InfoAnda - Hollywood stars latest weapon in Gulf Arab cinema wars

Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case
Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They

Taiwan denies boycotting Australian film festival
Thursday, August 6, 2009

AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e

Merkel's support dips, regional ally resigns International
Thursday, September 3, 2009

By Sarah Marsh and Noah Barkin

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German

Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who

Asian markets mixed after Wall Street rally
Wednesday, March 18, 2009

By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an

Bin Laden's ex-driver to be sent to Yemen: report | International | | 24 November 2008
Pakistan, New Zealand gear up for pace battle | 2 October 2009
New Zealand venture defers plan to import LNG | 2 July 2009

Nortel files for bankruptcy, shares plunge | Technology | | 15 January 2009

Forum Views () Forum Replies ()

Read more with google mobile : Hollywood stars latest weapon in Gulf Arab cinema wars

Yahoo! My Yahoo! Mail More Yahoo! Services Account Options New User? Sign Up Sign In Help Yahoo! Search web search Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Weekend Edition World Hollywood stars latest weapon in Gulf Arab cinema wars Reuters - Thursday, November 4 Send IM Story Print By Andrew Hammond ABU DHABI - In a stunning gold and black dress and the highest heels you've probably ever seen, Hollywood 'A' lister Salma Hayek struts across the red carpet. "I really like it, and I take it very seriously," she tells reporters straining over the barrier for a comment about her role as a judge at this film festival. "It looks like they have built a great home for arts, culture and film." Who would believe she was talking about Qatar, a desert country of 1.7 million people, mostly expatriates, long seen as a cultural backwater even compared to its Gulf Arab neighbors. Blessed with vast oil and gas reserves and tiny populations, Gulf Arab cities with cash to spare have been competing in recent years to establish themselves as cultural capitals. Doha has a prestigious Islamic art museum and Abu Dhabi is building offshoots of New York's Guggenheim and Paris' Louvre. But it is film festivals that have emerged as the prestige cultural event of choice since Dubai launched its version in 2004 -- poster child for its drive to become a glamorous destination for the international jetset. A week before Hayek strutted her stuff at the second Doha Tribeca Film Festival, Uma Thurman graced the red carpet at the fourth Abu Dhabi Film Festival in the United Arab Emirates. "For the first time I felt energy coming from a festival in this region," she told reporters in the UAE capital. The world's third-largest exporter of oil, Abu Dhabi handed out prize money of nearly $1 million this year at a festival that boasted 13 world premieres. Dubai, beset by financial troubles that have taken much of the showy gloss off the city, will have its chance to hit back in December. "The last time I'm aware of this kind of cultural competition occurring was between city states during the Italian renaissance," said Cynthia Schneider, an art history expert and professor in diplomacy at Georgetown University in Washington. At this year's film festival, stars mingled at glamorous after parties in Abu Dhabi's signature Emirates Palace hotel -- the UAE capital's equivalent of Dubai's sailed-shaped Burj al-Arab. The mood reflected a dramatic departure from the conservative profile Abu Dhabi maintained just a few years ago. "I can't believe this. Look at the crowd, the ambiance is as good as any Western film festival. Abu Dhabi has changed so much," said Lina Bagersh, who teaches media studies in Dubai, sipping on a glass of champagne in the muggy night heat. CONSERVATIVE REGION Yet the frenzy of cinematic premiers and after party clinking of glasses contrasts with the stark political and cultural realities that dominate Gulf Arab societies. There are no cinemas at all in Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam where the dominant Wahhabi school of Islam forbids men and women from mixing and strict censorship pervades. Most Arab films that make it to film theatres in the rest of the Gulf Arab region, poorly promoted amid blockbuster American and Indian productions, are dramas and comedies made in Egypt. On the cross-roads of Africa and the Middle East and across the Mediterranean from Europe, Egypt was already making movies a 100 years ago -- when many people in the Gulf still lived in palm frond huts, their traditional way of life as yet undisturbed by the discovery of oil. Gulf drama is restricted to television series produced mainly in Kuwait and Bahrain. Even in that realm, more Arab TV dramas are produced outside the Gulf, in Middle East countries like Syria or Lebanon, which have more liberal societies and a longer history in the arts. Peter Scarlet, executive director of Abu Dhabi Film Festival, said the festivals were playing a role in developing Gulf Arab arts, even if the region's output remains lacking. "In Abu Dhabi the only films people can see when the film festival isn't on is mid-level Bollywood and Hollywood," he said. "At least 10 days a year there are films from the rest of the world. There