MEYDAN IMAX THEATRE PREMIERES DONIZETTI’S MARIA STUARDA

January 19, 2013Leave a comment

Despite being known as a go with the flow laid back Islander who schedules her life on the hop, I am doing the unthinkable and making sure my entertainment schedule is booked and planned week’s ahead, thanks to the amazing line-up of shows being brought to UAE by the Meydan IMAX. In case you didn’t know, the Meydan IMAX Theatre is a unique Theatre in the Dubai landscape, as it offers a diverse program that dazzles a wide range of audiences. Located at the prestigious Meydan in Nad al Sheba, the Meydan IMAX Theatre is home to the largest screen in the Middle East & Asia.

Thanks to Afsana, who is a fellow member of the Business Women’s Group and the Partner/CEO of Meydan IMAX, I found out about what’s in store and learnt about Maria Stuarda, one of a number of operas by Donizetti that deal with the Tudor period in English history. In fact, the lead female characters of the operas Anna Bolena, Maria Stuarda, and Roberto Devereux are often referred to as the “Three Donizetti Queens”.

Never before performed at the Met, this second opera in the composer’s so-called “Three Queens” trilogy portrays the lethal conflict between Mary, deposed queen of Scotland, and Queen Elizabeth I of England. The opera’s dramatic heart is a confrontation between the two queens that never actually took place in history but that figures in the Friedrich Schiller play on which the libretto is based.

An exclusive broadcast not to be missed at Meydan IMAX! The Met Opera stages its first-ever production of the tragic opera, Maria Stuarda by Gaetano Donizetti – January 28, 2013 at 7:00pm (approximate running time: 195 minutes). The Metropolitan Opera is the world’s leading provider of alternative cinema content, is now shown in more than 1800 theaters in 54 countries, making the Met the only arts institution with an ongoing global art series of this scale….how cool is that?

If you would like to see this and would like to get AED50/- knocked off your ticket, call Meydan IMAX on 800 4629 and mention ‘Fijian Chick’.

Check out the Cast list below and enjoy the show 🙂

Conductor: Maurizio Benini, Production: David McVicar, Set Designer & Costume Designer: John Macfarlane , Lighting Designer: Jennifer Tipton,  Choreographer: Leah Hausman,  Cast: Elza van den Heever (Queen Elizabeth I), Matthew Rose (George Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury), Joshua Hopkins (William Cecil, Lord Burghley), Mathew Polenzani (Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester), Mari Zifchak (Jane Kennedy, Mary’s lady-in- waiting), Joyce DiDonato (Maria Stuarda)

World premiere to composition inspired by the Porsche 911 GT1 car

January 16, 2013Leave a comment

Cars and music….two things together that mean that I am usually not too far away or at least get a wind of…:). A new composition inspired by the famous Porsche 911 GT1 racing car was given its world premiere by the uncrowned kings of classical saxophone music in Dubai – I wasn’t there which means the event didn’t exactly have the diva touch but I thought since it is a unique combination of the two things I love so much, I just had to put my two cents worth in.

The world-renowned Raschèr Saxophone Quartet from Germany delivered their first public performance of the intriguing work with the title “Straßenversion” (‘street legal’ in English), in the second concert of The Score Classical 2013 series at Dubai’s Madinat Theatre at Souk Madinat Jumeirah. The title of the new composition stems from a desire by Joanna Marsh – a British composer currently residing in Dubai – to write a piece with a subject strongly linked to Dubai.

It is named after the “Straßenversion”, the road legal version of the Porsche 911 GT1 racing car built in 1997, and Marsh has dedicated the piece to Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, the designer of Porsches iconic 911, who died last year. The appearance of the Rascher Saxophone Quartet from Germany was a rare treat for Dubai music lovers. The quartet appears regularly at major concert halls around the world and has inspired over 450 composers to dedicate music to them….keep an eye out for them next time!

