Yemen Showbiz Latest News and Updates

Leo Barraclough International Features EditorYemeni film “The Burdened,” directed by Amr Gamal, won the Works in Progress Post-Production Development Award in Eastern Promises, the industry section of the Karlovy Vary Intl. Film Festival on Tuesday.The story, written by Gamal and Mazen Refaat, centers on Ahmed, Isra’a and their three children in Aden, Yemen in 2019.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Saudi director and producer Osama Alkhurayji’s debut feature film “Siwar” recently wrapped principal photography in AlUla, the swathe of northwest Saudi Arabia comprising ancient artifacts, a lush oasis and sandstone canyons that’s becoming a burgeoning local film production hub. “Siwar” involves two families – one Turkish, the other Saudi – whose fates become entangled due to a revelation about their newborns.

EXCLUSIVE: Rising Saudi Star Mohammed Elshehri has been announced as master of ceremonies at the 10th edition Saudi Film Festival, running from May 2 to 9 in the Eastern Province city of Dhahran.

Jon Cunliffe's line of work has taken him worlds away from his birthplace of Bury.

UK residents with plans to head to Dubai are being urged to stay vigilant, following a fresh warning from the Foreign Office.

The Foreign Office has issued new travel warnings for 16 countries today following. In light of the recent drone attack on Israel by Iran, those planning to visit destinations including Morocco and the United Arab Emirates are strongly advised to check travel advice before making their journey.

The Foreign Office has issued a new urgent travel warning for 18 countries, including popular Mediterranean holiday destinations. The government's latest advisory cautions travellers about an increased risk of terrorist attacks in countries around the southern Mediterranean and the Middle East due to heightened tensions following recent events in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

A memorial service for former Dumfries Tory councillor, Lieutenant Colonel John Charteris MBE, is to be held tomorrow at 2pm at the Crichton Memorial Church in Dumfries.

The Doha Film Institute (DFI) kicked off its 10th Qumra talent and project incubator meeting on a somber note on Friday as its organizers spoke out about the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Thinus Ferreira Guest Contributor The nights were dark and stormy for many of the days on the five-week call sheet of “Death of a Whistleblower” but although South African director Ian Gabriel personally detests night shoots, he pushed through since his latest conspiracy thriller about cover-ups and a journalist’s dogged pursuit of the truth simply wouldn’t have felt the same shot in sunshine. “There’s always been a struggle for the truth in South Africa — in the past, and now,” says Gabriel, who also came up with the story.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor Emily Blunt has gracefully conquered roles as varied as British royalty, a formidable fashionista, and a time-traveling warrior. The Oscar-nominated actress is celebrated as one of the most talented figures of her generation. To celebrate her birthday, Variety ranks her 12 best film performances of her career so far.

A UK-registered cargo ship, the Rubymar, is in danger of sinking after being attacked by Yemen's Houthi rebels, the group has said.

77th British Academy Film Awards on Sunday. Gothic fantasia “Poor Things” took five prizes.Christopher Nolan was named best director for “Oppenheimer,” and Cillian Murphy won the best actor prize for playing J.

Activists are staging a blockade at a defence company’s shipyard in Glasgow in solidarity with Palestinians and are calling for an immediate ceasefire.

EXCLUSIVE: L.A. and Cairo-based production company Ambient Light Films is upping its support for Middle East and North African indie cinema.

Anyone who is planning on jetting off on holiday to Egypt anytime soon has been urged to take note of some important travel advice issued by the Foreign Office.

“Imagine yourself operating on a patient when you are being attacked by barrel bombs and missiles. Your hands are shaking, the hospital is shaking, soil could go in the patient’s wounds while you are operating and then you have to wait a while until the strike stops and carry on.”

EXCLUSIVE: Former Lionsgate UK & Europe chief and Marv Studios Group CEO Zygi Kamasa launched film and TV company True Brit Entertainment last month with backing from talent management and entertainment company Three Six Zero, which reps talent including Calvin Harris, Frank Ocean, FKA Twigs, Will Smith, Marcus Rashford and Kid Cudi. The company will focus exclusively on British feature films and TV.

The Pentagon has said an American warship and multiple commercial ships have come under attack Sunday in the Red Sea. 

Benefits has shared a powerful statement regarding the ongoing Israel-Palestine war as well as Armistice Day.On November 9, the band took to their official Instagram account to discuss the current state of the world, specifically the ongoing Israel-Palestine war. “For the last week, we’ve travelled around a chunk of Northern Europe going from major city to major city with absolute ease.

In what will be welcome news for the UK sector, former Lionsgate UK & Europe CEO and Marv Studios Group CEO Zygi Kamasa is launching a new UK theatrical distributor called True Brit Entertainment, which will focus exclusively on British feature films and TV.

the Bureau of Investigative Journalism.The drone strikes are one of the most controversial aspects of his presidency. The first drone strike he approved was in Yemen and it killed 55 people — including 21 children and 12 women, five of whom were pregnant at the time.