is an opportunity to sample some of film history that people can't access and that has to be all to the good and that's a necessary element in founding a film culture." Despite the obvious hurdle presented by the widespread censorship of political and sexual material in the Middle East, Abu Dhabi's government is sponsoring a drive to produce more home-grown films. "Sea Shadow," the UAE's fourth feature-length film, is currently in production. It addresses the crucial theme that Gulf Arab societies are grappling with -- rapid modernization that ruptures a world of sleepy fishing villages and pearl trading centers with futuristic cityscapes that for some are visionary but for others disturbing interventions. The story moves from Ras al-Khaimah, one of the poorest of the emirates in the UAE, through Dubai and on to Abu Dhabi, the new metropolis -- discretely promoting a narrative of Abu Dhabi primacy within the UAE federation. The film depicts a love affair -- romantic rather than physical in this conservative Muslim region -- between teenagers Kaltham and Mansoor. "The aim is to reflect a completely Emirati atmosphere, from the towers, buildings and modern cities to the old quarters where Emiratis still live," writer Mohammed Ahmed Hassan said. Daniela Tully, vice-president of the production firm Imagenation, said the idea was to transfer the expertise of international film-making to the Gulf. "We want to build up the local film industry. We want to have eventually an entire crew that is Emirati," she said. "We want to bring Hollywood to the UAE and the UAE to Hollywood." The film stands in contrast to last year's "City of Life," a Dubai film that celebrated the city's cosmopolitan mix of foreigners, which underwent some revision by the Abu Dhabi-based National Media Council that must approve all scripts. SUDDEN SOCIAL CHANGE Scarlet, in Qatar for the Doha extravaganza after comparing events during his Abu Dhabi festival, said rapid changes to the urban, demographic and economic shape of society in a country like the UAE were themes ripe for the silver screen. "It's clear that any film-making in the Emirates must deal with the fact that cultural change has been so instantaneous," he said. "Everyone is concerned with taking a cultural past and adapting it to the rapidly changing face of now." He said film distribution was more of an issue than censorship in the region and held out hope that Gulf Arab attitudes to acting itself would change -- the leading lady in "Sea Shadow" is of Syrian origin. "I've heard of young women who couldn't be in films. Part of that is tradition and part of that is the kind of process that Europe and America went through when what was a side show attraction for the lowest levels of society suddenly won legitimacy as an art form," Scarlet said. Schneider also held out hope that the Gulf Arab cinema wars would turn out to be more than public relations stunts fixated on the prestige associated with luring Hollywood stars. "It would be great if the proportion of money spent on bringing stars over and that spent on aspiring filmmakers were a little different, but the mentorship and competition aspects are both good things," she said. Recommend Send IM Story Print Related Articles Stolen Degas painting resurfaces at Sotheby's auction AFP - 31 minutes ago US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary Reuters - 1 hour 30 minutes ago Cirque du Soleil Jackson show to debut October 2011 Reuters - 1 hour 31 minutes ago DreamWorks, Zynga to promote 'Megamind' on FarmVille AFP - 1 hour 50 minutes ago MGM studio files for bankruptcy, Icahn backs plan Reuters - 1 hour 52 minutes ago News Search Top Stories Lloyds bank poaches Santander UK head for new chief Fed weighs landmark move to prime US economy Chernomyrdin, PM in Russia's post-Soviet chaos, dies at 72 Parcel plot not linked to international terror, Greece says Germany unveils new 'psychic' octopus -- and he's French More Top Stories » Related Full Coverage Hollywood NewsGet the latest Hollywood news All Full Coverage » ADVERTISEMENT Most Popular Most Viewed Most Recommended Toddler survives seven-floor fall in France Bush autobiography says he considered dumping Cheney Alcohol more harmful than heroin, crack cocaine: study California's legal pot plans go up in smoke World Bank warning over China trade imbalance risk More Most Viewed » Time, like all good things, may come to an end: study Alcohol more harmful than heroin, crack cocaine: study Spectacular unknown species found in Amazon Toddler survives seven-floor fall in France Iranian chocolate thief 'to have hand chopped off' More Most Recommended » Elsewhere on Yahoo! Financial news on Yahoo! Finance Stars and latest movies Best travel destinations More on Yahoo! News Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Weekend Edition Subscribe to our news feeds Top StoriesMy Yahoo!RSS » More news feeds | What are news feeds? Also on Yahoo! Answers Groups Mail Messenger Mobile Travel Finance Movies Sports Games » All Yahoo! Services Site Highlights Singapore Full Coverage Most Popular Entertainment Photos Yahoo! News Network Copyright © 2010 Yahoo! Southeast Asia Pte. Ltd. (Co. Reg. No. 199700735D). All Rights Reserved. Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Community | Intellectual Property Rights Policy | Help

