DUBAI: Part-Saudi model Shanina Shaik has announced she is expecting her first child.
The catwalk star took to Instagram on Mother’s Day to share the happy news with her 2.8 million followers, posting three images of her growing belly with an extended caption in the form of a letter.
“To the new love of my life, thank you for choosing me to be your Mum. I have always wanted you for as long as I can remember, and at times my patience was tested. The timing had to be right, and I can say with confidence that I am ready to be your guide, your protector and your best friend,” she said.
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The 31-year-old model, who is of Saudi, Pakistani, Lithuanian and Australian descent, is expecting the baby with her boyfriend Matthew Adesuyan, the head of a record label in Los Angeles.
“As each month goes by during this precious journey of pregnancy, I am learning what the role of being a mother entails. I worry a lot, especially about your wellbeing and development. It’s a feeling that I’ve never experienced before, not even about myself. I would do anything for you, be anything for you and sacrifice anything for you,” she continued.
She praised her own mother mentioning that she was raised by an “amazing woman” who taught her a lot about motherhood. “She has set the bar high and I don’t want to disappoint you. I want to raise you as she raised me.”
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The mom-to-be ended the lengthy caption saying: “Sharing you with the world today is the most precious gift I could possibly receive on Mother’s Day. Mummy and Daddy can’t wait to meet you!”
Many celebrities also celebrated Mother’s Day by showing gratitude to their moms on social media. The part-Palestinian Hadid sisters, Gigi and Bella Hadid, shared heartwarming snaps of their mother Yolanda Hadid, when they were children.
Part-Middle Eastern actress Yara Shahidi and Lebanese-Australian influencer and humanitarian Jessica Kahawaty shared multiple snaps of their mothers to celebrate their special day.
LOS ANGELES: Egyptian filmmaker Amr Salama’s film “Barra El-Manhag” premiered in Los Angeles, California giving Arab creators international exposure.
The screening took place at the first ever Hollywood Arab Film Festival, which ran until April 30.
The five-day event, which was part of the celebration of Arab Heritage Month, offered Arab filmmakers the opportunity to gather, create and showcase their work.
Arab News caught up with Salama to talk about “Barra El-Manhag” and the festival.
The film is a coming-of-age story, and it served as the finale for the festival.
“It’s about a kid who has the courage to enter the haunted house in front of his school and just find that there’s no monsters inside,” Salama told Arab News. “There’s a man hiding there and a relationship keeps growing between him and the man who becomes his mentor.”
The film premiered at the Red Sea Film Festival in Jeddah late last year, but showing it in Hollywood offers an opportunity to showcase the abilities of Arab creators, including those of the next generation like the child-actor Omar Sheriff, who played the main character in “Ben El-Manhag.”
Whilst discussing the process of casting Sheriff, Salama said: “I had to see hundreds, literally hundreds, of kids to pick him. He was the smartest and most ambitious and the most brave.”
The movie also stars famed Egyptian actor Maged El-Kidwani whom Salama has worked with before.
“For the other roles, they are all famous actors in Egypt, especially Maged El-Kidwani. I had the pleasure of working with him twice before, and I saw him in this role for like 10 years since I started writing the film,” he added.
The Hollywood Arab Film Festival is bridging the gap between American and Middle Eastern cinema, benefiting both regions, shining a light on Arab filmmakers and paving the way for new creators to prosper in Hollywood.
Salama sees the festival as a great representation for the region.
“Finally, we have a festival that represents us as Arabs in Hollywood. I really respect the efforts of the guys working on the festival and how they are working hard to do an event that can represent us in such a glamorous way, and I’m very glad I’m here,” he said.
DUBAI: Abu Dhabi has launched a new destination campaign to attract travellers to the UAE's capital during the summer.
The new campaign showcases unique and memorable experiences that visitors to Abu Dhabi can experience during the summer, Emirates News Agency reported.
There is something for everyone and activities vary from swimming with tiger sharks at the National Aquarium to taking a ride on the world’s fastest roller coaster at Ferrari World Abu Dhabi and stargazing in the desert at night.
Those interested in culture and history can visit the Qasr Al-Hosn and Qasr Al-Watan palaces, whilst those wanting to channel their inner peace can participate in yoga sessions at sunrise in the iconic surroundings of Louvre Abu Dhabi.
New offers including the Abu Dhabi summer pass will be rolled out with promotions across experiences, cultural sites, and family entertainment attractions.
The pass will give visitors access to three leading theme parks (Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi, Ferrari World Abu Dhabi and Yas Waterworld Abu Dhabi), all cultural sites including Louvre Abu Dhabi, Qasr Al-Watan presidential palace, Qasr Al-Hosn, and free transportation via Yas Express and Abu Dhabi bus systems.
Specific details will be unveiled in the coming weeks as the pass is rolled out.
Prices at top hotels across the city in summer will also be 30 percent less than during high season.