DUBAI FILM CONNECTION AWARDS OVER USD100,000 FOR PROJECTS FROM ARAB WORLD

December 15, 2012Leave a comment

NJD with Sheri Sebbens one of the stars of The Sapphires #DIFF2012

It’s been an exhilarating weekend at DIFF 2012 ….full of amazing movies, boat rides that are more awesome than Venice, red carpet moments, indulging little diva with cast and directors of children’s films from abroad, meeting fellow script editors, catching up with media friends….and more. The weather in Dubai is absolutely amazing so being out and about makes absolute sense. Right now little diva (NJD) and I are having hot chocolate on the patio of Kubba at Al Qasr hotel overlooking the sea, beautiful landscapes, boats winding their way from one place to another and of course and amazing view of the Burj Al Arab….amongst this is all the hustle and bustle of DIFF 2012 which, as a member of Universal Film Makers, I feel like I am in heaven…the talent at DIFF 2012 is inspiring, entertaining and uplifting.

To support the industry, DIFF has also announced the winners of its Dubai Film Connection (DFC), a highly successful co-production market held in conjunction with the festival introduces selected film projects by Arab filmmakers to regional and international film professionals.

The awards of over USD100,000 represent three prizes from DIFF of USD25,000, as well as other awards from international organisations including:the Film Clinic /DIFF Debut Feature Award of USD10,000; EUR6,000 from ARTE to a filmmaker for exceptional originality, writing style and motivation; USD 10,000 for the Front Row / KNCC Award which is new for 2012; EUR5,000 from the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie, presented to a film produced and directed in a Francophone Arab country; and accreditation for the prestigious Producers Network at the Cannes Film Festival in 2013 for 10 Arab producers participating at the DFC.

The awards of course add additional support for filmmakers as the sole aim of DFC is to promote film production in the Arab world. The Dubai Film Connection was launched in 2007. Since then, 31 projects have been completed and a further 13 are in various stages of production. Recent successes include Wadjdaby Haifaa Al Mansour; When I Saw You by Annemarie Jacir; and Fidai by Damien Ounouri. It is awesome seeing all this talent being given a chance to shine!

When Monaliza Smiled – DIFF impresses diva

December 7, 2012Leave a comment

Loved ‘When Monaliza Smiled’

One of the nicest movies I have seen this month is in fact part of DIFF 2012 in Arabic, ‘When Monaliza Smiled’. This Arabic movie (with subtitles of course) is a love story between Monaliza, a young Jordanian woman, and Hamdi, an Egyptian office boy with the cutest smile J. The story is touching as its shown in parallel with other related stories that reveal some very real human feelings, situations, realities often similar to what people endure in many other countries except that this is in Jordan.

I met the director at Mall of the Emirates, Fadi G.Haddad who mentioned the movie was filmed entirely in Jordan. I recognized elements of the views from my visit to Amman and how much character some of the areas in the city had. He has done an amazing job.

The actress who plays Monaliza is gorgeous even though initially she rarely smiles. She works in a government office, where she meets Hamdi and together they dream of a life straight out of the romantic movies of the past as we see scenes within the film with Omar Sharif and Faten Hamama… Their fantasy is challenged as they’re surrounded by inquistive individuals, who impose restrictions typical of Amman’s society which to be honest is similar in many Muslim communities as I have been told and witnessed in Fiji and Malaysia.

I loved the fun-loving nature of Hamdi in contrast to Monaliza and it was nice to see their relationship blossom as Hamdi shows her a life from a new perspective that is about trying new things, visiting new places etc. I guess we meet many Hamdi’s in our day-to-day life – young men who live away from their home to support their families, the challenges they face and their love for life where they take joy in the simplest of things that we ignore because of the rat race. It was also beautiful to see the story of Monaliza’s neighbor who lost her husband who was never found but every day she washes his clothes, prepares dinner and makes herself beautiful in the event that he will turn up at her door one day, unexpected.

I loved the movie for the purity of the romance, the way the characters enjoyed the ordinary things in life, the family obligations we often get caught up in, the love we wait for despite knowing that it may be in vain and so much more that it is hard to do justice in a few paragraphs.