Other News on Thursday, 4 November 2010
Iran says 'stoning woman' in perfect health, attacks West
Liberian President Sirleaf dissolves cabinet: sources |
Israeli strike kills Gaza militant
GPS maker Garmin hanging up on smartphones
Yemen al Qaeda warned tribe against helping government |
Fed resumes massive spending to spur recovery
Holographic video takes step forward with updated display
Robot Astronaut Debuts, Joins Last Flight Of Discovery
Fearful Iraqi Christians face fresh Qaeda threats
Chernomyrdin, PM in Russia's post-Soviet chaos, dies at 72
Candidates with more Facebook fans won 70 percent of races
Obama Reiterates Bipartisan Efforts; Ready To Listen, Work For Americans
Insurgents step up attacks on Afghan forces
Parcel plot not linked to international terror, Greece says
Drug Related Shooting Injures Son Of University Veep
Germany unveils new 'psychic' octopus -- and he's French
Jay-Z To Release First U.S. "Hits Collection" In November
US-TECH Summary
Weakened Obama Faces Demands For More Muscular Middle East Policy
Italy carries out first hi-tech pancreas transplant
Microsoft sees 5 million sales of motion-sensing Kinect
Google 'Street View' broke Data Protection Act
Afghan insurgents step up attacks on police
French union to propose more pension protests |
Rick Scott Celebrates Narrow Win For Florida Governor
German police arrest 22 in neo-Nazi internet raid
Retinal implant brightens future for blind
Kathy Griffin To Host "VH1 Divas Salute The Troops"
Turkey reinstates YouTube ban
Taylor Swift Sells Over One Million Copies Of “Speak Now” In First Week
Young Broadway Singer Loses Battle To Cancer
Don't put us on the Google map, says German village
Cirque Du Soleil's "Michael Jackson The Immortal World Tour" Kicks Off In October
Japan urges Medvedev not to return to disputed isles
Britain rules Google Street View breached data law
Hollywood stars latest weapon in Gulf Arab cinema wars
Three US drone strikes kill 11 militants in Pakistan
U.S. Republicans promise to roll back Obama agenda
Facebook revs up mobile device plans |
British watchdog says Google 'Street View' broke law
SAP agrees to pay $120 million to Oracle: sources |
US to spend $511 million to expand Kabul embassy
New hologram technology brings 3-D to life |
Huge volcanic blast spurs more Indonesians to flee
Facebook says apps shared user data, promises fix |
Egyptian scrolls give tips on the afterlife in London show
Britain rules Google Street View breached data law |
Youth vote falls in US mid-terms: study
ITC staff backs Nokia in Apple case |
Toni Morrison awarded France's Legion of Honour
Dutch govt intends to exempt small bars from smoking ban
Microsoft sees 5 million sales of motion-sensing Kinect |
US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary
Outcry after Ukraine TV ditches satire on president
Peru asks Obama to get Yale to return Machu Picchu pieces
Baghdad school system struggling as pupils resume studies
NZealand should be smoke free by 2025, say lawmakers
Kings of Leon ditch "party vibe" with new album
China, Poland mark cooperation with copper, chemical deals
Indian businesses say they are making US jobs
BOC Aviation orders 30 Airbus A320
Cirque du Soleil Jackson show to debut October 2011 |
Kings of Leon ditch party vibe with new album |
US to spend 500 million dollars on embassy in Afghanistan
Lloyds bank poaches Santander UK head for new chief
Qantas grounds giant A380s after engine failure |
Samsung aims to sell 1 mln Galaxy Tabs by year's end
Iran says four terrorists arrested: report |
Journalist held as Darfur rebels clash with government troops
Merkel defends 'multiculturalism has failed' comments
U.S. improves security in Afghan province: governor |
Facebook shrinks Web page fonts
Canada rejects BHP Billiton takeover of Potash Corp
Iran says 'stoning woman' in perfect health, attacks West
Mass grave of drug war victims found in Mexico: report |
NATO, Russia must 'bury ghosts' at landmark summit: chief
Republican Victories Overshadow Obama's Foreign Policy Control
NASA greenlights launch of shuttle Discovery
For crisis-weary Icelanders, it only gets worse |
Asustek to join tablet parade with new models in January
France says Iran woman will not be hanged Wednesday
LG Elec to launch 8.9-inch tablet in early 2011: source
Ivorian leader ahead in poll, faces runoff |
PayPal patches hacker hole in iPhone application
Catholics open first new Cuban seminary in decades |
Samsung sees Galaxy Tab sales above 1 million units this year
"The Hobbit" gets two new stars
YouTube yanks cleric's jihad sermon videos: NY Times
"Fiddler on the Roof" composer Jerry Bock dies at 81
