Huda Kattan donates $1m to humanitarian organizations in Gaza
Updated 10 November 2023
Arab News
DUBAI: American-Iraqi Huda Kattan, founder of beauty empire Huda Beauty, announced this week that she will be donating $1 million to two humanitarian organizations in Gaza: Human Appeal and Doctors Without Borders.
“It’s been a MONTH of immense suffering in Gaza, and unfortunately things are getting worse,” a statement shared on her personal and professional Instagram accounts read.
“It’s important that we always stand on the side of the oppressed and use our platform to shed light on any injustice. We cannot stand by and pretend like this is not happening,” the statement added.
“Our Huda Beauty brands, including Huda Beauty, Kayali and WISHFUl, will be donating $1 million to humanitarian organizations in Gaza.”
On Thursday, Kattan shared an update with her followers on the donation and the organizations she is partnering with.
“In these challenging times, with Gaza completely blocked, it’s not easy to find organizations that can provide immediate aid and guarantee resource delivery for those who need it most,” she said.
“After careful consideration, we are directing out attention to two organizations. One has on ground personnel providing essential medical care to victims, while the other is dedicated to proving clean and safe water.”
Kattan has been raising awareness on social media about the situation in Palestine. This week, she asked her followers to help her with a list of brands that support Palestine.
“I’m trying to do my shopping and I’m looking for brands that support Palestine,” she said in a video posted on her personal account. “If you guys can please help me and just drop down in the comments section below brands that you know and products that you love that support Palestine, because I want to buy them and I support them and I want to know who they are,” she added.
“Right now, I’m having a little bit of a hard time finding replacements for some of the products I’ve been using before, and more information about brands that are supporting the cause and speaking up for justice and for what’s right and against the genocide.”
DUBAI: Amid the ruins and chaos of Gaza, artist and designer Reem Harazin continues to weave the vibrant threads of Palestinian history into her work.
Her latest project, “Native” — a collaboration with the lifestyle brand Palestinian Hustle, is more than a collection of garments, it is an intricate portrayal of her people’s past and present, drawing on motifs that reflect and highlight the essence of Palestinian culture.
“Every element represents a unique facet of Palestinian history and civilization, woven together to form a vibrant narrative,” she tells Arab News. “These elements are inseparable, like the threads of a tapestry, intertwining to tell a continuous story that stretches from the past to the present.”
Her latest designs depict Palestine as it was before the 1948 occupation, showing cities unmarred by checkpoints or settlements, where people moved freely from the river to the sea.
The outer border of the “Native” T-shirt and hoodie line mirrors the walls of Jerusalem, while olive leaves like those in the pattern of the Keffiyeh — used to symbolize strength and resilience — form the inner frame.
Within the word “Native,” a fishnet pattern represents Palestinian heritage. The map of Palestine is laced with barbed wire to signify the barriers of separation across the country, alongside the keys of return held by Palestinian families and the Palestinian Liberation peace hand below.
To Harazin, the cultural elements reflected in her work are just a small part of the Palestinian people’s deep-rooted history, which she describes as being “as complex and interconnected as the branches of a tree.”
She continues: “These roots are deeply embedded in the land, passed down from one generation to the next, carrying the Palestinian story forward.”
Behind the beauty of Harazin’s designs lies the harsh reality of survival in Gaza. The ongoing conflict has left her and countless others with an ever-present sense of danger.
“There’s no safe place here, not even in our own homes. Death is always lurking, a shadow that could swallow us whole in an instant,” she says.
Just days ago, she was injured while trying to escape a fresh round of violence. “It was a small injury, but it felt like a symbol of the chaos and fear we live with every day.”
Despite the constant turmoil, Harazin has found solace in her art.
“Art has been a lifeline for me,” she says. “Whenever war breaks out, I turn to drawing. It helps me process the fear, the pain, the constant barrage of negative thoughts. It’s a way to express what words can’t. It helps me remember who I was before the war; before everything changed.”
Harazin recalls picking up a pencil for the first time as a child, playing on the streets of Gaza. From those early, messy scribbles to the drawings that now capture her life story, art has always been an integral part of her life.
“I can still picture my first drawing — a strong Palestinian woman wearing traditional clothes and standing tall like a symbol of resistance. And next to her, always, was the map of our homeland, the place we dreamed of being free,” she says. That image — the strong Palestinian woman — remains a recurring theme in Harazin’s work today.
Her designs also use the rich, ancient patterns of traditional Palestinian clothing, known for bold reds, intricate embroidery, and symbols of resilience.