“Global travellers have their eyes on the Middle East, so now is the perfect time to be sharing Abu Dhabi with the world, shining a light on just how many unique and diverse experiences are waiting to be explored affordably in and around the UAE’s capital,” the Director General of Tourism at Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture and Tourism, Saleh Mohamed Al-Geziry, said.
“This summer, we want travellers to experience the known and unknown of Abu Dhabi, uncovering the hidden gems of our destination – at their own pace, whether it’s the thrills of our world class indoor theme parks or the race of the Yas Marina Circuit, to the rich depth of culture and activities that ensure the whole family is inspired and entertained,” Al-Geziry added.
“The UAE capital has something for everyone. We want to make those precious memories more accessible by providing competitive and compelling offers throughout the season so travellers can experience summer exactly as it can and should be enjoyed.”
DUBAI: Works by three of Ghana’s top pioneering artists will go on display at a selling exhibition at Christie’s London staged in collaboration with the Dubai-based Efie Gallery.
Titled “Material Earth,” the exhibition presents a total of 10 artworks by Ghanaian-born El-Anatsui, one of the world’s most sought after contemporary artists, alongside two rising stars — Yaw Owusu and Isshaq Ismail — until May 13 at Christie’s London on 8 King Street in Mayfair.
While El-Anatsui and Owusu transform everyday objects into forms of complex beauty with inherent socio-political messages, Ismail’s paintings feature captivating grotesque portraits of anonymous individuals inspired by those the artist sees every day in his hometown of Accra, Ghana.
On view for the first time in Europe is a new series of wooden sculptures by El-Anatsui replete with the artist’s captivating abstract forms colored in vibrant hues.
The exhibition takes place during a time when the international market’s demand for art from Africa is soaring. Over the last few years, art from the continent has become the subject of bidding wars at global auctions such as Bonhams, Piasa, Christie’s, Sotheby’s, Strauss and Phillips. In the first half of 2019, international sales of art from Africa generated a total of $25.3 million. According to Statista, art from the continent contributed a sum of $13 billion in 2018 to the global art market and is predicted to rise to $15 billion by 2023.
Contemporary art from Ghana is particularly in demand — especially since Amoako Boafo’s “The Lemon Bathing Suit” (2019) sold for a stunning £675,000 ($881,432) against a £30,000-£50,000 estimate at Philips Contemporary Art Sale in February 2020. There was already a rising scene of young artists in the West African nation before Boafo’s incredible sale. His success has further inspired a new generation of Ghanaian artists eager to depict the history and contemporary culture of their country and make a profit in the process.
Artworks by Ismail, a rising young Ghanaian star, have recently fetched well over their high estimates at auction. At Sotheby’s dedicated African contemporary and modern sale in London on March 22, three of the artist’s works set personal sale records. “Nkabom 2,” an acrylic on canvas work depicting two heads, fetched £277,000, well above its high estimate of £50,000.
“The growing international demand has bred with it a new sense of respectability for the genre of art from Africa,” Kwame and Kobi Mintah told Arab News. “While previously artists and artwork from Africa has been overlooked, now they cannot be ignored.”
The “Material Earth” exhibition, a collaboration between Efie Gallery — which opened at the end of March 2022 with a blockbuster solo show of work by the great El-Anatsui — and Christie’s, marks a continuation of the auction house’s engagement with contemporary art from Africa. Most recently, the auction house has partnered with 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair, staging recent editions of the fair in its Paris address and through an online auction in October 2021 that featured works by Nigerian Osinachi, marking the first NFT by a contemporary African artist offered by Christie’s Europe.
Also in October 2021, Christie’s in Dubai staged an exhibition in collaboration with Gallery 1957, a commercial gallery based in Accra and London, titled “[West] African Renaissance,” presenting a selection of works on canvas by some of the most esteemed artists working in West Africa.
“We are proud and honored that Efie Gallery chose Christie’s to collaborate with on this amazing show,” Isabelle de La Bruyere, head of Christie’s Chairman’s Office, told Arab News. “The talent and symbioses between the three artists represented, and even between our two brands, make this show an exciting and revealing moment for the contemporary African art market, and the international reach that alliances can create.”
The exhibition strives to incite discussion regarding the current global dialogue on climate change, sustainability and waste. Owusu, a recent graduate of the Pratt Institute in New York, incorporates otherwise valueless everyday materials, such as the coins he ritualistically uses, and upcycles them to create new objects of beauty, shimmering with newfound life.
“Fostering cross-cultural exchange is paramount to Efie Gallery’s mission, thus, our European debut, by way of unique collaboration Christie’s head office in London, helps further our mission and opens up this exchange into a new region for us,” Kwame and Kobi Mintah, co-founders of Efie Gallery, told Arab News.
“The viewer is invited to consider the materials that contribute to the complex beauty envisioned in the work of Anatsui and Owusu,” explain Kwame and Kobi Mintah. “When contextualized within the theme, the unaltered materials in work of Anatsui’s bottlecap assemblages become intent on revealing the ignorance of man in regard to the excessive waste that can be found in the world.”
