Lebanese designers have been dressing glamorous women all over the world for a long time. This awards season, fashion talents from the tiny Levantine nation have been exceptionally prominent on awards season red carpets as well, from the Golden Globes to the Academy Awards and everything in between.
Tony Ward, whose atelier is located in Beirut, dressed Da’Vine Joy Randolph for the Governor’s Awards and Hannah Waddingham for the SAG Awards. Lebanese designer Elie Saab, with headquarters in Paris, has been worn by Mandy Moore (Critics Choice), Reese Witherspoon (SAG Awards), Emily Blunt (BAFTAs) and Hailee Steinfeld (Oscars) in recent weeks.
Beirut-based duo Azzi & Osta dressed Veronica Ferres for The Golden Globes, while Zuhair Murad, also based in Beirut, has been seen on Maitreyi Ramakrishnan (at the Oscars), Allison Williams (Critics Choice), Zawe Ashton (Emmys) and Jennifer Lopez (for her This is Me… Now: A Love Story L.A.
Tony Ward, whose atelier is located in Beirut, dressed Da’Vine Joy Randolph for the Governor’s Awards and Hannah Waddingham for the SAG Awards. Lebanese designer Elie Saab, with headquarters in Paris, has been worn by Mandy Moore (Critics Choice), Reese Witherspoon (SAG Awards), Emily Blunt (BAFTAs) and Hailee Steinfeld (Oscars) in recent weeks.
Beirut-based duo Azzi & Osta dressed Veronica Ferres for The Golden Globes, while Zuhair Murad, also based in Beirut, has been seen on Maitreyi Ramakrishnan (at the Oscars), Allison Williams (Critics Choice), Zawe Ashton (Emmys) and Jennifer Lopez (for her This is Me… Now: A Love Story L.A.
- 3/18/2024
- by Allyson Portee
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Middle East distributor Front Row Filmed Entertainment is gearing up to theatrically release iconic Oscar-nominated Rio de Janeiro gangland drama City of God across the Gulf countries of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for the first time.
Co-directed by Brazilian directors Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund, the movie made waves back in 2002 for its realistic depiction of the rise of gang violence in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro with a young unprofessional cast.
At the time, Dubai-based Front Row originally released the film straight to DVD in the Gulf due to a variety of local restrictions but some two decades later it has set a theatrical re-release in a sign of how the region is opening up.
The planned February 22 Gulf launch coincides with the 21st anniversary of the movie’s 2003 theatrical release following its Out of Competition world premiere at Cannes in...
Co-directed by Brazilian directors Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund, the movie made waves back in 2002 for its realistic depiction of the rise of gang violence in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro with a young unprofessional cast.
At the time, Dubai-based Front Row originally released the film straight to DVD in the Gulf due to a variety of local restrictions but some two decades later it has set a theatrical re-release in a sign of how the region is opening up.
The planned February 22 Gulf launch coincides with the 21st anniversary of the movie’s 2003 theatrical release following its Out of Competition world premiere at Cannes in...
- 2/12/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
There was a shock at the top of the Saudi Arabian box office the first weekend of 2023.
Avatar: The Way of Water, in its third week of release and still a dominant force across the planet on its way to an overall haul in excess of $2.3 billion, was knocked off its perch by an unexpected assailant (and one wearing a multicolored luchador mask).
The new titleholder: Sattar, a Saudi Arabian family comedy about a depressed man who follows his dreams of becoming a freestyle wrestling champion. The film — which had bowed at the Red Sea Film Festival just a month earlier (and where, ironically, the subject of Saudi films not performing had been a talking point) — smashed box office records, earning $2.2 million over its first 12 days, instantly making it the highest-grossing Saudi movie of all time. Granted, the local film industry literally didn’t exist just a few years ago...
Avatar: The Way of Water, in its third week of release and still a dominant force across the planet on its way to an overall haul in excess of $2.3 billion, was knocked off its perch by an unexpected assailant (and one wearing a multicolored luchador mask).
The new titleholder: Sattar, a Saudi Arabian family comedy about a depressed man who follows his dreams of becoming a freestyle wrestling champion. The film — which had bowed at the Red Sea Film Festival just a month earlier (and where, ironically, the subject of Saudi films not performing had been a talking point) — smashed box office records, earning $2.2 million over its first 12 days, instantly making it the highest-grossing Saudi movie of all time. Granted, the local film industry literally didn’t exist just a few years ago...
- 8/1/2023
- by Alex Ritman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Fund
Content company Catalyst has partnered with intimate apparel company Knix to launch a documentary fund.
The Knix Fund Catalyst Docs for Change Project is set to launch at Banff World Media Festival, which kicks off on June 11.
Catalyst founder Julie Bristow and Knix founder Joanna Griffiths will appear at the festival in a moderated conversation on June 14 to outline the fund’s objectives. The fund will open to submissions around the same time, with Catalyst and Knix green lighting the most promising entry.
“The values of Knix and the thought-leadership that Joanna has provided on so many women’s issues align perfectly with Catalyst’s mission to open eyes, minds, and hearts with unapologetically brilliant storytelling by and about women,” said Bristow. “To achieve a more inclusive world, we need more stories led by women creators. Sometimes the only way to catalyse change is to challenge legacy business models by investing in new paradigms.
Content company Catalyst has partnered with intimate apparel company Knix to launch a documentary fund.
The Knix Fund Catalyst Docs for Change Project is set to launch at Banff World Media Festival, which kicks off on June 11.
Catalyst founder Julie Bristow and Knix founder Joanna Griffiths will appear at the festival in a moderated conversation on June 14 to outline the fund’s objectives. The fund will open to submissions around the same time, with Catalyst and Knix green lighting the most promising entry.
“The values of Knix and the thought-leadership that Joanna has provided on so many women’s issues align perfectly with Catalyst’s mission to open eyes, minds, and hearts with unapologetically brilliant storytelling by and about women,” said Bristow. “To achieve a more inclusive world, we need more stories led by women creators. Sometimes the only way to catalyse change is to challenge legacy business models by investing in new paradigms.
- 5/4/2023
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
National Award-winning film director Ananth Mahadevan has announced his next venture “Veterans Of War – The India Story”.
Mahadevan stated: “This is India’s biggest march of pride…the veterans of the armed forces who are the sentinels of the nation. A salute to our nation’s ‘kavach’!”
Written and directed by Mahadevan and produced by Ashvin Gidwani of Agp World, the 75-minute documentary film that celebrates 75 years of Indian Independence will feature real life stories and interviews of 20 Indian armed forces Gallantry awardees.
Veterans Day is commemorated every year on January 14, and this parade that is due to take place on January 8 this year, will be the final shoot and scene for this epic docu-film.
In collaboration with the Navy Foundation Mumbai Chapter (Nfmc), this documentary has been created. It will feature living legends of war, where retired, top-ranking military personnel and Mahavir Chakra awardees have shared their true-life experiences.
Mahadevan stated: “This is India’s biggest march of pride…the veterans of the armed forces who are the sentinels of the nation. A salute to our nation’s ‘kavach’!”
Written and directed by Mahadevan and produced by Ashvin Gidwani of Agp World, the 75-minute documentary film that celebrates 75 years of Indian Independence will feature real life stories and interviews of 20 Indian armed forces Gallantry awardees.
Veterans Day is commemorated every year on January 14, and this parade that is due to take place on January 8 this year, will be the final shoot and scene for this epic docu-film.
In collaboration with the Navy Foundation Mumbai Chapter (Nfmc), this documentary has been created. It will feature living legends of war, where retired, top-ranking military personnel and Mahavir Chakra awardees have shared their true-life experiences.
