Arab News wins 9 honors at prestigious Society for News Design awards

The newspaper’s FIFA World Cup cover wrap, illustrated by The Sporting Press, won an Award of Excellence in several categories, including Front Page and Special Coverage. (AN Photo)
The newspaper’s FIFA World Cup cover wrap, illustrated by The Sporting Press, won an Award of Excellence in several categories, including Front Page and Special Coverage. (AN Photo)
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Updated 05 June 2023
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Arab News wins 9 honors at prestigious Society for News Design awards

Arab News wins 9 honors at prestigious Society for News Design awards
  • The newspaper receiving multiple honors for its design work in coverage of sports events such as the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar and the Formula E Diriyah E-Prix
  • 27 judges from around the world with expertise in journalism, new media and design reviewed nearly 2,700 entries across 11 categories during 4 days of judging in New York

DUBAI: Arab News, the leading English-language daily newspaper in the Middle East, won nine Awards of Excellence across more than five categories at the 44th Society for News Design’s Best of News Design Creative Competition.

For this year’s print media competition, 27 judges from around the world with expertise in journalism, new media and design reviewed nearly 2,700 entries across 11 categories during four days of judging in New York. Omar Nashashibi, head of design at Arab News, was one of the judges.

“To win nine awards across multiple categories at this year’s competition is a wonderful achievement for Arab News,” said Nashashibi.

“Seeing the high standards of the other entries firsthand — and Arab News competing with the biggest publications in the world — made it even more special.”

Designs used by Arab News for its sports coverage proved particularly popular among the judges, with the newspaper receiving multiple honors for its design work relating to stories on events such as the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar and the Formula E Diriyah E-Prix.

The newspaper’s FIFA World Cup cover wrap, illustrated by The Sporting Press, won an Award of Excellence in several categories, including Front Page and Special Coverage.

Other winning entries included animated, eye-catching imagery for a story headlined “Saudi’s animal kingdom,” published on Endangered Species Day, which was honored in the combined print and digital category.

Meanwhile, the graphic design for the story “KSA prepares to tap resource-rich seas for fishing bounty” won in the Inside Pages (News) category.

“SND is one of the most prestigious competitions out there, entered by the world’s biggest and best publications, so to win nine Awards of Excellence is brilliant news for the whole team,” said Simon Khalil, consultant creative director with Arab News.

“These awards really showcase the variety of designs we create at Arab News. We utilize a broad range of illustration styles and graphic styles to ensure we keep our designs exciting for our readers.”

Founded in 1979, the Society for News Design is an international organization for news media professionals and visual communicators who create print, web and mobile publications and products. Its Best of News Design Creative Competition, considered among the most prestigious awards programs in the industry, honors excellence in visual storytelling, design and journalism.


Indonesia may issue regulations on social media e-commerce this week

Indonesia may issue regulations on social media e-commerce this week
Updated 25 September 2023
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Indonesia may issue regulations on social media e-commerce this week

Indonesia may issue regulations on social media e-commerce this week
  • Trade Ministry likely to impose strict regulations
  • Social media platforms are threatening offline markets, ministry said

JAKARTA: Indonesia may issue on Tuesday a regulation on the use of social media to sell goods in the country, President Joko Widodo said, a move intended to quell threats to offline markets in Southeast Asia’s biggest economy.
Ministers have repeatedly said that e-commerce sellers using predatory pricing on social media platforms are threatening offline markets in Indonesia, with some officials specifically citing the video platform TikTok as an example.
“We just...decided on the use of social media for e-commerce. Tomorrow it will perhaps come out,” Widodo, who is commonly known as Jokowi, said in a streamed video address on Monday.
“What the people are expecting is that the advancement of technology can create new economic potential, not kill existing economies.”
Jokowi did not mention any specific companies or offer further details on the regulation, which is being formulated by the trade ministry.
Current trade regulations do not specifically cover direct transactions on social media.
Deputy Trade Minister Jerry Sambuaga said earlier this month that “social media and social commerce cannot be combined,” vowing to ban the mix of the two and citing TikTok’s “live” features which allow people to sell goods.
A TikTok Indonesia spokesperson declined to comment. TikTok is owned by Chinese tech company ByteDance.
The company said that its app had 325 million Southeast Asian users that were active every month, of whom 125 million were in Indonesia. The company has said that there were 2 million small businesses on TikTok Shop in Indonesia.