If you do see ‘When Monaliza Smiled’ during DIFF, let me know your thoughts on the movie.

Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) line-up for 2012

December 3, 2012Leave a comment

One of the main attractions for DIFF other than watching cool movies we otherwise don’t get to see is getting up, close and personal with people we either idolize or just admire for the many roles they portray on and behind the silver screen. I met some awesome people last year. And from the moment I did a course locally with Icon Art Productions who later inspired me to enhance my writing skills to script writing/editing under Universal Film Makers as a fun hobby, the admiration for people working behind the screens has grown two-fold.

International celebrities flying into Dubai this December include: Academy Award winners Cate Blanchett, Colin Firth, Livia Firth, Frieda Pinto, Rooney Mara, Kirsten Davis, Amr Waked, Bryan Ferry, Suraj Sharma, Steve Oram, Cuba Gooding Jr., Jessica Mauboy, Shravanthi Sainath and Adil Hussain and Erica Linz.

A-list Arab celebrities gracing the red-carpet include: Laila Eloui, Nelly, Khaled El Nabawy, Ezzat Abu Ouf, Salah El Sadany, Hassan Hosny, Ghassan Masoud, Hany Ramzy, Mohamed Saad, Ahmed Rateb, Ghada Adel, Ragaa Al Gedawy, Sherine Adel, Maxime Khalil, Yosra Ellozy, Amir Karara, Sirine Abdel Nour, Nermine El Fikky, Caroline Khalil, Magdy El Hawary, Samer Ismael, Mehyar Khadour and Mounzer Rayhana.

And stars flocking to DIFF from the GCC include: Haya Abdulsalam, Jushoon, Ibrahim Al Habri, Souad Ali, Abdul Mohsen El Nemer, Salah Al-Mulla, Habib Ghuloom, Jaber Nagmoush, Abdulla Boushiri, Shimaa Ali, Zahra Arafat, Fatima Abdulrahim, Abdul Aziz Jassim, Mansour Al Feli, Mahmoud Bou Shahri, Fatma Alsafi, Yacoub Alsalili, and Basem Abdulamir. In addition Ahmad Al Braiky, Hamad Al Omani, Asmahan, Jamal Al Radhan, Yacoub Abdalla, Somoud, Abeer Al Jundi, Faisal Alamery, Aseel Omran, Buthaina Al Raisi, Reem Arahma and Haifa Hussein.

Audiences will also have the unique opportunity to meet established filmmakers along with exciting new talent including: Wayne Blair, Khairy Beshara, Abdulatif Abdulhamid, Nour Eddine Lakhmari, Haiffa Al Masour, Stephan Archinard, Brian A. Miller, Brillante Mendoza, Saul Williams, Andrew Adamson, Aron Warner, Feng Xiaogang, Takashi Miike, Nishtha Jain and Mostofa Sarwar Farooki.

The prestigious Muhr Awards have gone from strength to strength and this year will showcase a record number of films – an impressive 83 films will compete for over US$575, 000 in prize money across three categories – Muhr Emirati, Muhr Arab and Muhr AsiaAfrica. The line-up this year was selected from 2,100 submissions from 115 countries and is considered to the most remarkable, competitive and diverse selection to date. Arabic features will also be eligible for a variety of prestigious global awards including the FIPRESCI International Prize of the Critics Award.

DIFF’s outstanding competition juries this year consists of world-famous filmmakers, industry decision makers and onscreen talent who will come together to help judge the Muhr Arab, Asia Africa Awards include: Michael Apted, Kerry Fox, Bruno Barreto, Chang Dong Lee, Fatemeh Motamed-Arya, and Nayla Al Khaja.

DIFF will also present its Lifetime Achievement Awards to veteran Egyptian actor Mahmoud Abdul Aziz and prolific British director Michael Apted, who have both made commendable contributions to the world of cinema and inspired countless of people through their body of work….get ready for a week of great entertainment in Dubai.

