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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.”
RIYADH: One of Riyadh’s premier parks has begun its week-long celebration of Filipino culture, with the best of the country’s cuisine, theater and entertainment.
Filipino Week began in Al-Suwaidi park on Sunday as part of its tour of global cultures, which has already included festivals for Pakistan, Sudanese, Indonesia and Sri Lanka.
The new event includes theatrical performances at the park’s theater, roaming performances, shopping in the bazaar and carnival areas. Visitors can enjoy some of the Philippines’ most popular dishes in a “food experience” zone.
Filipino Week is part of the third Riyadh Season, which offers 15 diverse entertainment zones across the city including the largest artificial lake in the world and a cable car ride.
There are performances by Cirque du Soleil and sporting events such as WWE and the Riyadh Season Cup, a football tournament featuring the Paris Saint-Germain team and stars from Al-Hilal and Al-Nasr clubs.
There are also 65 days of fireworks, many Saudi and Arab plays, concerts, local and international art exhibitions and events for all ages.
Riyadh Season offers exhibitions about international cultures, restaurants and cafes, and exhibitions allowing visitors to experience what it feels like to travel in a submarine, and live in an icy climate.
Al-Suwaidi park’s previous global festivals presented aspects of the beauty of the country in focus including arts, music and food. Filipino Week runs until Nov. 19 with activities from 4 p.m. until midnight. Bookings can be made at https://riyadhseason.sa.
Korean dramas are in a league of their own when it comes to creating feel-good escapism which still send important messages and raise awareness. One of their latest masterpieces is “Extraordinary Attorney Woo.”
The show follows the story of Woo Young-woo, an autistic but highly intelligent girl, trying to navigate through life. In order to prove herself, she needs to make a name as an attorney while battling her condition.
The main character is played by Park Eun-bin, praised by viewers for her accurate portrayal of someone with an autism spectrum disorder.
The main love interest in the movie is played by Kang Tae-oh, a character constantly described by viewers as the biggest “green flag” in K-drama history.
Another character that wins the hearts of people as the show progresses is played by Kang Ki-young, who takes the role of Woo Young-woo’s mentor and team leader.
Each character feels layered and complex, with their own motivations. The show is clearly made to make viewers feel warm and fuzzy inside with animation, light-hearted comedy, and heartfelt scenes, but does not shy away from the struggles of people with autism and those around them.
It is safe to say that viewers, faced with Woo Young-woo going through all manner of cases thrown her way, will cheer for her after each one, not to mention gleaning an unusual amount of whale-related knowledge that is sprinkled throughout the series.
“Extraordinary Attorney Woo” is available to stream on Netflix.
DUBAI: Tiffany Trump was escorted down the aisle by her father, former US President Donald Trump, as she married Lebanese-born businessman Michael Boulos at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club in Florida on Saturday.
The bride, 29, showed off a custom-made Grecian-style gown by Lebanese designer-to-the-stars Elie Saab.
Tiffany chose her wedding dress as a nod to Boulos’ heritage. “It’s a Lebanese American wedding, so we were so happy to have Elie Saab create the magic,” said mother of the bride Marla Maples, according to People magazine.
The couple drafted Lebanese wedding and event planner Toni Breiss, who is known for his larger-than-life events, for the occasion.
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The wedding took place just four days after the US’s 2022 midterm elections, but the mother of the bride insisted it was an apolitical event.
“We are focused on this sacred union and welcoming beloved friends and family, not on politics,” she told People magazine, adding that Mar-a-Lago was chosen because it was ”Tiffany’s childhood home and where she was brought into the world.”
The 250-strong guest list included Ivanka Trump, along with her husband Jared Kushner.
Tiffany is the fourth child of Trump with his ex-wife Marla Maples.
Boulos, 25, is of Lebanese and French descent and grew up in Lagos where his father, Massad, runs Boulos Enterprises and who is the CEO of SCOA Nigeria.
