Winslet sang "What If" for the soundtrack of Christmas Carol: The Movie.
Winslet sang "What If" for the soundtrack of Christmas Carol: The Movie.

Kate Winslet's five most offbeat film roles



In addition to her star turns in mainstream Hollywood films, Kate Winslet likes to mix in roles in indie, low-budget, arthouse offerings, much to the chagrin of her agents. She preceded and followed Titanic, for example, with such films, and said she never saw that blockbuster "as a springboard for bigger films or bigger pay cheques. It could have been that, but would have destroyed me." Among her most unconventional roles:

HIDEOUS KINKY (1998) Winslet plays the hippy mother Julia, who travels from London to Morocco with her two daughters on a spiritual quest. The actress had turned down the leads in Shakespeare in Love and Anna and the King in favour of the US$12 million (Dh44 million) romance that grossed only $5 million (Dh18.3 million) worldwide.

HOLY SMOKE (1999) Playing opposite the cult favourite Harvey Keitel in this Australian indie film, Winslet portrays a young woman who is spiritually awakened on a trip to India and gets involved with a guru. Some critics panned the film for treating India and Indian religions and culture negatively.

QUILLS (2000) Directed by Philip Kaufman, based on an Obie Award-winning play and co-starring Geoffrey Rush and Joaquin Phoenix, this well-received film and modest arthouse success tells the story of the imprisonment of the Marquis de Sade. Winslet plays Madeleine, a laundress at the asylum who helps the marquis publish his work by smuggling out his manuscripts.

THE LIFE OF DAVID GALE (2003) Winslet plays Bitsey Bloom, a journalist who interviews the title character (Kevin Spacey), who is on death row for the murder of his friend. The US critic Roger Ebert called it "a silly movie" and awarded it zero stars - his lowest rating - and the film earned back less than half of its $50 million (Dh183.6 million) budget.

ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND (2004) Impulsive and neurotic Clementine (Winslet) and her reserved boyfriend (Jim Carrey) head an ensemble cast in this neosurrealistic indie romance-fantasy. The film was a huge critical and financial success, and brought Winslet nominations for an Academy Award, aBafta Award and a Golden Globe. Many critics said that Sunshine was the best film of the decade.

And she sings, too

In addition to her roles in about 25 films and her multiple awards from the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Screen Actors Guild, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association among others, Kate Winslet was awarded a Grammy Award for best spoken word album for children in 2000 for Listen to the Storyteller. She has been included as a vocalist on the soundtracks of some films she has performed in, and the single What If from the soundtrack for Christmas Carol: The Movie (2001) was a hit single in several European countries.

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
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If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.

When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.

How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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How to apply for a drone permit
  • Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
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What are the regulations?
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%3Cp%3EDavid%20White%20might%20be%20new%20to%20the%20country%2C%20but%20he%20has%20clearly%20already%20built%20up%20an%20affinity%20with%20the%20place.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3EAfter%20the%20UAE%20shocked%20Pakistan%20in%20the%20semi-final%20of%20the%20Under%2019%20Asia%20Cup%20last%20month%2C%20White%20was%20hugged%20on%20the%20field%20by%20Aayan%20Khan%2C%20the%20team%E2%80%99s%20captain.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3EWhite%20suggests%20that%20was%20more%20a%20sign%20of%20Aayan%E2%80%99s%20amiability%20than%20anything%20else.%20But%20he%20believes%20the%20young%20all-rounder%2C%20who%20was%20part%20of%20the%20winning%20Gulf%20Giants%20team%20last%20year%2C%20is%20just%20the%20sort%20of%20player%20the%20country%20should%20be%20seeking%20to%20produce%20via%20the%20ILT20.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%9CHe%20is%20a%20delightful%20young%20man%2C%E2%80%9D%20White%20said.%20%E2%80%9CHe%20played%20in%20the%20competition%20last%20year%20at%2017%2C%20and%20look%20at%20his%20development%20from%20there%20till%20now%2C%20and%20where%20he%20is%20representing%20the%20UAE.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%9CHe%20was%20influential%20in%20the%20U19%20team%20which%20beat%20Pakistan.%20He%20is%20the%20perfect%20example%20of%20what%20we%20are%20all%20trying%20to%20achieve%20here.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%9CIt%20is%20about%20the%20development%20of%20players%20who%20are%20going%20to%20represent%20the%20UAE%20and%20go%20on%20to%20help%20make%20UAE%20a%20force%20in%20world%20cricket.%E2%80%9D%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
EU Russia

The EU imports 90 per cent  of the natural gas used to generate electricity, heat homes and supply industry, with Russia supplying almost 40 per cent of EU gas and a quarter of its oil. 

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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding