Saudi filmmaker Ryan Al-Bishri discusses ‘When the Light Shines’ 

Saudi filmmaker Ryan Al-Bishri discusses ‘When the Light Shines’ 
Prince Faissal bin Abdullah bin Mohammad Al-Saud, founder of Layan Culture, at the organization’s headquarters with his daughter, who is also called Layan. (Image courtesy of Dahsha Productions)
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Updated 18 April 2025
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Saudi filmmaker Ryan Al-Bishri discusses ‘When the Light Shines’ 

Saudi filmmaker Ryan Al-Bishri discusses ‘When the Light Shines’ 
  • The documentary about Layan Culture tells a remarkable story of artistic perseverance against the odds 

DUBAI: Saudi Arabia’s cultural scene is becoming increasingly significant both inside and outside of the Gulf region, with the Kingdom’s artists being collected by prestigious international institutions and fetching impressive prices at auction.  

But a common gripe is that there is little archival material on those creatives who, decades ago — and without any of the institutional support the current generation now enjoy — built careers for themselves and inspired those who came after them. 

In his documentary “When the Light Shines,” which screens at the Saudi Film Festival today, Saudi filmmaker Ryan Al-Bishri reveals one long-running initiative that bucks that trend. Layan Culture was officially established in 2007 by Prince Faissal bin Abdullah bin Mohammad Al-Saud and Princess Adelah bint Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, but stems from decades-long support for artists and creators from its founders.  




Filmmaker Ryan Al-Bishri. (Dhasha Productions)

Layan is an archive, a collective, an “art-concept creator” and much more. It celebrates, promotes and is a patron of Saudi creatives. Its website states that its vision is also to “nurture artistic appreciation in the minds and hearts of the Saudi people.” However, despite its significance, Layan Culture is little-known, even inside the Kingdom. Al-Bishri hopes to change that. 

Al-Bishri was first introduced to Prince Faissal through his father, the fashion designer Yahya Al-Bishri.  

“I heard a lot of the stories through my father, of course. And then from Prince Faissal himself. And whenever they talked about it, it was just like ‘Wow!’ Stories I’d never heard —really interesting stuff from back in the 1960s,” Al-Bishri tells Arab News. 

A few of those stories — of trips overseas or to then-rarely visited areas of Saudi Arabia as the prince and his friends attempted to gather information about the Kingdom’s artistic and cultural heritage — made it into “When the Light Shines.” Indeed, Al-Bishri says, one in particular was the spark for the whole project. 

In the 1960s, American artist, photographer and explorer Gerhardt Liebmann entered Saudi Arabia through Yemen. “He just walked in — no visa or nothing — and started painting,” says Al-Bishri. Eventually, Liebmann was discovered by the authorities and deported.  




Layan Culture’s managing director Ghada AlTobaishi (R) and art director Mazen Tarabishi. (Courtesy of Dhasha Productions)

Years later, Prince Faissal and others were on a trip to Geneva. As they were walking past one of its many art galleries, the prince spotted a painting of a mosque minaret. The gallery provided the name of the artist (yes, Liebmann) and Prince Faissal reached out to him. In 1981, Liebmann returned to the Kingdom. The minaret, it turned out, was that of a mosque in Taif. Over the next few years, until Liebmann’s death in 1985, the artist visited regularly, painting portraits of some of the Kingdom’s rulers and its landmarks. Those works form part of Layan Culture’s extensive collection related to Saudi Arabia, much of which the organization has restored, and much of which has never been on public display. 

When putting the documentary together, Al-Bishri was himself left bemoaning the lack of material available from the 20th century. “There’s a lot of archive we wish we had,” he says. “Like, if there was any footage of Gerhardt and his journey and the people around him, that would have been really incredible.” 

Fortunately, Al-Bishri did have access to Prince Faissal’s personal footage. “He had a team around him who filmed, and we had to gather everything we could to get this together. As you see in the film, everyone is really down-to-earth and welcoming. They never had any formalities about anything. Even the prince himself.” 

