or show off their literary know-how in the “Big Fat LitFest Quiz.”
Desert Stanzas, the festival’s signature event transporting poets from around the world to perform amongst the sand dunes, under a starlit sky, will also return.
Ticket prices start at $7 and there will be 15 percent off general session tickets in a special early bird anniversary offer running from Nov. 15 to Dec. 15.
DUBAI: The UK’s Princess of Wales Kate Middleton wore the same Bahraini pearl earrings she chose for Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral to mark Remembrance Day — a memorial day observed in Commonwealth member states since the end of the First World War to honor armed forces members.
The princess opted to wear the late monarch’s pearls along with a Japanese four-strand choker at the annual Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall in London on Nov. 12.
She chose the same set at the queen’s funeral in September.
The earrings feature round diamond studs, with baguette-cut diamonds in an arrangement typical of the late 1940s, as well as pearls as the drop.
The earrings were crafted using two of the seven pearls the Queen received as a wedding gift from Sheikh Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa of Bahrain in 1947.
DUBAI: Saudi Arabia’s King Abdulaziz Centre for World Culture, known as Ithra, has collaborated with the Saudi Fashion Commission to launch the Saudi Fashion Exhibition, which will be on show until the end of November.
Featuring more than 40 Saudi designers, the exhibition boasts a diverse array of traditional pattern work, jewelry and handbags and seeks to shed light on the Kingdom’s past, present and future.
The exhibition features work by Shahid Al-Shahil, designer and founder of Abadia, as well as Nura Al-Damer, designer and founder of Chador, whose work fuses the past and present, East and West.
Also on display are designs by Louai Nasim and Muna Al-Haddad, who explore Bedouin fashion through a modern lens. Meanwhile, Tima Abid is participating in the exhibition with designs inspired by the local environment, such as gold embroidery that represents grains of sand.
In addition, jewelry designers Uhod and Ibtisam Al-Gufaili are showing work based on the beauty and creativity of Najdi architecture.
“Saudi Fashion is unlike any other – it’s exceptional, unique, luxurious, and incredibly meticulous,” Burak Cakmak, Fashion Commission CEO, said in a released statement, adding “the fashion industry plays a key role in realising Vision 2030 targets, and there is significant untapped growth locally and globally. The Saudi fashion industry has made great progress over the course of the past two years by launching initiatives that create opportunities for local talent.”
The exhibition comes hot on the heels of the Saudi Fashion Commission’s successful showcase of Saudi creativity at the traveling Saudi 100 Brands show, which took place in New York and Milan this year.
DUBAI: Dutch Moroccan Egyptian model Imaan Hammam took to Instagram to share photos from her latest campaign with German luxury brand BOSS.
In the trio of snaps, which the model captioned “#BeYourOwnBOSS,” Hammam can be seen posing in a selection of outfits by the label.
She shows off a glittering mini dress, accented with a sharp black blazer, in one snap, while another sees the model sitting on the floor in a warm cardigan and small bag by BOSS.
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The brand has tapped a number of famous faces in recent weeks, with the likes of Australian actor Chris Hemsworth acting as the face of BOSS Bottled Parfum and Italian tennis player Matteo Berrettini showing off the label’s watches.
For her part, Hammam is capping off a fruitful year, marked by a number of international campaigns.
In September, she was unveiled as the celebrity star of a campaign by Dutch football team Ajax for their latest pre-match collection.
The model fronted a campaign for the club’s newest line, which is a collaboration between Adidas, Ajax and Daily Paper and is being worn by the team during pre-match warm ups.
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In August, the catwalk star fronted the latest Tiffany & Co. promotional video for the US luxury label’s Lock collection alongside American skateboarder Tyshawn Jones.
Later the same month, she starred in Romanian Jordanian designer Amina Muaddi’s latest campaign, which celebrated the duo’s Arab roots.
The short clips, shared on Muaddi and Hammam’s Instagram accounts, were shot in Cairo.
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In the video captured by British Egyptian filmmaker and photographer Dexter Navy, the 26-year-old catwalk star flaunted Muaddi’s new Drop 2/22 collection.
Hammam is one of the most in-demand models in the industry. She was scouted in Amsterdam’s Centraal Station before making her catwalk debut in 2013 by walking in Jean Paul Gaultier’s couture show.
Since then, she has appeared on the runway for major fashion houses, such as Burberry, Fendi, Prada, Marc Jacobs, Moschino, Balenciaga and Carolina Herrera, to name a few.
Hammam, who has been featured in leading fashion publications, such as Vogue and V Magazine, also starred in international campaigns for DKNY, Celine, Chanel, Versace, Givenchy, Giorgio Armani and more.
DUBAI: Hollywood arrived in Morocco this week as actors assembled for the Marrakech Film Festival.
French-Algerian actor Tahar Rahim, British star Vanessa Kirby and France’s Marion Cotillard all hit the red carpet and attended a gala dinner.
The event, which is being held at the Palais des Congres, runs until Nov. 19 and features a diverse lineup of films from across the world.
Saturday’s stars did not fail to deliver when it came to fashion. Cotillard showed off a pinstripe number by Chanel, while German-American actor Diane Kruger opted for a glamorous evening gown by Givenchy.
Belgian-French star Virginie Efira showed off a draped gown by Saint Laurent, which hailed from the label’s Spring/Summer 2023 collection.
Rene Bonhomme, artistic director of the festival, told Arab News: “It is a source of pride to be able to host a festival of this size, with all the talents coming from all over the world to meet the public of Marrakech.
“It is an extraordinary chance to see talent of this scale, one of the few opportunities in the region, and to meet the big names of the cinema industry.”