Cosmetics brand Garnier partners with Snapchat to celebrate Saudi National Day

Cosmetics brand Garnier partners with Snapchat to celebrate Saudi National Day
Updated 23 September 2023
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Cosmetics brand Garnier partners with Snapchat to celebrate Saudi National Day

Cosmetics brand Garnier partners with Snapchat to celebrate Saudi National Day
  • Their environmental-themed campaign includes limited-edition Bitmoji merchandise and an augmented reality experience
  • Snapchat users can also design a tote bag and share it for a chance to influence the next Garnier tote design, which will be available at Panda stores

DUBAI: Cosmetics company Garnier is teaming up with Snapchat for new campaign, “Shop Greener Because Saudi Deserves Green,” to celebrate Saudi Arabia’s 93rd National Day on Sept. 23 and encourage people in the Kingdom to choose sustainable beauty products.

The campaign, which runs until Sept. 27, features two exclusive experiences for Snapchat users: limited-edition Bitmoji merchandise that can be unlocked by scanning a QR code on Snapchat, and an immersive augmented reality lens featuring a customizable tote bag.

According to a Snapchat report titled Augmentality Shift, 77 percent of consumers surveyed in the Kingdom agreed that they feel closer to brands or products that offer AR experiences.

“We take pride in collaborating with Garnier Green to help reduce environmental impact through the power of AR, and to raise awareness and catalyze change on environmental issues that can have an even bigger influence to champion real change,” said Mariam Koumaiha, brand strategist at Snap Inc. for the Middle East and North Africa region.

As part of the campaign, Snapchat users are invited to design a tote bag and share it for a chance to influence the next Garnier tote design, which will be available at Panda stores.

Users will also receive a complimentary tote bag with the purchase of any Garnier product, and receive a cashback of SR5 ($1.33) when they return with the reusable tote and buy Garnier products worth at least SR50.

“Garnier’s unwavering commitment to a greener and more sustainable Saudi Arabia has been our driving force for years,” said Ahmed Wagih, general manager of Garnier Middle East’s Consumer Product division.

“As we celebrate Saudi Arabia’s heritage, we also celebrate our shared responsibility towards a greener future.”

Snapchat said it has a monthly addressable audience of 22 million users in Saudi Arabia and reaches 90 percent of people in the country between the ages of 13 and 34.


Advanced Media to launch Arabic edition of CINE digital filmmaking workshops in Riyadh

Photo/Shutterstock
Photo/Shutterstock
Updated 22 September 2023
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Advanced Media to launch Arabic edition of CINE digital filmmaking workshops in Riyadh

Photo/Shutterstock
  • The event on Oct. 6-7 aims to give industry professionals, content creators and enthusiasts a chance to learn about the latest industry trends in digital cinema

LONDON: Advanced Media, a company that distributes video, photographic, broadcast and cinema equipment, will host an Arabic version of its biannual digital cinema community event, CINE, in Riyadh next month.

Titled CINESeason, the event on Oct. 6 and 7 aims to give industry professionals, content creators and enthusiasts a chance to learn about the latest industry trends in digital cinema. Organizers said the comprehensive program will teach participants about various aspects of cinematic filmmaking, including video acquisition, lighting for film and TV drama, shooting in high-resolution formats, workflow, and the post-production process.

Workshops will be led by leading industry experts in the region, they added, including cinematographer Fouad Aoun, editor Mostafa Salah, and renowned Egyptian director of photography Ayman Abou El-Makarem.

As the entertainment sector in Saudi Arabia has opened up in recent years as part of the Vision 2030 plan to develop and diversify the national economy, the country has emerged as a rapidly expanding market for filmmaking and content creation, which is driving demand for professional equipment and skilled operators.

Established in 2020 by UAE-based Advanced Media, CINESeason provides a unique opportunity for filmmakers in the Kingdom to gain hands-on experience with the latest equipment, and network with fellow professionals.