That footage makes up some of the documentary’s most joyous scenes — including a camping trip to the Empty Quarter — in which you really get a sense of the camaraderie between this handful of people trying to create a lasting cultural legacy. As Al-Bishri’s father says in the film, “Across the Kingdom, there were only individual efforts by people, and only a few who were willing to support these few artists.”  

Those words are echoed on screen by artist, sculptor and photographer Dr. Dia Aziz Dia, who was given a scholarship to study art in Italy, but on his return, he says, “I was surprised that society wasn’t ready to embrace art.” 

“The prince connected a lot of people together. Without that, you’ve lost that sense of community. A lot of people might have given up,” says Al-Bishri. “Especially at a time where everyone was telling you what you’re doing is wrong. You know, my father got that for a long time: ‘This is not right, what you’re doing is very wrong.’ But finding a group of people who are there to support you, as an artist, was incredible. Now we have that, of course, the government, the ministries… all of this change, it’s wonderful. But it kind of feels like it misses the people before this — the people who fought, who struggled. We have to talk about them too. They started this. I want this film to bring people to Layan Culture so they can really appreciate the work that they’ve done.” 

It certainly seems to have done that. Since its premiere at the Red Sea International Film Festival late last year, “When the Light Shines” — the title alludes to Prince Faissal’s feeling that now was the time to make some more noise about the work of Layan Culture — has won Best Film at the Munich New Wave Film Festival and been officially selected to compete at Mexico City’s Mirada Corta Short Film Festival, East Village New York Film Festival, and the Florence Film Awards, as well as appearing at several other festivals. And Al-Bishri hopes his short documentary will spawn a television series.  

“There are so many stories that we discovered that even a feature-length film wouldn’t be enough,” he says. “What we want to do is make a short film about each artist where they talk about their journey. I think that would be great.” 

His goal is a simple one.  

“I want people to recognize the amount of work these people have put in. They sacrificed a lot and they had to fight a lot of people — a lot of family — just to do what they love,” he says. “A lot of these artists — a lot of these communities — were very quiet before and maybe they got used to that. But I think it’s very important that they should not be forgotten.” 


Sharp shooting: Highlights from ‘In a New Light,’ the Kingdom Photography Awards exhibit 

Sharp shooting: Highlights from ‘In a New Light,’ the Kingdom Photography Awards exhibit 
Updated 22 May 2025
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Sharp shooting: Highlights from ‘In a New Light,’ the Kingdom Photography Awards exhibit 

Sharp shooting: Highlights from ‘In a New Light,’ the Kingdom Photography Awards exhibit 

DUBAI: The exhibition of work by the 30 winners of the Kingdom Photography Awards runs until May 25 at Hayy Jameel in Jeddah 

Khaled Khazim Sarai Al-Ghaithi Al-Shammari  

‘A Serene Night’  

This year’s Kingdom Photography Awards received more than 1,300 entries from Saudi Arabia-based photographers, and a total of more than 6,000 photographs. “Each image submitted reflects a distinct vision — capturing moments that inspire, challenge, and celebrate the richness of human experience,” Dina Amin, CEO of the Visual Arts Commission, writes in the exhibition catalogue. “The remarkable work featured in the exhibition … stands as a testament to what happens when vision meets talent.” 

Al-Shammari’s winning image, the photographer writes in the catalogue, shows “Hasalat, located in the southwest of Qassim near Dharya, captured in a serene night where trees stand still beneath the stars.” 

Huda Ali Al-Neb  

‘Riyadh; Saturated’ 

Al-Neb won for this image from her series that “playfully explores the beauty and significance of Saudi architecture, a theme that has fascinated me since childhood,” she writes. “In first grade, I learned that the traditional buildings I grew up with were made from mud, and I wondered what they would look like if built with colored sand instead. This series … brings to life those childhood fantasies.” Al-Neb adds that she hopes to expand her project to “showcase historic buildings across Saudi Arabia.” 