- 1/2/2023
- by News Bureau
- GlamSham
The journey to this week’s final episode of Ru Paul’s Secret Celebrity Drag Race has been a rather unique one considering that the celebrities were forced to reveal themselves a few weeks ago. I don’t fully understand why this decision was made but I think that it sort of negates the inclusion of “secret” in the title so we spend three episodes knowing exactly who everyone is without this being used within a number. I personally think it is criminal that we did not get a rendition of “Proud Mary” by Chic-Li-Fay/Kevin McHale as this would have been a wonderful nod to his time on the hit musical TV show Glee (and is also one of my all-time favourite songs!) We could have also had a rendition of “It’s Not Unusual” by Tom Jones from Chakra Seven, as this song has become synonyms with Fresh Prince...
- 10/4/2022
- by Rhys Payne
- Nerdly
Friday night brings the big finale of “RuPaul’s Secret Celebrity Drag Race” Season 2, and going into the last round of competition, it really is anyone’s game.
Poppy Love (aka Backstreet Boy Aj McClean), Thirsty Von Trapp (aka “Ugly Betty’s” Mark Indelicato), and Chakra 7 (aka “Fresh Prince of Bel Air” alum Tatyana Ali) are running neck and neck as they compete for the crown.
“Aj not only came out of the box really strong, he remained really strong,” judge Michelle Visage told TheWrap when we spoke with her and co-panelist Ross Mathews on Thursday (you can watch our conversation above). “Poppy, you know, we’ve said this on the show — she’s one of those queens that we know is going to kill it every time.”
Also Read:
‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Season 14 Queen Jasmine Kennedie on Coming Out During ‘Untucked’: An ‘Uplifting Moment’
“But I will say...
Poppy Love (aka Backstreet Boy Aj McClean), Thirsty Von Trapp (aka “Ugly Betty’s” Mark Indelicato), and Chakra 7 (aka “Fresh Prince of Bel Air” alum Tatyana Ali) are running neck and neck as they compete for the crown.
“Aj not only came out of the box really strong, he remained really strong,” judge Michelle Visage told TheWrap when we spoke with her and co-panelist Ross Mathews on Thursday (you can watch our conversation above). “Poppy, you know, we’ve said this on the show — she’s one of those queens that we know is going to kill it every time.”
Also Read:
‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Season 14 Queen Jasmine Kennedie on Coming Out During ‘Untucked’: An ‘Uplifting Moment’
“But I will say...
- 9/30/2022
- by Jolie Lash
- The Wrap
I could totally understand why people would have thought that last week’s episode of Ru Paul’s Secret Celebrity Drag Race was the final episode in the season. The whole point of this season was that all the celebrities are secret and so starting the episode with making the top five reveal themselves was a rather strange creative choice. On top of this, the queens had to not only perform a solo number (which was a rendition of one of Ru Paul’s songs) but also a group number which is usually reserved for the final episodes of regular Drag Race. This homage to Ru would have made sense as the season finale as every performer would have gone through the drag race journey and so would be able to relate to the songs more so than they could have before. After reaching what can only be described as the...
- 9/27/2022
- by Rhys Payne
- Nerdly
I have to admit that last week’s episode of Ru Paul’s Secret Celebrity Drag Race was one of the best episodes this season with every queen sticking to the 90s influence of the episode with a fabulous range of different perspectives which was great to watch! The episode ended with an expected top two lip-sync between Donna Belisama and Chakra Seven which saw the former claim her first-ever win of the season! This slight twist in the competition structure made total sense in my opinion as every performer did very well in their individual performances so having a battle for the overall winner made was appropriate! However, this was not the only dramatic twist of the episode, as it came to an end with Ru Paul announcing that as of next week there will be no more secrets. Usually, this sort of twist would have been reserved for the...
