Atelier Hekayat designers dedicate collection to Saudi women at London showcase

Atelier Hekayat designers dedicate collection to Saudi women at London showcase
Atelier Hekayat designers pose with the managing director of the British Fashion Council Caroline Rush and Helena Christensen at the BFC x AlUla Creates: Atelier Hekayat and Aram Designs Presentation during London Fashion Week. (Getty Images)
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Updated 20 September 2023
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Atelier Hekayat designers dedicate collection to Saudi women at London showcase

Atelier Hekayat designers dedicate collection to Saudi women at London showcase
  • ‘We dedicate this collection to Saudi women,’ the designers told Arab News ahead of their showcase in London, organized by Film AlUla and the British Fashion Council

DUBAI: Sisters Alia and Abeer Oraif of Jeddah-based label Atelier Hekayat have many feathers in their cap. They have dressed supermodel Helena Christensen and Saudi actress Mila Al-Zahrani, both ambassadors of the AlUla Creates program, and the duo have now presented their collection “A Chapter in Her Life” in London during fashion week.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Film AlUla (@filmalula)

Film AlUla has partnered with the British Fashion Council alongside sustainable fashion consultancy Eco-Age to host an exhibition of two Saudi labels in London this week — as London Fashion Week goes on — and Atelier Hekayat made the cut.

Their upcoming collection is an ode to the many chapters in a woman’s life. “We dedicate this collection to Saudi women, and we want to represent Saudi Arabia in London in the best way possible,” Alia told Arab News.

Launched in 2012, the duo was adamant about starting a brand with international appeal. Cut to 2023 and they have achieved what they set out to create. Arab News caught up with the sisters to get an insight into their journey with the AlUla Creates program, which was designed to support and empower Saudi creatives.

“It was one of the best moments when we got the call from AlUla Creates’ team. They give opportunities and open doors for creating success stories like ours,” explained Abeer. One of those opportunities was designing a dress for Christensen to wear at the 2023 Oscars Vanity Fair after-party — something that was a dream come true for Abeer.

“When I was eight years old, I used to watch her walk in the Gianni Versace shows, and when I saw her on the flight to AlUla, I thought I was dreaming!” For Christensen’s dress, Abir wanted to make something dreamy and sparkling that was also sustainable, so she turned to an ivory skirt which she and her sister had previously designed and upcycled it into a dress with the help of British designer Emilia Wickstead’s team in London.

“Since the skirt was an existing design, we sent it to Wickstead so she could turn it into a dress – we had already ideated and created sketches for the design,” Abeer said.  


Actresses Halle Berry, Katrina Kaif to speak at Red Sea International Film Festival

Actresses Halle Berry, Katrina Kaif to speak at Red Sea International Film Festival
Updated 29 November 2023
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Actresses Halle Berry, Katrina Kaif to speak at Red Sea International Film Festival

Actresses Halle Berry, Katrina Kaif to speak at Red Sea International Film Festival

DUBAI: Red Sea International Film Festival organizers revealed on Wednesday that actresses Halle Berry and Katrina Kaif had been lined up to speak at the event’s third edition.

Dates for the stars’ talks are yet to be announced.

The festival, running from Nov. 30 to Dec. 9, will also host discussion panels with Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania, Australian costume designer Catherine Martin, Tunisian actor Dhafer L’Abidine, Indian director and TV personality Karan Johar, Egyptian actress Yasmine Sabri, Bollywood star Ranveer Singh, and Saudi filmmaking brothers Faris and Sohayb Godus.

 

 

American actress Berry kicked off her career as a model and took part in several beauty contests, finishing as the first runner-up in the Miss USA pageant and coming sixth in Miss World 1986.

The 57-year-old gained widespread recognition and acclaim for her performance in 2001’s “Monster’s Ball,” a role that earned her the Academy Award for best actress, making her the first African American woman to win in the category.

Her portrayal of Storm in the “X-Men” film series, and her iconic turn as Jinx Johnson in the 2002 James Bond film “Die Another Day,” are among her most well-known movie roles. She has received several accolades, including at the Primetime Emmy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, and Screen Actors Guild Awards.

 

 

British actress Kaif is one of the leading stars in the Indian film industry.

The 40-year-old has received widespread acclaim for her roles in various Bollywood flicks with one of her most popular performances coming in the action thriller “Ek Tha Tiger” in 2012, where she starred alongside Salman Khan. Her character Zoya, an intelligence agent, showcased both her acting prowess and on-screen charisma.

Another notable film in her career was “Jab Tak Hai Jaan,” directed by the legendary Yash Chopra.

 

 

The festival opens on Thursday with a screening of Iraqi director Yasir Al-Yasiri’s fantasy “HWJN.”

German actress Diane Kruger, Singh, and Saudi actor-writer Abdullah Al-Sadhan will receive career honors at the event.

Australian film director Baz Luhrmann will preside over the festival’s jury and will be joined by Swedish-American actor Joel Kinnaman (“The Suicide Squad”), Indian actress Freida Pinto (“Slumdog Millionaire”), Egyptian actress Amina Khalil (“Grand Hotel”), and Spaniard Paz Vega (“Sex and Lucia,” and “The OA”).