DIFF Sets The Stage For A Thrilling Week Of Films and Events

November 28, 20121 Comment

With Ayesha as DIFF gets launched by the seaside 🙂

It’s that time of the year when DIFF reveals the entertainment bonanza they have in store for us. Notice how I have refrained from saying time of the month – I thought it was safer since in PMS mode, I have bitten off even heads this week of people who have crossed the line with me one way or another.

This year, DIFF has over 160 films from 61 countries, in 43 languages featuring 52 World Premieres, 14 International Premieres, 73 Middle East Premieres and 17 GCC Premieres.

DIFF embarks on 8 days of the very best of film, industry events and star-gazing red-carpets with Academy Award Winners Ang Lee’s long-awaited 3D adaptation of the hugely popular Yann Martel’s novel Life of Pi opening the Festival on Sunday, 9th December. This year’s DIFF promises to offer something for everyone, with a selection of diverse films, from sneak previews of giant-budget Hollywood films to independent films that are breaking new ground, films from first-time filmmakers though to the greatest directors of all time.

From December 9 to 16, the Festival’s nightly red carpet gala screenings will see the Arabian premieres of the critically acclaimed film Bekas from Karzan Kadar and the culturally groundbreaking Wadjda by Haiffa Al Mansour. The Cinema of the World galas include some of the most anticipated films of the year including Hitchcock, starring Award Winners Antony Hopkins and Helen Mirren, the 3D adventure Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away, Michael Haneke’s Palme d’Or masterpiece Amour and the triumphant true story The Sapphires which will close the Festival.

The Gala premiere representing the Asia Africa Programe is World War II Epic Back to 1942 from prolific director Feng Xiaogang. DIFF’s afternoon gala for younger film fans is the World Premiere of the magical adventure Journey to the Christmas Star.

I just got home and started flipping through the programme. Would love to tell you more but after a pretty long and emotionally exhausting day, I think I will offer more information about DIFF in the days to come. Watch this space 🙂

Bahrain Science Centre to focus on Arab innovations

November 24, 2012Leave a comment

Kids learn via interactives, talks, debates and workshops at Bahrain Science Centre

The theme of activities in the Bahrain Science Centre during December 2012 and January 2013 will be ‘Bahraini Innovation’, but this topic will be broadened to also include innovations and superlatives from the whole Arab world.

Bahrain boasts many superlatives of its own. It has archaeological records of one of the oldest known civilizations (Dilmun), and the largest number of burial mounds in the world (originally over 85 000). It also features in the world’s oldest and most enduring piece of literature, the ‘Epic of Gilgamesh’, in which Bahrain was the home of eternal youth.

The first oil strike in the Middle East was made in Bahrain (1931/32) and the first oil exports from an Arab country were from Bahrain (1930s). Bahrain was also the first Arab country to begin diversifying its economy away from total dependence on oil and gas (ca 1975).

In the fields of scientific discovery and technological innovation, Arab countries can boast many firsts through the pioneering works of the Abbas bin Firnas, al-Kindi, the Banu Musa brothers, al-Razi, al-Muradi, al-Jazari, Ibn Khaldun, Ibn al-Haitham, Taqi al-Din and many others, but that’s another story.

The Arab world today boasts many world firsts and superlatives on the engineering front. These include the first city (Uruk in Iraq; 3200 BC), earliest high-rise building city (Shibam in Yemen; 16^th century), tallest building in the world (Burj Khalifa in Dubai; 828 m), tallest hotel as part of a multiplex (Makkah Royal Clock Hotel; Saudi Arabia), tallest all-hotel building (Rose Rayhaan by Rotana in Dubai; 333 m), tallest hotel atrium (180 m; Burj al Arab in Dubai), tallest residential building (413.4 m; Princess Tower in Dubai) and the largest shopping mall in the world (Dubai Mall; 548 127 m²).