died suddenly on June 1 at age 52 — took a part in, of all things, a 16-minute student flick by a senior filmmaker at the University of Michigan late last year. “He was kind of like a mentor,” its director and co-writer, 22-year-old Mohamed Khashafa, exclusively told The Post about the project, which is titled “Ya Satir.” “He was telling me that a lot of the reason that he wanted to be a part of the project was to kind of help out the next generation of Arab creatives,” Khashafa said, recalling that Batayeh told him that Hollywood “wasn’t very diverse or welcoming” to the community.In an early cut of the movie previewed by The Post, Batayeh plays the father of a high school student (portrayed by fellow student Izabella Mins-Haddad) who is experiencing growing pains while preparing for a debate competition before heading off to college.And even though Michigan resident Batayeh’s single scene in the movie — which wrapped production in late December — is a mere two minutes long, his portrayal meant the world to Khashafa, whose family is from Yemen.“It really hit my heart that the role kind of reminded him of his own father. Actors pull from personal life or from different characters they already know,” said Khashafa, 22, who said the “lighthearted coming of age” film’s title roughly translates to “Oh, Lord” or “Oh, My God.”“He pulled from his own father, which, one, makes me feel good because it means I wrote the character properly,” continued Khashafa, who plans to graduate from the school next December.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Scottish actor Ewan McGregor and Swedish actor Alicia Vikander will be honored at the 57th Karlovy Vary Film Festival, where they will receive the President’s Award, and present their latest films. The festival will open with “Firebrand,” in which Vikander has the leading role of Katherine Parr. McGregor will present “You Sing Loud, I Sing Louder,” in which he stars alongside his daughter Clara McGregor. McGregor’s role in Danny Boyle’s dark comedy “Shallow Grave” (1994) earned him an Empire Award for best British actor, and their next joint film, “Trainspotting” (1996), was an international sensation. McGregor and Boyle teamed up again for the 1997 romantic comedy “A Life Less Ordinary,” in which McGregor appeared alongside Cameron Diaz.

EXCLUSIVE: Film Independent has set 26 filmmakers from 15 nations to participate in the 2023 edition of their Global Media Makers LA Residency, which is being held in person this month.

A recent episode of Vice newsmagazine series, which contains a report about Florida governor and GOP presidential candidate Ron DeSantis, was removed from the schedule ahead of its previously announced premiere on Showtime.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor MAD Solutions has acquired the distribution rights to “Concrete Valley” for multiple territories. The film focuses on a Syrian family living in Toronto. The film, from Canadian-French filmmaker Antoine Bourges, premiered at Toronto Film Festival, before travelling to Berlinale, and it just screened at Jeonju. The deal covers the following territories: UAE, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Iraq, Yemen, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Palestine, Libya, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Mauritania, Djibouti, Somalia, Sudan, South of Sudan and Comoro Island. The writers are Bourges and Teyama Alkamli. The producer is Shehrezade Mian at Markhor Pictures.

The court of public opinion has spoken and "Jeopardy!" fans are rife with fury. After Monday night's episode of the game show, viewers voiced their disdain on social media for what they believe was an allowed incorrect answer, altering the outcome of the show. Contestant and professor Melissa Klapper narrowly defeated teacher and football coach Jake Garrett as well as Kelly Barry, a marketing communications specialist.

The Doha Film Institute’s Qumra talent and project incubator event returned as a 100% in-person event last week, bringing participants together face-to-face in Doha for the first time since it was forced online in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Doha Film Institute’s Qumra talent and project incubator event returned as a 100% in-person event last week, bringing participants together face-to-face in Doha for the first time since it was forced online in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Sundance prize winner Sofia Alaoui, Yemeni-Scottish Oscar-nominee Sara Ishaq and Emmy-feted Egyptian cinematographer Muhammad Hamdy will be among filmmakers presenting projects at the Doha Film Institute’s Qumra event, unfolding in Qatar March 10-15.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Netflix, facing more competition globally in the streaming wars, has cut pricing in more than 100 markets worldwide — in some cases, chopping the price of monthly plans in half — to boost subscriber acquisition and retention. The streamer has reduced prices in countries and territories across Asia, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Netflix is not reducing prices in North America or Western Europe, its most mature markets. All told, the price reductions span more than 100 markets, according to research firm Ampere Analysis (see list, below). Those include Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Kenya, Iran, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Albania, North Macedonia, Slovakia, Yemen, Jordan, Libya, Slovenia and Bulgaria.

The Berlin Film Festival has unveiled the first titles selected for its Panorama section at the upcoming in-person edition that takes place February 16-26. (Scroll down for the full list)

The USS Cole suffered a surprise attack by al Qaeda suicide bombers while at port in Yemen — killing 17 American sailors and wounding about three dozen others, on this day in history, Oct. 12, 2000.  It proved an ill-heeded harbinger of much more terrifying al-Qaeda attacks on the United States' homeland 11 months later.  "Sadly, it took the grievous attack on 9/11 for us to collectively realize that al Qaeda presented a truly consequential threat to America’s security," Admiral Christopher W. Grady, now vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the nation's second-highest ranking military officer, wrote during a 20th anniversary retrospective of the attack.

EXCLUSIVE: Subrata De, who oversees all news coverage at Vice Media, is staying with the youth-focused company.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large ABC and Vice tied with the most wins, at 8 each, on night one as the news portion of the 43rd Annual News and Documentary Emmy Awards were handed out at the Palladium Times Square in New York City. Judy Woodruff, anchor and managing editor of “PBS NewsHour” was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award.  The award was presented by Robert MacNeil, co-creator and former co-anchor of the NewsHour. “Tonight’s Emmy winners exemplify broadcast journalism at its best, reporting that values fact over fiction, accountability over advocacy, and that champions the advance of truth in the interest of the communities we all serve”, said Terry O’Reilly, Chairman, NATAS. “America has never needed its journalists more than today. We congratulate tonight’s honorees and thank them for the indispensable service they provide to our nation.”

The Silent Twins,” told NPR in 2015. “No one else could understand them.