Egypt’s El Gouna Film Festival to take place in December 

Egypt’s El Gouna Film Festival to take place in December 
Updated 29 November 2023
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Egypt’s El Gouna Film Festival to take place in December 

Egypt’s El Gouna Film Festival to take place in December 

DUBAI: Egypt’s El Gouna Film Festival is set to take place from Dec. 14-21 after being postponed twice due to the “distressing circumstances” in Gaza, organizers announced this week. 

The sixth edition, in collaboration with the Palestinian Film Institute, will be dedicated to Palestinian cinema. 

 

 

Organizers said in a statement on Instagram that this year’s edition aims “to shed light on the current situation and inhumane conditions in Gaza.

“Additionally, a fundraising dinner is planned to gather donations for humanitarian aid efforts in Gaza in coordination with the Egyptian Red Crescent during the festival.”

The event will be held without any celebrations to reaffirm its solidarity with the Palestinian people.


Review: ‘The House of the Coptic Woman’ is intelligent, complex and rich 

Review: ‘The House of the Coptic Woman’ is intelligent, complex and rich 
Updated 29 November 2023
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Review: ‘The House of the Coptic Woman’ is intelligent, complex and rich 

Review: ‘The House of the Coptic Woman’ is intelligent, complex and rich 

CHICAGO: In rural Upper Egypt, public prosecutor Nader Fayez Kamal arrives in the village of Tayea, where tension is high between Coptic and Muslim communities in award-winning novelist and legal scholar Ashraf El-Ashmawi’s novel, “The House of the Coptic Woman.” Beginning a new job as a deputy public prosecutor on the outskirts of town, Nader must navigate a tricky post with complicated relationships between people and the land they live on. Translated into English by Peter Daniel, Nader finds life away from Cairo more complex than he had hoped for, but faces it with a strong legal mind and a penchant for solving mysteries. 

On the night Nader arrives at the rest house to begin his new job, he meets a caretaker named Ramses who tells him that the lodge was originally built by a British irrigation engineer who was in charge of northern Upper Egypt before he was murdered in the 1940s. From that event, history changed the face of the village which by 1952, after the Egyptian revolution, changes its name to Tayea after the mayor. With a history of religious tension, Nader isn’t prepared for what’s about to happen. Coinciding with his arrival is the appearance of a young woman named Hoda who appears in the middle of the night with a secret that will change her life and that of those around her.  

With an atmosphere that is foreboding, El-Ashmawi’s incredible storytelling sets the mood as the novel shifts between Nader and Hoda. Between the divisive village life, arson attacks, murders that are never solved, and mysterious land acquisitions and sales, Nader and Hoda are thrown into a world where they are forced to tread carefully. Nader has a knack for stepping on toes but has to learn the hard way that the path to justice and peace can be messy.   

Setting a tone that is intelligent, complex, deceptive, and rich, El-Ashmawi’s novel encompasses sectarian strife and a debate about justice. There are laws that penalize for small offences and others in which the punishment is far less than the offense. In a place where justice is more concerned with politics, the protagonists will find themselves facing decisions that could alter their lives forever. 


Cynthia Nixon starts hunger strike to demand ceasefire in Gaza

Cynthia Nixon starts hunger strike to demand ceasefire in Gaza
Updated 29 November 2023
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Cynthia Nixon starts hunger strike to demand ceasefire in Gaza

Cynthia Nixon starts hunger strike to demand ceasefire in Gaza

DUBAI: US actress Cynthia Nixon on Monday began a hunger strike outside the White House to demand that US president Joe Biden call for a ceasefire in Gaza. 

According to Sky News, the “Sex And The City” actress said: “I am sick and tired of people explaining away by saying that civilian casualties are a routine toll of war. There is nothing routine about these figures. There is noting routine about these deaths.

“I would like to make a personal plea to a president who has, himself, experienced such devastating personal loss, to connect with that empathy for which he is so well known and to look at the children of Gaza and imagine that they were his children,” she said. 

Nixon will end her strike on Tuesday to return to New York for work commitments.

The star is joined by five politicians in the US: Delaware state representative Madinah Wilson-Anton, New York representative Zohran Mamdani, Oklahoma representative Mauree Turner, Virginia representative Sam Rasoul and Michigan representative Abraham Aiyash.
 


Metallica to perform in Riyadh in December

Metallica to perform in Riyadh in December
Updated 28 November 2023
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Metallica to perform in Riyadh in December

Metallica to perform in Riyadh in December

DUBAI: US metal band Metallica is set to perform in Saudi Arabia for the first time in December at the Kingdom’s much-anticipated music festival Soundstorm by MDLBeast.

The group’s gig will be in Riyadh on Dec. 14, the first night of the three-day event.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Metallica (@metallica)

The festival is also hosting international stars including Chris Brown, Pharrell Williams, Her, Tiesto, David Guetta, Black Eyed Peas, J Balvin and Anne-Marie.

Some of the Arab stars who will hit the stage include Elissa, Mahmoud El-Esseily, Hakeem, Majid Al-Mohandis, Mohamed Ramadan, Omaima Taleb, Rabeh Saqr, Dalia Mubarak, Ruby, Nancy Ajram, Ramy Sabry, Ahmed Saad, Hamid El-Shari and more.

The festival is yet to announce more international and regional artists taking part in this year’s edition.

Metallica’s Saudi show is part of the group’s M72 World Tour.