Then there is the 50 floor Bahrain World Trade Centre which is the first skyscraper in the world to integrate wind turbines into its design. Hence the building has received several awards for sustainability as the sail-shaped buildings on either side are designed to channel wind through the gap to provide accelerated wind passing through the turbines. Tests show that the building shape has the potential to generate electricity.

The largest airport in the world is King Fahd International Airport (DMM) near Damman in eastern Saudi Arabia. Its area (780 km²) is greater than that of Bahrain! The largest alternative energy city is Masdar City in Abu Dhabi (6 km²; started in 2006) and the longest driverless metro network in the world is the Dubai Metro (74.694 km).

The largest draped flag is in Rayak, Lebanon (325 x 203 m) and the longest straight road (240 km) is in Saudi Arabia (Harad to Badha). The Qatar-Bahrain Friendship Causeway (40 km) will be the longest causeway in the world when it is completed (the King Fahd Causeway, at 27 km, is currently the third longest marine causeway in the world).

Join us at the Bahrain Science Centre in December and January as we celebrate Bahraini, and Arab, contributions to the world!

The Bahrain Science Centre is located in Building 334, Road 109, Block 801, Riyadh Avenue, Isa Town, Kingdom of Bahrain and can be contacted on 17686466.

– ENDS –

Press release issued on behalf Bahrain Science Centre. For further information, please contact Shereen Shabnam on +971 507690087/ 504828177/ shereen@mtestudios.com.

About Bahrain Science Centre (BSC):

The Bahrain Science Centre (BSC) is an interactive educational facility that targets children, youth and families of Bahrain. It is located in building 334, Road 109, Block 801, Riyadh Avenue, Isa Town, Kingdom of Bahrain. The science centre has six interactive exhibition galleries, an auditorium, four laboratories and a café/shop.

The role of the BSC is to promote awareness of the importance of science and technology, complement the school curriculum, stimulate curiosity and innovation, and create a forum for public debate on science and technology issues. The topics covered by current exhibitions include junior engineering, human health, the five senses, earth sciences and biodiversity.

Focusing on hands-on learning using interactive displays and people-centred programmes, such as science shows, Bahrain Science Centre also strongly promotes creativity and innovation as well as cross-generational learning. The science centre will also endeavour to promote an awareness of Bahrain’s contributions to science and technology and a strong Bahraini identity. It is an ideal family edutainment destination.

Flower Power

November 22, 2012Leave a comment

Robert Hammond’s Flower Power

One of my favourite venues to take in a bit of art ingestion after work has to be Art Sawa. The next artist to showcase his talent there will be Robert Hammond with his ‘Flower Power’ exhibition.

Robert studied Fine Art at St. Martins and WSCAD in the UK. His early works are painterly compositions in the neo-expressionist tradition. Robert’s latest works bring-forth new materials coupled with a new aesthetic, entitled visual ritual. In his wall sculptures, large cartoon faces and figures, outlined by thick curved metal profiles – contain montage imagery behind polished glass surfaces. At first whimsical and cute – on second look you are peering through these figures into pulsating montages of dripping paint, concentric line patterns and smeared chalk.

At play is a marriage of optical patterns, corrugated space and unfocused images. It is in the playful mastery of lines where the power of his art lies. His works are essentially metal line drawings, extruded into the 3rd dimension – at times concentric, converging and diverging, at times kaleidoscopic. Robert’s art is about strengthening our perception to everyday images, textures and reflection, emphasizing their curious properties by singling them out and playing them off against one another.

His compositions are deliberate, sparing, virtuosic and concise – cool and without context One can’t ignore the reflective quality of his works. Deliberately highly reflective – the art jumps beyond the surface – shining back to the viewer, testing the viewer’s retina. Robert’s works overall exhibit a visual bravado mixed with new visual lucidities – that bring facility and whimsy to large bright and powerful compositions

At the center of the Flower Power exhibition will be a collection of flower pieces – a kaleidoscope of arcs juxtaposed with hatched backgrounds – A melody with a rainbow of colors. Flower Power is the latest iteration of Robert Hammond’s Visual Ritual conception. Visual Ritual is about strengthening our perception to patterns, surfaces, textures and reflection – emphasizing their properties. At the core of the Visual Ritual conception is the notion of line – how they focus, lead, and drop off the eye. Robert Hammond’s work is an interface of signals, which guides and activates, it seeks to crystallize everyday our ways of seeing, by simplifying illusion, outline, movement and abstraction.