Marwin Pastores Javier  

‘Coffee and Tea’ 

“Each of the 30 selected photographers reveal the possibilities of the medium, demonstrating its power to inspire, provoke, and inform,” curator Mohamed Somji writes in the exhibition catalogue. “(They) challenge traditional notions of what makes a ‘good’ photograph. (The works are) attentive to the rhythm of places, daily rituals, social habits, and connections between people.” Javier’s winning image shows a roadside vendor of hot beverages in Tabuk.  

Mohammed Othman M Alshahrani 

‘An Evening of Baloot’ 

Alshahrani’s winning image, shot in the town of Bisha in Asir, shows the photographer’s father, uncles, brothers and cousins playing the popular trick card game Baloot, which, Alshahrani says in his artist’s statement, is “a tradition in many homes and gatherings, sparking lively competition and bonding.” 

Kawthar Ali Ibrahim Alghasham  

‘A Moment of Waiting’ 

The images in the exhibition, curator Mohamed Somji writes, “reveal character through subtle interactions, glimpsing personal, spiritual, and familial reflections, or showing known scenes from unexpected angles.” Alghasham’s winning image is an example of the latter. “As sunlight floods King Fahd Airport’s lounge, a solitary man’s pause defies the frenetic nature of travel,” Alghasham writes in his artist’s statement. 

Salman Fahad Alanazi  

‘After the Storm, 2030’ 

Alanazi’s dramatic image of a sandstorm hitting Saudi Arabia’s capital was taken before the launch of Saudi Vision 2030. Since then, he says, “with major projects like the Riyadh Green Project, which reduced dust in the city, alongside the creation and planting of nature reserves,” no similar “Hollywood-like dust wave” has been seen in Riyadh. 

 


Live-action ‘Lilo & Stitch’ made with ‘love and authenticity,’ says producer 

Live-action ‘Lilo & Stitch’ made with ‘love and authenticity,’ says producer 
Updated 22 May 2025
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Live-action ‘Lilo & Stitch’ made with ‘love and authenticity,’ says producer 

Live-action ‘Lilo & Stitch’ made with ‘love and authenticity,’ says producer 

DUBAI: The beloved Disney animated classic “Lilo & Stitch” — about a six-year-old orphaned Hawaiian girl and her troublemaking alien pet — is set to captivate audiences once again with a live-action adaptation released this week. 

Director Dean Fleischer Camp and producer Jonathan Eirich are both driven by a deep love for the original film, released in 2002.  

“It’s always been my favorite animated Disney movie,” Fleischer Camp revealed to Arab News. “I saw it when it came out and immediately fell in love with it, like so many people did.” 

Eirich described signing on Fleischer Camp as “kismet,” adding, “It really is about finding storytellers that are fans of the original, that can honor it so every single choice along the way is going to be made with love and authenticity. If you do that right, and make the thing that you love, then hopefully the audience will feel the same.” 

Eirich noted the growing nostalgia surrounding Stitch, observing how the character has been increasingly appearing in popular culture.  

“We started seeing backpacks and merchandise everywhere,” he explained. “It felt like the right moment to revisit this story, but we knew we had to get it right. We asked ourselves what elements fans would be upset about losing.” This philosophy guided the creative process, ensuring the film would feel both familiar and fresh.  

Certain iconic moments from the animated version were non-negotiable. The hammock scene with Lilo’s older sister Nani singing and the final beach scene were particularly important. 

“The scene when Nani sings ‘Aloha Hawaii’ was a real tearjerker in the original, and it’s a beautiful moment. But it also seems like, with a live-action adaptation, there’s an opportunity to kind of deepen it and really make it something new, while also capturing the beautiful spirit of that scene,” said Fleischer Camp. 

For Eirich, Stitch’s famous quote about finding his own ‘family’ was a clear keeper.  

“The line ‘Broken but still good’ had to be in there,” he said. “It’s the heart of the story.” 


