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- Written by: Meres J. Weche
- Category: Film
Perfectly time with Saudi Arabia's designation of 2024 as "The Year of the Camel" and the UN's declaration of 2024 as the International Year of Camelids, the film Hajjan, which had its world premiere this September at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, is a powerful tale about the ancient and enduring bond between humans and camels. Beautifully shot in the enchanting desert landscapes of Saudi Arabia's northwestern region by Egyptian-Austrian writer and director Abu Bakr Shawky, the film offers an unprecedented cinematic journey into the world of camel racing.
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- Written by: Meres J. Weche
- Category: Film
Dark comedy thrillers aren't usually the first genre attributed, in most people's minds, to films coming out of Saudi Arabia. But Saudi filmmaker and director Ali Kalthami's Mandoob, which had its world premiere at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, offers a surprisingly candid and eye-opening foray into Riyadh's rarely explored illicit underworld. The Kingdom's capital is portrayed as the ultra-modern global metropolis that is, along with its active nightlife and affluent home parties. Basically, it's not the Riyadh of your '90s imagination.
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- Written by: Meres J. Weche
- Category: Film
As the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) approaches in less than two weeks, I look forward to attending this magical celebration of some of the best films on the global cinema stage.
One of the most captivating stories in cinema currently is the rapid growth of the film sector in Saudi Arabia. Celebrating five years since cinemas reopened, Saudi Arabia is out in front as the top Middle East market as its screens and customer base grow. It has already risen from a 15% share to accounting for more than 40% of the Middle East revenue.
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- Written by: Meres J. Weche
- Category: Film
"What's the difference between a dream and reality?" That's the question viewers of Saudi film director Mohamed Al Salman's film Raven Song ask themselves. Recently premiering at the second annual Red Sea International Film Festival, Al Salman set the story in a bygone era of Riyadh two decades ago.
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- Written by: Meres J. Weche
- Category: Film
As part of an intimate and, at times, emotional conversation during the second annual Red Sea International Film Festival in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, American actress Sharon Stone candidly shared the story of her sudden and unexpected entry into the world of stardom.
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- Written by: Meres J. Weche
- Category: Film
Siphesihle (Siphe) November is a dance prodigy from Zolani, in South Africa's Western Cape. Siphe grew up in the small township located about two hours from Cape Town. At the age of 19, in 2017, he joined The National Ballet of Canada as a member of the Corps de Ballet, after graduating from the National Ballet School, skipping the customary apprenticeship route. Two years later, he was promoted to Second Soloist.
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- Written by: Meres J. Weche
- Category: Photography
The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically changed our lives — understatement of the century. Social distancing and prolonged confinement periods have affected our work lives, our relationships with our families, friends, neighbours and community members. In addition to adjusting our daily routines to accommodate working remotely and virtually connecting with coworkers, how we consume various forms of leisure, arts and entertainment — when we're not trying to get some work done — has also been transformed.
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- Written by: Meres J. Weche
- Category: Performing Arts
"You're from Canada like Bryan Adams," is what I was told more than once the first time I ventured out on an international trip on my own outside of Canada when I was still a teenager — venturing out on a student work abroad program in England, back in the early 1990s.
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- Written by: Meres J. Weche
- Category: Performing Arts
If anybody would have told me back in the summer of 2012, when I first arrived in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, that I would one day attend a concert in this country featuring Sean Paul, Mariah Carey and DJ Tiësto, I would not have believed it.
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Meres J. Weche
Expat and digital maven with a passion for telling stories in words & images. Lived & worked in four continents.
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