BROWNBOOK

Of part-Indian and Kuwaiti descent, Zahed Sultan’s origins have left an unmistakable imprint on his music. In his catalogue of songs, where electronic beats sometimes alternate between Arabic and Hindi rhythms, vocals are occasionally pronounced in his two mother tongues.   In his latest video, Sultan is dressed in an urban style – a heavy…

Within the confines of the red and white stone walls of a Ramallah villa-turned-architecture-studio called Riwaq, plans for Palestine’s largest ever art event are brewing. A dozen people from seven different Palestinian institutions that focus on art, culture and architecture are huddled around a round table, planning, scheming and writing. Their end goal is Qalandiya…

High above the bustling cobbled streets of Burj Hammoud, with its teetering skyline and overhanging apartment blocks, sits the workshop of Missak Hajiavedikian.   Burj Hammoud is otherwise known as Little Armenia or the Armenian Quarter of Beirut and is populated by 1930s tumble-down low-rises and sprinkled with architecture from the 1970s. The setting is…

In a cramped, unkempt artistic alcove somewhere in Gaza, identical twins Mohamed and Ahmed Abu Nasser conceive the idea for a film. They sit amidst a sprawl of editing equipment, mannequins, overflowing ashtrays and the walls surrounding them are decorated with their own paintings and scrawls of graffiti. Through clouds of cigarette smoke, intense eyes…

As Moroccan legend has it, a tall young Berber man by the name of Isli fell in love with Tislit, a beautiful girl from an enemy tribe. When Isli declared he wanted to marry her, their families refused and the pair descended into depression and grief. One night, each sat on a hill and began…

As both director and actress it could be said that Nadine Labaki has become the face of Arab cinema. Since her debut film, Caramel, premiered at Cannes Film Festival in 2007 and went on to receive critical international acclaim, she has become both a respected voice in the industry and considerably influential among her peers.…

Every day, Sudanese craftsmen emerge from their workshops and set up their market stalls in the heat of the African sun. The traditional jewellers create amazingly intricate, delicate pieces with nimble hands – each as individual as the last. However, the future of the craftsmen’s fine-spun works is in jeopardy and this is something that…

In one of the most deprived, war stricken corners of the world stands a lone grandiose hotel. With its fine arched entrance, vaulted ceilings and views across the Mediterranean Sea, the Al Deira Hotel, is populated by mostly foreign inhabitants and is at odds with its fractious surroundings.   The hotel’s auburn façade is made…

Amid the sterile and dust-swept skyscrapers that populate the heart of Kuwait City, there is little in terms of contemporary cool. The entire area functions as a strictly commercial and somewhat dry business-zone.   But take a closer look and the seeds of change are beginning to take root. At the base of the Al…

One of the most anticipated events on the film calender, the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF), will start tonight. Scheduled to open the eight-day event is Oscar-winning director Ang Lee’s 3D adaptation of the 2001 best-selling novel Life of Pi.   Suraj Sharma who plays the lead role of Pi Patel will be walking the red…