- 9/22/2022
- by Rhys Payne
- Nerdly
Egyptian-American director Dina Amer’s politically sensitive drama “You Resemble Me,” the story of Hasna Aït Boulahcen who in 2015 was wrongly believed to be Europe’s first female suicide bomber, is getting a Middle East release via Front Row Filmed Entertainment.
Amer’s feature debut, which world premiered positively at the 2021 Venice Film Festival, is a deeply researched character study of the fragile young Muslim woman who became linked to the November 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris even though she didn’t participate in them. Aït Boulahcen died during an anti-terrorism raid alongside her cousin Abdelhamid Abaaoud, who was one of the ringleaders of the coordinated assaults that killed 130 people in the French capital, including 90 at the Bataclan theater.
Executive-produced by Spike Lee, Spike Jonze, Alma Har’el, and Riz Ahmed, “You Resemble Me” world premiered last year from the Venice Film Festival’s Venice Days section. Pic’s Middle East festival...
Amer’s feature debut, which world premiered positively at the 2021 Venice Film Festival, is a deeply researched character study of the fragile young Muslim woman who became linked to the November 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris even though she didn’t participate in them. Aït Boulahcen died during an anti-terrorism raid alongside her cousin Abdelhamid Abaaoud, who was one of the ringleaders of the coordinated assaults that killed 130 people in the French capital, including 90 at the Bataclan theater.
Executive-produced by Spike Lee, Spike Jonze, Alma Har’el, and Riz Ahmed, “You Resemble Me” world premiered last year from the Venice Film Festival’s Venice Days section. Pic’s Middle East festival...
- 9/19/2022
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
The two qualms I have had with season two of Ru Paul’s Secret Celebrity Drag Race have been the lack of cohesive themes that run through the episodes and the connection to the rest of the drag race ru-niverse! It seemed like last week the creative team working on this show focused on the former factor, as every performance was heavily influenced by the idea of money – leading to the first-ever joint winners being Chic-Li-Fay and Chakra Seven. In all honesty, I personally preferred the latter’s intensely fierce performance of “ M.I.L.F. ” by Fergie and so, if it was up to me, she would have been the sole winner of the episode! My biggest issue with this joint winner announcement however, would have to be the fact that when Chic was originally announced as the winner of the episode she did not protest as she promised earlier in the episode.
- 9/9/2022
- by Rhys Payne
- Nerdly
In the last episode of Ru Paul’s Secret Celebrity Drag Race, we saw Poppy Love continue her domination of the competition as she claimed her second win in two episodes! I personally, thoroughly enjoyed her performance of “Show Me How to Burlesque” from the iconic movie Burlesque where they showcase their incredible dance-based skills! On the other end of the completion was surprising Thirsty Von Trap and Electra Owl with the latter revealing herself to be the singer-songwriter, Taylor Dayne! In the first episode of this season, I was a bit disappointed in the fact that there was little to no theme that tied together each of the separate performances. There was some improvement last week when the idea of “dance” was used with the queens showing their own dance skills (specifically the aforementioned Poppy Love and Chic-Fi-Lay) but I did think that this theme was extremely...
- 9/2/2022
- by Rhys Payne
- Nerdly
Middle East and North Africa distributor Front Row Filmed Entertainment has snapped up regional distribution rights for Saudi action picture Route 10, starring rising local talents Fatima AlBanawi and Baraa Alem.
The company is planning a wide theatrical launch in Saudi Arabia on July 28 via Front Row Arabia, its joint venture with the territory’s biggest home-grown exhibitor Muvi Cinemas.
The partners launched the label in early 2021 in response to the growing Saudi demand for feature film content for theatrical release in the wake of the territory’s lifting of its 35-year cinema ban at the end of 2017.
Front Row will also release the title in other Mena territories at the same time.
The film is among a growing body of Saudi feature productions to come to fruition over the last 12 months, as a local film industry begins to take root.
The Saudi box office, which is tipped to top an...