Recipes for success: Chef Gabriela Chamorro offers advice and a passion fruit ceviche recipe  

Recipes for success: Chef Gabriela Chamorro offers advice and a passion fruit ceviche recipe  
Updated 22 May 2025
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Recipes for success: Chef Gabriela Chamorro offers advice and a passion fruit ceviche recipe  

Recipes for success: Chef Gabriela Chamorro offers advice and a passion fruit ceviche recipe  

 DUBAI: For Gabriela Chamorro, cooking is not about complexity; it’s about heart, intention and staying connected to her roots. 

As founder and executive chef of Girl & the Goose, Dubai’s first restaurant dedicated to central American cuisine, she offers a personal take on traditional dishes from Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Guatemala and Panama. 

Chamorro focuses on thoughtful cooking that highlights the essence of each ingredient. Whether it’s a humble tortilla or an intricate yuca gnocchi, every dish is designed to share a story and evoke a sense of home, she says.  

When you started out what was the most common mistake you made?  

I believed that complexity was the best way to showcase my skills: the more elements on the plate, the more impressive the dish. But over time, I’ve learned that simplicity, when executed with intention and love, is far more powerful. I used to overcomplicate dishes by adding too many elements or overthinking the presentation. Now, I find that true mastery lies in perfecting something humble, like a pipian verde, or a well-made guirila.  

What’s your top tip for amateur chefs? 

Recipes are helpful, but your intuition is your best tool. Taste as you go and let your senses lead the way. I see cooking as a conversation between you and your ingredients. It should feel like a warm embrace, not a stressful performance. Stay present and enjoy the process. And invest in a good set of sharp knives; they make everything easier — and safer — in the kitchen. 

What one ingredient can instantly improve any dish? 

Lime is a game-changer in central American cooking. Its bright, zesty acidity lifts and elevates flavors, adding a refreshing pop to any dish. It doesn’t just add flavor, it adds soul. Lime is the kind of ingredient that turns something good into something unforgettable.  

When you go out to eat, do you find yourself critiquing the food?  

I’m definitely someone who notices details, but when I dine out, I’m more focused on how the experience makes me feel overall. I look for warmth and a genuine sense of care, both in the food and in the service. You can taste when a dish is made with heart and intention, and you can feel the difference when hospitality goes beyond being just transactional. It’s that human touch that stays with you.  

What’s your favorite cuisine to order? 

I tend to gravitate toward Middle Eastern cuisine, perhaps because it evokes the same warmth, generosity and layered flavors that I associate with Latin hospitality. There’s something deeply comforting about a vibrant mezze spread or a slow-cooked lamb dish. They speak volumes without saying a word. 

What’s your go-to dish if you have to cook something quickly at home? 

I love making a simple dish, like a fresh tortilla with cheese, cream, scrambled eggs, gallopinto and a quick avocado salad. It’s the kind of meal that feels like a hug and transports me back home.  

What customer behavior most annoys you? 

When a customer treats one of my team members with less respect or kindness than they would offer me. I believe in mutual respect across all levels. The magic of hospitality only thrives when everyone — guests and employees alike — feels seen, valued and appreciated.  

What’s your favorite dish to cook and why? 

Fried fish with tomato sauce and rice, just like Mireya from Masachapa, Nicaragua (a major influence on Chamorro’s cooking) makes it, is my absolute favorite. It’s a nostalgic recipe that transports me back to the coastal breeze, the rhythm of the waves, and the warmth of a family keeping their traditions alive with love. Every time I prepare this dish, I feel deeply connected to my roots, to home, and to the simple joys of life. Cooking isn’t just about the food, it’s about preserving a piece of something timeless and meaningful. 

What’s the most difficult dish for you to get right?  

Our yuca gnocchi served with a rich, delicate lobster bisque demands precision and patience. Yuca can be unpredictable, and achieving the right texture for gnocchi requires a delicate balance: too soft and it falls apart, too firm and it loses its melt-in-your-mouth quality. Then there’s the bisque, which needs layers of flavors to develop, offering depth and elegance. But, when it all comes together, it is magic. It’s a dish that humbles me every time, reminding me of the importance of attention to detail and the heart put into each step. 