For Harazin, the connection between art and resistance is undeniable.
“Art is our voice, our way of saying, ‘We’re here. We matter,’” she says. “When words fail us, art speaks for us. It shows our pain, our struggles, and our unwavering spirit. Even in the darkest of times, art reminds us that there’s still beauty in the world.”
As the conflict intensifies, leaving Gaza has become nearly impossible for Harazin. She had planned to flee to Egypt, but the closure of the Rafah crossing and ongoing military operations in the area have eliminated that possibility.
“Our fate remains uncertain, and we don’t know what the future holds. All we can do is hope and pray,” she says. “In the darkest of times, we cling to our faith. It’s the only thing that keeps us going.”
Arthouse cinema opening soon in the heart of Saudi Arabia
Faisal Baltyuor discusses the launch of his passion project, Cinehouse
Updated 26 September 2024
Jasmine Bager
RIYADH: “I created Cinehouse because I wanted it for myself,” Saudi film producer Faisal Baltyuor tells Arab News from his headquarters in Riyadh. In October, Baltyuor is opening what he’s billing as the first arthouse cinema in the Kingdom.
Baltyuor — a film buff hailing from the Eastern Province — has been involved in some of Saudi Arabia’s most successful titles, including critically-acclaimed Netflix hits. But Cinehouse is more than just a business venture; it’s a passion project, designed to foster the kind of creative and immersive environment he himself would want to experience.
“Having it in Riyadh, the capital and the heart of the country, was important,” Baltyuor states. His focus, he says, is on building a thriving hub for filmmakers, and making it a go-to destination for those “coming from anywhere in Riyadh — even from the airport.”
Cinehouse’s first screening will be a never-before-publicly-shown 1975 documentary, “Development of Riyadh City,” by Saudi director Abdullah Al-Muheisen. To screen a documentary about Riyadh in Riyadh was a deliberate choice on Baltyuor’s part.
Hiring and nurturing Saudi talent is also a key pillar of the Cinehouse vision. The venue has committed to supporting local professionals across various roles from cinema staff to truly understanding the distinct Saudi audience, in order to ensure that Cinehouse remains a space where local talent is both celebrated and developed.
“We wanted to create a place that feels like home, while showcasing the best of Saudi talent in both cinema and dining,” Baltyuor says. It’s all in the name. But, he adds, “It’s not just putting a chair and watching a movie.” It is, quite literally, about the bigger picture.
Cinehouse is equipped with three screening rooms, all designed to provide an intimate setting. The Dolby Atmos sound system in each is state-of-the-art. In addition to the high-end cinematic environment, Cinehouse features a menu created by a Saudi chef.
“We’re creating a space where people feel like they belong,” Baltyuor says.
Baltyuor has a team of five trusted members who will select the films to be screened each month. Cinehouse will always include a local Saudi and Middle Eastern entry as well as top films from around the world. October’s films include Jonathan Glazer’s “The Zone of Interest,” Ryoo Seung-wan’s “The Executioner,” Aki Karuismaki’s “Fallen Leaves,” and Yemeni director Amr Gamal’s “The Burdened.”
FAISAL BALTYUOR’S FIVE MUST-SEE MOVIES
‘The Godfather’
I don't think there’s a single person who doesn't know how the great director Frances Ford Coppola, with this film, influenced lovers of artistic cinema — to the point that it turned into a cinematic icon that was, and still is, high up the lists of the best films in history.
‘The Shawshank Redemption’
What I love most about this cinematic masterpiece is that it’s an ordinary story about hope, which the little-known director Frank Darabont transformed into a great film. Could Stephen King have imagined, when he wrote “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption,” what it would become? I don't know. But, as Andy Dufresne says: “Remember, Red, hope is a good thing. Maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.”
‘Inception’
Christopher Nolan’s visual world — which revolves around memory, mind and the nature of the human psyche — always aims to explore topics within the framework of a social-philosophical plot in an attempt to reach the truth of man, time and identity in an artistic way. In this film, he took inspiration from the architectural compositions of the works of the Dutch artist M. C. Escher.
‘Past Lives’
In South Korean culture, the concept of In-Yun is one similar to fate, which suggests that nothing is coincidental and every single meeting is mainly the result of meetings that happened in previous lives. That’s what’s at the heart of Celine Song’s romantic drama.
‘Ratatouille’
This is a must-see because Pixar, and even Walt Disney Pictures, have not yet produced a better film than this animation in all its aspects — the story, the imagery, the technology, and the acoustics.
