The Arts Edit | The National

Welcome to the latest edition of The Arts Edit, the weekly newsletter from The National's Abu Dhabi newsroom rounding up this week's most noteworthy arts and culture stories. IN FOCUS The year is coming to a close and with that in mind, the team at The National has been looking back at the best that 2024 had to offer from across the arts world. While Hollywood may have been dominated by sequels and prequels, this was actually a superlative year for international film, with singular voices from across the world rising from all corners of the globe. It was a standout year for Arab film in particular. Throughout the festival circuit, in cinemas and on streaming services across the world, movies from the Middle East and North Africa captured wide attention. And in a year in which Palestine dominated conversation, many turned to films to learn more about its history and the current plight of its people. Two of my favourites in that regard are To a Land Unknown , a crime film from Palestinian director Mahdi Fleifel about two refugees on the streets of Athens who have turned to desperate measures, and Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989 , an invaluable document of the history and a fascinating insight into the complicated nature of journalism. And across the world, films such as All We Imagine as Light from India and Evil Does Not Exist from Japan showed the world the beauty and universality of the human experience by leaning into cultural specificities. Find my full list of 2024's best films here . As today is Christmas Eve, I've also selected the best Christmas films released since the end of 2019 , including The Holdovers , Klaus and more. South Indian film in particular had a big year with a number of massive hits . In the world of television, there has been so much excellent content across the world of streaming that no one person could possibly consume it all. Our colleagues from across the newsroom have selected their favourites , as well as some of the underrated shows that you may have missed. I personally can't believe that a show with Robert Downey Jr in four separate roles managed to slip under the radar. Arabic songs also captured regional and global attention, with Palestinian artists Elyanna and Zeyne each producing viral hits, and emerging Egyptian singer Tul8te proving himself one to watch. Find more from The National 's Saeed Saeed here . Maan Jalal selected six of his favourite books released in 2024, including one I'll definitely be adding to my list: The Coin by Yasmin Zaher, about an unnamed Palestinian woman navigating life in New York City. Arab creatives also made waves in the fine art world, with a number of paintings selling for huge prices at auctions by Sotheby's and Christie's. Egyptian artist Mahmoud Said's Vue de la page a Cassata en Grece sold for more than $1 million . Find our list of the most expensive Arab artworks sold this year here . And in the world of video games, there were a number of standout releases, including some that The National 's Faisal Salah believes could become modern classics . All and all, this was another stellar year for the arts regionally and internationally, with strong momentum moving forward. We can't wait to see what 2025 has in store. Just off Salaam Street, next door to Jerusalem Textiles, a bright painting covers one of Abu Dhabi’s concrete residential buildings. The mural echoes the natural world around it: the blue sky, palm trees, white animals and a yellow calligraphic frame in the centre. Titled Peace with a Blue Horizon , it is a token of calm in what has been a horrific year for the work's maker, Mohammed Al-Hawajri, and his wife and four children. The family lived in a three-storey house in Bureij, in central Gaza , where Al-Hawajri and his wife Dina Mattar were well-respected arts community members. But in October last year, their home was hit by an air strike, sending them on a journey of displacement and loss. “My house is destroyed, my studio is destroyed, my artwork is destroyed, everything is destroyed,” Al-Hawajri tells The National . “In the beginning, I was very sad about this. But when I see the people die, I say, 'OK, maybe one day I can come to build my house again.' Because the people who have been killed in this situation – my friends, my family, I have lost more than 50 people from my family – will still be dead.” The family fled the house, taking nothing but their passports and essential papers. They moved to Al-Hawajri's sister’s home in Nuseirat, near Al Bureij camp, but there they were again caught in an air strike. Al-Hawajri recalls being unable to recognise his children or his wife because they were covered in dust. He knew them only by their voices. Find more here . “Be not afraid of greatness,” William Shakespeare wrote in Twelfth Night . “Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them.” Centuries later, those words echo clearly through the world of Disney’s The Lion King . Starting with the first film released in 1994, its animated universe of African animals has become an indelible part of global culture, telling a powerful story that has taught each generation what greatness truly means – and how to overcome one’s fear of it. The original film, inspired by Shakespeare’s Hamlet , featured a young lion named Simba born to become the great king of the pride lands, who rises above self-doubt to achieve his destiny. Mufasa: The Lion King , its prequel now in cinemas across the Middle East, follows an orphaned lion who, through the strength of his character and the support of his found family, one day will become the greatest king of all. “What’s most heartening to me about this film is the message of inclusion and it’s a message I think worldwide we need to hear right now,” says Anika Noni Rose, who plays Mufasa’s mother Afia. “It’s saying, you can find your way to new family. And it’s OK to let somebody in who is not like you or of your blood or kin or clan. I think that’s beautiful and necessary.” Find more here . DATES FOR YOUR DIARY · Tamer Hosny and Nancy Ajram at the Ritz Carlton, Dubai International Financial Centre – December 31 · Mohamed Hamaki at Mother of the National Festival, Abu Dhabi – December 31 · Julio Iglesias Jr at La Nina, Dubai – December 31 OTHER HIGHLIGHTS