As a head chef, what are you like? Are you a disciplinarian? Or are you more laidback? 

I’m a very passionate chef who holds high standards, but I believe that the best kitchens are built on mutual respect, joy and collaboration. I lead with kindness and purpose because a great service should feel like a well-rehearsed dance with people you trust.  

 Chef Gabriela’s passion fruit ceviche 

Ingredients:  

500g organic seabass, diced into ½ inch pieces 

120g passion-fruit puree 

80g coconut cream 

50g red onions  

10g ginger 

15g garlic 

10g coriander stems 

10g celery 

3g salt 

Passion fruit coconut cream preparation:  

Peel and clean the onions, use only the hearts. 

Remove the leaves from the coriander, only use the stems. 

Peel garlic and ginger. 

Dice all the vegetables. 

Coarsely blend all the ingredients on medium speed along with the passion fruit puree.  

Strain through a fine mesh. 

Combine with the coconut cream and blend on medium speed. 

Refrigerate until ready to use.  

Plating:  

Place the raw fish in a serving bowl, pour the passion fruit coconut cream on top of it, and garnish according to taste. 


Fashion and family: Amir Adnan heiress takes father’s legacy forward with sustainable vision

Fashion and family: Amir Adnan heiress takes father’s legacy forward with sustainable vision
Updated 22 May 2025
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Fashion and family: Amir Adnan heiress takes father’s legacy forward with sustainable vision

Fashion and family: Amir Adnan heiress takes father’s legacy forward with sustainable vision
  • Parishae Adnan, 30, celebrates taking over as CEO with debut collection Nakhlistan, which means oasis 
  • Aims to take her father’s iconic brand into future rooted in climate sustainability, cultural integrity

KARACHI: The name Amir Adnan has been synonymous with menswear in Pakistan for over 35 years. 

Adnan launched the eponymous men’s fashion wear brand in 1990 and several sub-brands since, and is widely credited for glamorizing the long-sleeved sherwani outer coat in modern times.

Now, it’s time for his daughter Parishae Adnan to take the helm of Adnan’s fashion empire as CEO and transition the company, Shapar Private Limited, into a future rooted in climate sustainability and cultural integrity.

Last week, Parishae, a 30-year-old managerial economics graduate, launched the company’s summer collection, Nakhlistan, which means oasis, a show she has conceptualized and that she exhibited as a formal celebration of her appointment as CEO in May 2024. 

“It absolutely feels incredible, I feel a lot of gratitude, taking the legacy forward,” Parishae told Arab News in an interview last week.

Adnan said it was always clear that his children would take over the business. 

“My children were raised while we were working in the workshops, and they’ve been seeing this all along. My eldest daughter, Parishae, she worked with me for three years and now she’s become the CEO of the company,” he told Arab News.

“It’s not common, especially in this industry that we are working in, the fashion industry, to see legacy go on from one generation to another.”

The picture shared by Parishae Adnan on September 28, 2018, shows Parishae Adnan (left) posting for a picture with her father, Amir Adnan, at Fashion Pakistan Week 2018. (Parishae Adnan)

And Parishae has plans for her father’s company, with her major aim being to introduce and integrate environmentally conscious practices into its operations.

“We need to do anything, even if it’s a little small step,” said Parishae, who explored fields like acting, hospitality, IT, and supply chain before finally embracing fashion designing.

“One of the first things I did was I changed our packaging material, making it recyclable.” 

In 2021, she launched the ‘House of Parishae,’ a collection grounded in sustainable couture, with her debut show featuring 35 pieces created entirely from upcycled clothing, extending the life cycle of garments and promoting conscious consumption.

“The idea that couture, high end couture luxury can come out of upcycling or recycling, it’s not an idea that was digestible to the public in Pakistan,” the designer said, pointing to inspirations like Stella McCartney and Alexander McQueen. 

“People here usually don’t go for that concept for their event wear. They don’t want to spend so much money if it’s going to be recycled or upcycled.”