Billionaire businessman Massad Boulos is from the Lebanese village of Kfaraakka, in the north of the country. He runs Boulos Enterprises and SCOA Nigeria, which “trades in vehicles, equipment, retail and construction.”
The family is also linked to the world of Hollywood through Michael’s brother Fares, who is an actor and appeared in a 2017 episode of “The Crown.”
Boulos and Tiffany were engaged in January 2021, the day before Trump left office following defeat in the 2020 election.
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RIYADH: Darcy Oake, one of the most famous illusionists in the world, dazzled visitors of Riyadh Season during his first performance at the World Theater at Boulevard Riyadh City.
Oake has performed in Canada, New York, Las Vegas and Hollywood. He has appeared on several TV shows and won many awards.
His jaw-dropping tricks, one of which saw the illusionist transform a dove into a girl, were met with great enthusiasm from audience members in Riyadh, a number of whom participated in some of Oake’s performances.
Oake is presenting two shows daily until Nov. 14. The first starts at 6 p.m., and the second starts at 9 p.m.
Darcy Oake’s jaw-dropping tricks, one of which saw the illusionist transform a dove into a girl, were met with great enthusiasm from audience members in Riyadh, a number of whom participated in some of Oake’s performances
Tickets can be booked via the link: https://ticketmx.riyadhseason.sa/en/d/2343/darcy-oake. Children must be over 5 years of age to be allowed entry.
In addition to Oake’s shows, there are various other events and experiences in the many zones of Riyadh Season, including concerts, local and international exhibitions, theatrical performances, Cirque du Soleil and WWE shows, fireworks spectacles and a football tournament.
There are also restaurants and cafes, lounges and a wide range of interactive activities suitable for all ages.
The third Riyadh Season contains 15 diverse entertainment zones and features the largest artificial lake in the world, cable car transportation, and sporting events such as the Riyadh Season Cup, which brings together the Paris Saint-Germain team with the stars of Al-Hilal and Al-Nasr football clubs.
DUBAI: While the world is still coming to grips with “Black Panther” star Chadwick Boseman’s death to cancer two years ago, Marvel Studios has had to face the insurmountable task of following up one of its biggest hits without its lead star. But “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” releasing in theaters across the Middle East on Nov. 10, manages a heartfelt — if uneven — tribute, tuning into the grief and loss with respect and a sense of deserved reverence.
The sequel, coming four years after the breakout success of the original, finds Wakanda in deep mourning. The sudden death of its king and protector, the Black Panther (Boseman), means his mother Ramonda is now queen regent. As a fairly new player on the world stage, the power vacuum means that rival countries are now looking for easy ways to steal vibranium, a super-metal found only in Wakanda.
The US government, meanwhile, has managed to hire MIT student Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne making her debut as Ironheart) to build them a vibranium detector, which leads to the metal’s discovery a tad too close to another secret civilization: Talokan, director Ryan Coogler’s Mesoamerican-inspired version of the underwater city Atlantis.
Talokan ruler Namor, presented with exceptional intensity by Mexican actor Tenoch Huerta, wants to ally his secret nation with Wakanda, united by their aversion for oppressors and colonizers, to attack the rest of the world or risk being attacked themselves. In the center of all this upheaval is Shuri (Letitia Wright), a brilliant inventor and scientist who has to grapple with the finality of her being unable to save her brother despite her considerable gifts.
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Shuri’s journey to come to terms with his death and forge her own path — whether by following in T’Challa’s steps or some other figures in her family — is truly the only story thread that matters, and while it is given appropriate weight, it sinks under the tonal shifts of its many story arcs.
Heavy themes such as military oppression, colonizer violence, cultural sovereignty, and the fight between vengeance and alliance are discussed but barely resolved. A bloated runtime also means audiences are going to be squirming in their seats as they watch the climactic battle scenes, middling at best and boring at worst.
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It is hard to watch “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” and not imagine what it would have been like with Boseman leading the way. But like all goodbyes, as unsatisfying as they may feel, closure comes and all we can do is embrace it.