Review: Marvel’s “Agatha All Along” — a creepy, kooky and fantastic miniseries
Kathryn Hahn returns as titular witch and Marvel returns to form
Updated 26 September 2024
Matt Ross
DUBAI: Whisper it, but there are signs that Marvel is coming out of its post-“Avengers: Endgame” slump. After a string of movies and shows that boasted more misses than hits, the recent “Deadpool & Wolverine” not only joked about the dip in output quality over the last couple of years, but has gone some way towards showing there may be life in the comic-book behemoth yet. So the pressure is certainly on “Agatha All Along”, the latest miniseries to hit the Disney+ streaming service.
A spinoff from the excellent “WandaVision,” the show sees Kathryn Hahn reprise her role as the villainous Agatha Harkness. Still trapped in smalltown America, and stripped of her magical powers, Agatha is released from the last vestiges of Wanda Maximoff’s spell by a teenage kid (“Heartstopper” star Joe Locke). Realizing she needs to walk the legendary Witches Road in order to reclaim her powers, Agatha sets about building a new witches coven to help her.
The show’s secret weapon is Hahn. Slipping effortlessly back into the role, she’s all snark and sass as she reluctantly admits that she can’t get her powers back without the help of her new coven family. Perhaps taking inspiration from the success of “WandaVision,” creator and showrunner Jac Shaeffer leans into the weird, fourth wall-breaking silliness — a true crime detective show spell Agatha gets stuck in is “based on the Danish series Wandavisdysen.” On top of that, a raft of new characters led by Locke, Patti LuPone as a Sicilian witch, returning star Debra Jo Rupp, and Aubrey Plaza (stealing the first two episodes at least with her role as a warrior witch) give Hahn the perfect foils to explore Agatha’s backstory.
Marvel shows, on the small screen at least, tend to be at their best when they tell intricate, thought-out stories about weird and wonderful worlds, sidestepping some of that grandiose, world-ending pomp typical of the MCU movies. With “Agatha All Along” — and more specifically, with Hahn leading such a great ensemble cast — Marvel might very well be back to winning ways.
DUBAi:After a historic inaugural edition last year, Riyadh Fashion Week is set to return for its sophomore season – and soon.
Hosted by the Saudi Fashion Commission, the second edition of the Riyadh Fashion Week will run for five days, from Oct. 17 – 21, according to the event’s official Instagram page.
“Our vision for this year’s Riyadh Fashion Week builds on the remarkable success of our inaugural edition. We are committed to celebrating the boundless creativity of over 30 talented Saudi designers while elevating Riyadh’s position as a dynamic global fashion hub,” reads a post on Instagram.
“This year’s event promises an even richer tapestry of cross-cultural exchange and innovation, propelling Saudi Arabia’s fashion industry to new heights.”
The five-day event will feature 30 designers and 28 runway shows.
While no names or labels have been announced, last year’s edition saw names names like Ashi Studio, 1886, Yousef Akbar, and Arwa Al-Banawi present collections.
"Riyadh Fashion Week exemplifies our commitment to positioning Saudi Arabia as a global hub for fashion innovation and creativity. This year’s event not only builds on the success of our inaugural edition but also takes a bold step forward, redefining the possibilities within the fashion industry.” said Burak Cakmak, CEO of the Fashion Commission, in a stetemnt. “By bringing together a diverse array of brands, we are creating a platform for meaningful cultural exchange and collaboration that highlights the richness of Saudi talent and its impact on the global stage. We look forward to welcoming fashion enthusiasts, industry professionals, and media from around the world to experience firsthand the evolving narrative of Saudi fashion and its transformative power”
Coldplay add second and third dates to 2025 Abu Dhabi concert
Palestinian-Chilean artist Elyanna will open for the band in the Emirati capital
Updated 25 September 2024
Arab News
DUBAI: While fans across the UAE scramble to get tickets to Coldplay’s Abu Dhabi concert in January 2025, the band has added another two dates to their trip to the UAE.
The British band are now set to bring their hugely successful “Music of the Spheres World Tour” to Zayed Sports City Stadium on Jan. 11 as well as Jan. 12 and Jan. 14, it was announced on Wednesday.
Palestinian-Chilean artist Elyanna will open for the band.
The 22-year-old has been a frequent collaborator of the group this year, joining the band on stage at their Glastonbury set. Last week, she released the Arabic edition of the band's new song “We Pray.” On Saturday, she performed with Coldplay in Las Vegas.
Promoters Live Nation Middle East confirmed Abu Dhabi will be the only stop in the region for the band.