 

 


Iranian filmmakers protest official Oscar entry, call for new submission

Iranian filmmakers protest official Oscar entry, call for new submission
Updated 22 September 2023
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Iranian filmmakers protest official Oscar entry, call for new submission

Iranian filmmakers protest official Oscar entry, call for new submission
  • IIFMA said shortlist was not representative of Iran’s creative body of work
  • Iran selected Reza Mirkarimi’s “The Night Guardian” as country submission to the 96th Academy Awards

LONDON: Dissident Iranian filmmakers have protested the country’s official Oscars entry for 2024 and called on the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to consider an alternative film to represent Iran.

The Iranian government-controlled Farabi Cinema Foundation has selected Reza Mirkarimi’s “The Night Guardian” as Iran’s submission to the 96th Academy Awards.

However, the Iranian Independent Filmmaker Association has opposed the decision, arguing that Farabi maintains close ties with the Islamic Republic’s government and that “Iranian cinema’s representative at the Oscars” should not be announced by the state-controlled entity.

In a statement, the IIFMA accused the government of leveraging Farabi to put “terrifying pressure on Iranian artists” and that the Oscars entry shortlist is not reflective of the creative body of work this year by Iranian filmmakers.

It added that Farabi also excluded several Iranian films that were critically acclaimed internationally this year from consideration as Iran’s Oscars entry.

The IIFMA pointed out that Farabi admitted to working with Iranian intelligence agencies to choose the films for the shortlist, adding that the organization has been banned from several film festivals, such as Berlin and Cannes, because of its close ties to the regime.

The IIFMA was formed on the eve of the Berlin Film Festival last February, in the wake of the “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests, to represent filmmakers who are not affiliated with the Iranian government.

AMPAS has not yet commented on the IIFMA’s protest or on the calls for an alternative Oscars entry for Iran.

However, the academy has a history of supporting filmmakers working in repressive environments.

In 2021, exiled Iranian filmmaker Bahman Ghobadi wrote to it suggesting the creation of a special entry in the category representing exiled artists.


Tunisia frees cartoonist after his arrest over drawings mocking PM

Tunisia frees cartoonist after his arrest over drawings mocking PM
Updated 22 September 2023
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Tunisia frees cartoonist after his arrest over drawings mocking PM

Tunisia frees cartoonist after his arrest over drawings mocking PM
  • Tawfiq Omrane could face one year in prison if convicted

TUNIS: Tunisia’s public prosecutor on Friday released the cartoonist Tawfiq Omrane, after he was detained for hours over drawings mocking the prime minister, fueling concern among free speech advocates.
Omrane is well known for publishing satirical cartoons featuring President Kais Saied, who seized almost all powers two years ago after he shut down Tunisia’s elected parliament in a move that the opposition described as a coup.
“They interrogated me on suspicion of insulting the prime minister. They showed a drawing that they considered offensive,” Omrane told Diwan FM Tunisian radio.
Omrane pledged that he would continue his satirical drawings.
“The police interrogated him (Omrane) for hours without the presence of lawyers on suspicion of insulting through social networks ... over cartoons mocking the prime minister,” his lawyer, Anas Kadoussi, told Reuters. Kadoussi said the cartoonist could face one year in prison if convicted.
Interior Ministry officials declined to comment immediately.
Ahmed Hachani is the prime minister, appointed last month to replace Najla Bouden.
Many Tunisians see free speech as a principal reform won after the 2011 revolution that toppled dictatorial President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. Activists, journalists and politicians have warned this freedom is under threat.
“Omrane’s arrest reinforces authorities’ efforts to suppress critical voices of the president,” said Amira Mohamed, a senior official at the country’s Journalists’ Syndicate.
Kais Saied strongly criticized state TV in a speech this week, including the arrangement of headlines in a bulletin, in a move that the Journalists Syndicate said was “blatant interference.”
Saied rejects accusations of targeting freedoms and has said he will never be a dictator.
Police have detained more than 20 political figures this year, including opposition leader Rached Ghannouchi, head of the Ennahda party, accusing some of plotting against state security.