ABU DHABI // Rashid Bakri, the Palestinian director, wants people at this year's Middle East International Film Festival (MEIFF) to appreciate his homeland for what it is - not the battle-torn stereotype of news bulletins.
"I don't want people to just see us as being about war and intifada," he said. "We have our normal lives too. We have a beautiful country, language and culture but we also have our problems beyond what people see in the news."
His film, Laila's Birthday, was the festival's opening red carpet event last night and its stars, Mohamed Bakri and Areen Omari, were in Abu Dhabi for its Middle East premiere. It was followed by the British film Easy Virtue starring Colin Firth.
Laila's Birthday is the story of Abu Laila, a judge who is forced to drive a taxi to make a living. It chronicles his day as he is on his way home to his only daughter's seventh birthday, encountering a series of disasters along the way.
The frustrated judge faces conflicts between Palestinians, problems at checkpoints, crime, as well as the challenges of poverty.
His difficulties border on the absurd, but it is this absurdity which Bakri says has become normality for many Palestinians. "What happens in Abu Laila's day can happen all over again tomorrow."
Bakri, whose film premiered at this year's Toronto International Film Festival and will soon be shown at the Cultural Centre in Ramallah, in the West Bank, retains a sense of optimism despite 60 years of Israeli occupation.
"I didn't want the ending to be hopeless," he says. "The whole movie demonstrates the frustration we feel every day but it was important to me to offer some hope. I wanted to say that out of all the negative things we can create something positive for our future, for the future of our children. In spite of all this, life goes on because it must."
The film is one of many in this week's film festival to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the occupation of the Palestinian Territories, known as the nakba, or "the catastrophe".
Other events include a conference at the Emirates Palace hotel on Sunday, entitled 60 Years Since The Division Of Palestine, and a screening of the documentary film Letters From Palestine on Saturday at Marina Mall.
MBC2, the satellite broadcaster, also announced the launch of its second Movies in Motion competition yesterday.
This year's competition will reach beyond the Emirates, incorporating Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Jordan, Egypt and Lebanon. Entrants will vie for the chance to make a two-minute film with a team of experts at a leading film academy.
Their storyboards will be sent to judges who will team them up with professional film-makers to produce the short movies. The winning film will be seen by more than 40 million viewers across the region.
The Movies in Motion roadshow begins next month. Ordinary people can enter their ideas; 40 schools and universities have already said they will take part.
Tomorrow will see the screening of Henna, the sole Emirati film to be nominated for MEIFF's international feature films category. Written and directed by Saleh Karama, it is the story of a woman whose mother's epilepsy led to divorce.
The first documentary of MEIFF's environmental programme, White Falcon, White Wolf, by Fergus Beeley, will also be shown tomorrow. It tells the story of two arctic predators - the white gyr falcon and the arctic wolf - which live on Ellesmere Island in the Canadian Arctic.
mswan@thenational.ae
Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
How Apple's credit card works
The Apple Card looks different from a traditional credit card — there's no number on the front and the users' name is etched in metal. The card expands the company's digital Apple Pay services, marrying the physical card to a virtual one and integrating both with the iPhone. Its attributes include quick sign-up, elimination of most fees, strong security protections and cash back.
What does it cost?
Apple says there are no fees associated with the card. That means no late fee, no annual fee, no international fee and no over-the-limit fees. It also said it aims to have among the lowest interest rates in the industry. Users must have an iPhone to use the card, which comes at a cost. But they will earn cash back on their purchases — 3 per cent on Apple purchases, 2 per cent on those with the virtual card and 1 per cent with the physical card. Apple says it is the only card to provide those rewards in real time, so that cash earned can be used immediately.
What will the interest rate be?
The card doesn't come out until summer but Apple has said that as of March, the variable annual percentage rate on the card could be anywhere from 13.24 per cent to 24.24 per cent based on creditworthiness. That's in line with the rest of the market, according to analysts
What about security?
The physical card has no numbers so purchases are made with the embedded chip and the digital version lives in your Apple Wallet on your phone, where it's protected by fingerprints or facial recognition. That means that even if someone steals your phone, they won't be able to use the card to buy things.
Is it easy to use?
Apple says users will be able to sign up for the card in the Wallet app on their iPhone and begin using it almost immediately. It also tracks spending on the phone in a more user-friendly format, eliminating some of the gibberish that fills a traditional credit card statement. Plus it includes some budgeting tools, such as tracking spending and providing estimates of how much interest could be charged on a purchase to help people make an informed decision.
* Associated Press
Company%20Profile
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About Takalam
Date started: early 2020
Founders: Khawla Hammad and Inas Abu Shashieh
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: HealthTech and wellness
Number of staff: 4
Funding to date: Bootstrapped
Where to buy
Limited-edition art prints of The Sofa Series: Sultani can be acquired from Reem El Mutwalli at www.reemelmutwalli.com
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,00
On sale: Available for preorder now
SPECS
Engine: Two-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 235hp
Torque: 350Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Price: From Dh167,500 ($45,000)
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 620hp from 5,750-7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm from 3,000-5,750rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh1.05 million ($286,000)
The specs: 2018 Jaguar E-Pace First Edition
Price, base / as tested: Dh186,480 / Dh252,735
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder
Power: 246hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 365Nm @ 1,200rpm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.7L / 100km
Bridgerton%20season%20three%20-%20part%20one
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Graduated from the American University of Sharjah
She is the eldest of three brothers and two sisters
Has helped solve 15 cases of electric shocks
Enjoys travelling, reading and horse riding
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COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
Guns N’ Roses’s last gig before Abu Dhabi was in Hong Kong on November 21. We were there – and here’s what they played, and in what order. You were warned.
- It’s So Easy
- Mr Brownstone
- Chinese Democracy
- Welcome to the Jungle
- Double Talkin’ Jive
- Better
- Estranged
- Live and Let Die (Wings cover)
- Slither (Velvet Revolver cover)
- Rocket Queen
- You Could Be Mine
- Shadow of Your Love
- Attitude (Misfits cover)
- Civil War
- Coma
- Love Theme from The Godfather (movie cover)
- Sweet Child O’ Mine
- Wichita Lineman (Jimmy Webb cover)
- Wish You Were Here (instrumental Pink Floyd cover)
- November Rain
- Black Hole Sun (Soundgarden cover)
- Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (Bob Dylan cover)
- Nightrain
Encore:
- Patience
- Don’t Cry
- The Seeker (The Who cover)
- Paradise City
Anghami
Started: December 2011
Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
Sector: Entertainment
Size: 85 employees
Stage: Series C
Investors: MEVP, du, Mobily, MBC, Samena Capital
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