On the other hand, when confronted with the work of Ismail, explain the Mintah brothers, “while the subjects are still visibly human, this loss of humanity is translated through the deformity of these grotesque figures, which in turn serves as a reflection of ourselves.”
While shows like “Material Earth” testify to the growing interest in art from Africa internationally, there are still major roadblocks to progress on the continent, such as limited art education and the development of a more prominent collector base.
DUBAI: French-Tunisian actress, singer and model Sonia Ammar just graduated from Berklee College of Music.
Ammar took to her social media this week to post snaps and videos of her graduation moment, wearing her cap and gown and holding her diploma and a bouquet of red roses.
The 23-year-old beauty launched her first EP, a four-track project entitled “EP 1,” in November 2019 with her debut single “Joyride.” For her musical debut and EP, Ammar teamed up with Jason Quenneville, better known as DaHeala, the producer behind The Weeknd’s hit “Starboy” and “Beauty Behind the Madness.”
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Memorably, Ammar also performed live at Coachella back in 2018, joining French DJ Petit Biscuit for a surprise set in which she sang their hit “Creation Comes Alive” to a packed crowd.
The “Joyride” singer has been splitting her time between Paris and Los Angeles, having moved to the US a couple of years back to pursue her music career and attend college.
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Ammar, who is also Polish, was born to Tunisian director Tarak Ben Ammar and Polish actress Beata. She made her modeling and runway debut in 2017 for Miu Miu and quickly found herself in demand from some of the biggest labels around. Ammar made headway in the fashion world and fronted campaigns for the likes of Dolce & Gabbana and Chanel.
Aside from her modeling career, Ammar has appeared in a couple of French movies including Guillaume Canet’s “Jappeloup” and “1789: Les Amants de la Bastille.” She also recently marked her first high-profile Hollywood gig with her role in “Scream,” released earlier this year, starring alongside Courtney Cox, Neve Campbell and David Arquette, who reprised their roles in the Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett-directed horror flick. Her role in the movie made her the first Arab cast as a main character in the film franchise.
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The latest “Scream” film takes place 25 years after the events of the first film, with Woodsboro once again rocked by a series of murders committed by someone donning the Ghostface mask whose goal is to dig up secrets from the town’s deadly past. The 2022 film is the first installment of the franchise made without the involvement of director Wes Craven, who passed away in 2015.
CHENNAI: Netflix’s latest young romance is celebrating what seems like the end of dark times, the easing of the COVID-19 pandemic, with a film based around sun, sand and surf.
Although titled a little clumsily, “Along for the Ride,” is like a breath of springtime breeze in what has been a gloomy swag of films that spoke of death and unrequited love among teens and somewhat older girls and boys. We have seen this in “The Fault in Our Stars,” “Five Feet Apart” and “The Last Song” — among several others that left us with longing and pain.
In welcome contrast, Sofia Alvarez, who wrote the critically lauded “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before,” creates a teen love story with distress and a dilemma leading to, in the end, a lovely and heartening resolution. It is elevating and optimistic, just the right kind of work to get us flying. Yes, it is a bit of a hotchpotch, the writing is not always focussed, but it is fun nonetheless.
Based on Sarah Dessen’s novel of the same title, “Along for the Ride” takes us on a rollercoaster journey with high-school graduate, Auden (played with the right degree of high and low by Emma Pasarow). She decides to spend her summer break with her father and young stepmother, who has her own struggles with a new baby. Auden is determined to bridge the gulf with her father, novelist Robert (Dermot Mulroney), who walked out on his wife, Victoria, portrayed by a marvellous Andie MacDowell. Victoria always calls the shots, loves to be in command of every situation and hates the idea of her daughter meeting a man who she feels is no good.
Her mother’s overbearing attitude has not allowed Auden to blossom; she is shy, diffident and a hopeless introvert. But a change of place, in this case the sleepy town of Colby by the sea, works wonders. And when she meets Eli (played with charming ease by Belmont Cameli), there is instant chemistry. They both have their demons to grapple with. He hides a terrible truth, holding himself responsible for a death. She is fighting hard to break out of her shell, to move away from the nest her mother had been feathering.
Alvarez creates an idyllic atmosphere with Auden working in her stepmother’s beachwear boutique with three other girls, and their camaraderie after an initial period of unease and discomfort nudges her to gravitate toward Eli, helping him to get over his sorrow. The movie sets up a climate of sweet fantasy, and there is one scene straight out of a fairy tale. He is in a tuxedo, she in an alluring yellow dress, and when they dance on the beach on a dark night, it is all silver and sparkle. Their sexual tension is confined to only two passionate kisses, and they lack fire, but the couple’s night swim, splashing water on each other, just about turns the tide. The music helps, and the soundtrack, “Along for the Ride,” is reportedly one of the best in years, with cinematographer Luca Del Puppo crafting splendid imagery to run along with it.