But Parishae is resolved to take her vision forward — all the while staying true to what she has in common with her father: a deep connection to Pakistan’s cultural identity. 

The designs of Adnan, who was born in Lahore to a bureaucratic father and a mother from the royal family of Dhaka, often draw inspiration from the sartorial heritage and timeless attire of South Asian nobles.

“If I go back in time and I look at my forefathers, photographs or paintings, they actually wore what I’m making right now, literally,” Adnan said.

Parishae too sees cultural identity as central to her vision, especially in an increasingly globalized and digitally connected world.

“As globalization is on a rise, it is even more important in this day and age to understand where your roots are coming from and it’s even more important to keep an identity, a cultural identity, in order for you to realize who you are and where you belong to,” she said.

“I wanted to be a pioneer for change, not in the West because they already have that. It’s actually trying to help us here because you never know, there might be a next generation that looks at this story and gets inspired by it and says, ‘Let’s go, it’s been done before, we can do it better’.”

And her father is proud. 

“For every parent, whether you’re a father or a mother, it’s always your dream to see your children outdo you,” Adnan said. 

“For me to see my daughter excel in my lifetime ... is one of the best gifts I could have asked from Allah.”


Julian Assange open to political action as Cannes hosts documentary

Julian Assange open to political action as Cannes hosts documentary
Updated 21 May 2025
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Julian Assange open to political action as Cannes hosts documentary

Julian Assange open to political action as Cannes hosts documentary
  • WikiLeaks founder makes surprise showing at festival
  • The Six Billion Dollar Man documentary premiered at Cannes and it highlights Assange's extradition fight

CANNES: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who is at the Cannes Film Festival this week for the documentary “The Six Billion Dollar Man,” is thinking about how to become politically active again once he has fully recovered from prison, said his wife, Stella.
Assange, 53, returned to his native Australia after pleading guilty last June under an agreement with US officials to one count of illegally obtaining and disclosing national security materials.
The plea ended Assange’s five-year stay in a British prison, which followed seven years at the Ecuadorian embassy as he sought to avoid extradition to Sweden on sexual assault allegations.
Assange denied those allegations and called them a pretext to extradite him to the United States over WikiLeaks.
WikiLeaks in 2010 released hundreds of thousands of classified US military documents on Washington’s wars in Afghanistan and Iraq — the largest security breaches of their kind in US military history — along with swaths of diplomatic cables.
“He was in a very grave situation in the prison. He’s recovering from that,” Stella Assange told Reuters in Cannes.
“But now he’s coming to understand how grave the situation outside (prison) is and thinking, making plans to find the means of what to do about it,” she added.
“He’s very, very concerned about the state of the world and the state that we’re all in right now,” said Stella, who met Assange in London in 2011 while working as part of his legal team.
Julian and Stella Assange, wearing a brooch with a picture of British designer Vivienne Westwood holding a sign saying “Stop Killing,” walked the red carpet on Wednesday evening.
Julian has so far not spoken at any of his appearances.
Assange’s extradition fight 
The documentary from Emmy-winning director Eugene Jarecki takes on the tone of a high-tech international thriller to recount Assange’s fight against extradition, using WikiLeaks footage and archives, and previously unpublished evidence.
Jarecki, who began filming before Assange was released, said he never expected to see him walk around Cannes as a free man.
By inviting Assange, the festival was sending a message about the need for freedom of information and a free press, Jarecki told Reuters, as those values are in decline in many parts of the world according to an index from Reporters without Borders.
The director called Assange “a canary in the coal mine” in foretelling the US government’s current moves to exert more control over media access to US President Donald Trump.
“If we had taken that bit more seriously, we might have seen a bunch of this coming,” said the US director.
Assange’s lawyer, Jennifer Robinson, told Reuters that the film portrayed the WikiLeaks founder as he should be shown.
“This film is absolutely necessary in terms of telling the story of free speech and what Julian Assange, his case means for the world, not just for him, but for the world,” she said.