The company is planning a wide theatrical launch in Saudi Arabia on July 28 via Front Row Arabia, its joint venture with the territory’s biggest home-grown exhibitor Muvi Cinemas.
The partners launched the label in early 2021 in response to the growing Saudi demand for feature film content for theatrical release in the wake of the territory’s lifting of its 35-year cinema ban at the end of 2017.
Front Row will also release the title in other Mena territories at the same time.
The film is among a growing body of Saudi feature productions to come to fruition over the last 12 months, as a local film industry begins to take root.
The Saudi box office, which is tipped to top an...
- 6/28/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Dubai-based distributor Front Row Filmed Entertainment has acquired all rights to upcoming high-octane Saudi thriller “Route 10,” starring rising local stars Fatima Al Banawi (“Al Shak”) and Baraa Alem (“The Book of Sun”).
A wide pan-regional release has been planned for July 28 via Front Row Arabia, the company’s joint-venture with leading Saudi exhibitor Muvi Cinemas.
Directed by Lebanon’s Omar Naim, best known for sci-fi drama “The Final Cut,” which starred Robin Williams and Mira Sorvino, “Route 10” is about two siblings named Maryam and Nasser who set out on a road trip through the desert from Riyadh to Abu Dhabi to attend their father’s wedding. In the desert, they are chased by an angry stranger in what turns out to be a frantic fight for their lives.
Fatima Al Banawi, who plays Maryam, is a Saudi multi-hyphenate whose first acting role in Mahmoud Sabbagh’s groundbreaking 2016 comedy “Barakah Meets...
A wide pan-regional release has been planned for July 28 via Front Row Arabia, the company’s joint-venture with leading Saudi exhibitor Muvi Cinemas.
Directed by Lebanon’s Omar Naim, best known for sci-fi drama “The Final Cut,” which starred Robin Williams and Mira Sorvino, “Route 10” is about two siblings named Maryam and Nasser who set out on a road trip through the desert from Riyadh to Abu Dhabi to attend their father’s wedding. In the desert, they are chased by an angry stranger in what turns out to be a frantic fight for their lives.
Fatima Al Banawi, who plays Maryam, is a Saudi multi-hyphenate whose first acting role in Mahmoud Sabbagh’s groundbreaking 2016 comedy “Barakah Meets...
- 6/28/2022
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Fast-rising Middle East distribution and production banner Front Row Filmed Entertainment, which scored a hit earlier this year with its first original production, Netflix’s Arabic-language remake of Perfect Strangers, is making a push into Saudi content, having acquired distribution rights to local thriller Route 10.
Described by the producers as a “pulse pounding chase thriller” starring Fatima AlBanawi (Al Shak), Baraa Alem (The Book of Sun) and directed by Omar Naim, the film is now set for a wide theatrical release in Saudi Arabia and Front Row’s other territories across the Middle East and North Africa via Front Row Arabia, a joint venture the company established with Saudi exhibitor Muvi Cinemas. Front Row, which has a first-look deal with Netflix for its own productions, will also assist with the sale of Route 10 outside the region.
Produced by Image Nation Abu Dhabi in...
Fast-rising Middle East distribution and production banner Front Row Filmed Entertainment, which scored a hit earlier this year with its first original production, Netflix’s Arabic-language remake of Perfect Strangers, is making a push into Saudi content, having acquired distribution rights to local thriller Route 10.
Described by the producers as a “pulse pounding chase thriller” starring Fatima AlBanawi (Al Shak), Baraa Alem (The Book of Sun) and directed by Omar Naim, the film is now set for a wide theatrical release in Saudi Arabia and Front Row’s other territories across the Middle East and North Africa via Front Row Arabia, a joint venture the company established with Saudi exhibitor Muvi Cinemas. Front Row, which has a first-look deal with Netflix for its own productions, will also assist with the sale of Route 10 outside the region.
Produced by Image Nation Abu Dhabi in...
- 6/28/2022
- by Alex Ritman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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