Sparing, cool and deliberately void of context, Robert Hammond’s work is bold, elegant and alluring – a presence hard to ignore. The exhibition is open to public from the 28^th of November until 16^th December 🙂

Bahrain Writer’s Circle meets at the Bahrain Science Centre

November 18, 2012Leave a comment

The monthly meeting of the Bahrain Writer’s Circle was held at the Bahrain Science Centre last Sunday. The meeting was attended by 45 people, including writers, poets, actors, newspaper columnists, editors and members of the general public.

The MTE Studios Director of the Science Centre, Professor Mike Bruton, gave a talk entitled ‘Brain Power: Boys vs Girls’ in which he discussed the structural and functional differences between male and female brains. Some of the main differences are in the way that men and women communicate and visualize three-dimensional spaces. He also discussed the impact of digital media on brain development in children, and pointed out the importance of ‘old fashioned’ three-dimensional play in the development of brain power.

A wide range of issues was discussed after the talk, such as how to achieve the right balance between conventional play and play on digital media, how to avoid digital addictions, and how to develop one’s creativity as a writer. After the talk Professor Bruton took members of the Bahrain Writer’s Circle and guests on a tour of the Science Centre, including the ‘Scary Skeletons’ exhibition and interactive galleries.

The Bahrain Science Centre is located in Building 334, Road 109, Block 801, Riyadh Avenue, Isa Town, Kingdom of Bahrain and can be contacted on 17686466.

Press release issued on behalf of Bahrain Science Centre. For further information, please contact Shereen Shabnam on +971 507690087/ 504828177/ shereen@mtestudios.com.

Bahrain Science Centre focuses on social media in November

November 1, 20124 Comments

Facilitator conducts a tour

Each month the Bahrain Science Centre focuses some of its educational programmes on a different theme. In November the theme will be ‘Social Media and Socialization’ and the Science Centre will be hosting displays, debates and discussion groups on the challenges and opportunities that social media present to people today.

The early 21^st century is a time of wide choices, including choices on how we can communicate with one another. Although the various forms of social media and digital communications provide people with many ways of communicating, and the world is arguably better connected than ever before, many people still seem to be strangely disconnected from society.

Furthermore, those who make extensive use of social media seem to live in an isolated, virtual world and to have lost the skills of one-on-one live communication with other people. During a time of great connectivity, we are losing our communication skills.

The programmes in the Science Centre will discuss this issue as well as topics such as digital addictions, the impact of social and digital media on brain and child development, and the role of social media in the modern world. In addition, the Science Centre will present displays and talks on the history of computing and social media. Lessons will also be offered on how to access social media and how to design your own FaceBook page. Don’t miss these exciting events.

“The Ministry of Social Development supports the concept of having a different theme each month in the Bahrain Science Centre which focuses on science as well as how modern technology affects the youth today,” said Khalid Eshaq Alkoheji, Undersecretary for Community Development in the Ministry.

The month’s events will include a communications workshop by David Hollywood, a leading theatre and literary personality in Bahrain at 5pm on the 22^nd of November. David is the chair of the Theatre Group, the Poetry Group, the Bahrain Writer’s Circle and is developing performing arts in Bahrain.

The Bahrain Science Centre is located in Building 334, Road 109, Block 801, Riyadh Avenue, Isa Town, Kingdom of Bahrain and can be contacted on +973 1 768 6466.

Press release issued on behalf Bahrain Science Centre. For further information, please contact Shereen Shabnam on +971 507690087/ 504828177/ shereen@mtestudios.com. For information on the weekly programmes at the Bahrain Science Centre, please contact Amna Aldoseri at amna@mtestudios.com.