Novel material gives nod to 'invisibility cloak'
Qantas plane in trouble over Indonesia, no crash: official
MGM declares bankruptcy after Icahn agrees plan
Qantas says plane did not crash, returning to Singapore
News Corp. puts Myspace on notice
Australia's Rudd calls for Nobel winner's release
Two dead, including German woman in Malaysia floods
Samsung aims to sell 1 mln Galaxy Tabs by year's end
US fine-tunes outreach as Myanmar votes
LG Elec to launch 8.9-inch tablet in early 2011: source
US, NZealand formalise thaw in ties during Clinton visit
"Fiddler on the Roof" composer Jerry Bock dies at 81
Samsung sees Galaxy Tab sales above 1 million units this year |
Samsung sees Galaxy Tab sales above 1 million units this year
MGM declares bankruptcy after Icahn agrees plan
Qantas to make emergency landing in Singapore
Tencent to shut down IM access for some users |
"Megamind" turns superhero flicks upside down
ITC staff backs Nokia in Apple case
Weather forecast for the Asia-Pacific region
Asustek to join tablet parade with new models in January |
MGM studio files for bankruptcy, Icahn backs plan
Facebook revs up mobile device plans
Explosion heard as plane flies over Indonesia
Taylor Swift pays tribute to fans for record sales
LG Elec to launch 8.9-inch tablet in early 2011: source |
Huge volcanic blast spurs more Indonesians to flee
Nobel laureate Vargas Llosa presents new novel
Stolen Degas painting resurfaces at Sotheby's auction
Obama calls for action to lift gay ban in US military
Pakistani c.bank sells 16 bln rupees of t-bills
Samsung aims to sell 1 million Galaxy Tabs quickly
Yamaha Motor back in black in third quarter
Seoul shares end up 0.3 pct on techs, banks
The Hobbit gets two new stars |
Seoul central bank seeks capital inflow controls
Director says European actors ugly |
Coal India shares leap on stock market debut
Fiddler on the Roof composer Jerry Bock dies at 81 |
Taylor Swift pays tribute to fans for record sales |
GM sees China sales growing strongly
Megamind turns superhero flicks upside down |
Taiwan govt bond buyback less than target
PAKISTAN
S.Korea cbank calls for steps on foreign bond buys
SAP agrees to pay $120 million to Oracle: sources
Facebook offers Deals, revs up mobile effort
New hologram technology brings 3-D to life
Facebook steps into middle of smartphone lifestyles
News Corp. net profit up 36 percent
Greek police detonate bomb sent to French embassy |
Afghan campaign destroys hundreds of houses: rights group |
Stocks Up, Dollar Down On Fed Plan To Pump Billions Into Economy
Federal Extended Jobless Benefits Expiring For 2 Million Americans
France arrests two for suspected militant links |
San Francisco Poised To Ban "Happy Meals"
South Yemen car bomb kills two |
Alaska, Washington Senate Races Still Undecided
Obama Reiterates Congress Should Resolve 'Don't Ask' Law
LG Elec to launch 8.9-inch tablet early 2011: source
Kurdish TAK rebels say behind Istanbul bombing |
Rand Study Says U.S. Health System Better For Older People Than U.K.'s
WikiLeaks urges U.S. to fully examine abuses |
Indonesia's Mount Merapi erupts again, killing six |
U.N. says North Korea food problems remain pressing |
Thai flood death toll hits 122
More evacuated as Indonesian volcano erupts again
Iranians stage mass protest against 'Great Satan' US
Indonesia's Mount Merapi erupts again, killing six
U.S. border cops find massive Mexico drug tunnel
Half Nepal's under-fives stunted by hunger: report
Clinton urges lame-duck Senate vote on START
BBC apologizes to Bob Geldof for aid-for-weapons story
Traditional practices worsen child malnutrition in Nigeria
Subdued Obama says suffered a voter "shellacking"
Japan police probe anti-terror files leak
Clinton aims to mend relations with New Zealand
Chef crusades to revive Parisian 'terroir'
S.Korea installs bullet-proof windows at border village
Russia's political cartoonists find web refuge
Myanmar's Internet 'under attack' ahead of election
Pakistan faces fresh pressure on taxes for IMF loan
Dell to focus on services expansion as demand recovers |
"The Hobbit" gets two new stars
Malaysian by-elections to test mood ahead of polls
Facebook revs up mobile effort with Deals |
Director says European actors "ugly"
Matisse sets new $49 mln record in New York
Google and Facebook to face tougher EU privacy rules |
Military ready for war in cyberspace |
BBC apologizes to Bob Geldof for aid-for-weapons story |
Military ready for war in cyberspace
EU bids to frame Facebook 'right to be forgotten'
Passengers share Qantas drama on Twitter
Tencent to shut down IM access for some users
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights

USD EUR - 1 year graph		BlogMeter 1.01