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Majida El Roumi to Perform Live at Beirut Holidays Festival 2025

Majida El Roumi to Perform Live at Beirut Holidays Festival 2025

Yara Sameh
Iconic Lebanese soprano Majida El Roumi will perform live at the Beirut Holidays Festival 2025 in Lebanon, on Tuesday, July 8.
She is set to present several of her masterpieces.
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A post shared by Majida El Roumi (@majidaelroumi)
The iconic singer was born on December 13, 1956, in Kfarshima village, Lebanon. She is the daughter of the Lebanese musician Halim El Roumi.
The soprano participated in the talent show 'Studio El Fan in 1974' after she sneaked out of the house with her brother and cousins, where she won the gold medal for oriental singing. Her success prompted her father to change his mind and give her his blessings to pursue a music career as long as she continues her higher education.
In 1975, El Roumi released her first single 'Am Behlamak' and her first studio album 'Wadaa' in 1976.
She made her acting debut in the Egyptian renowned director Youssef Chahine's film 'Awdat Al Ibn Al Dal' (The Return of the Prodigal Son).
In 2001, the soprano was appointed an ambassador for the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and named in 2013 an ambassador of the 'Alam Sagheer' (Small World) program, along with Titanic actor and producer Billy Zane, dedicated to education without borders.
In 2014, El Roumi made history as the first Middle East Humanitarian Ambassador of Bulgari.
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The moral high ground
The moral high ground

Al-Ahram Weekly

time15 hours ago

  • Al-Ahram Weekly

The moral high ground

A few months into the war on Gaza, following the 7 October attacks, I found myself like everyone else, glued to the news around the clock, watching non-stop the horror coming out of Gaza. One night, as the Israeli forces started to bomb Al-Shefa Hospital – a spot I was familiar with, having developed a bond with the reporter who broadcast from there – I realised that reporter was no longer there. He was not even mentioned. That night was particularly heartbreaking for me. I felt pressure in my head, as if it might literally explode. Waves of anxiety surged through me, along with terrible thoughts, and I had to turn off the television and wander around my house at 2:00am, desperately trying to shift my focus. I remembered that night as I watched the Palestinian documentary A State of Passion – directed by Carol Mansour, a Lebanese-Canadian filmmaker with Palestinian ancestry, and Muna Khalidi, who has a very close friendship with Abu-Sittah – which follows the renowned Palestinian-British plastic and reconstructive surgeon Ghassan Abu-Sittah when he volunteered to enter Gaza for the sixth time at a time of conflict only to realise that this time it was full-scale genocide. He had never performed this number of amputations on children ever in his life, as he said at one of the most moving moments. At this point, when the film was recently screened at Zawya in the lineup of the Between Women Filmmakers Caravan – an independent initiative organised by a group of female filmmakers and film curators – the Gaza war was already one year and eight months old. Still, I'd missed the first screening of the film, which made its world premiere at the Cairo International Film Festival, receiving three awards: the top award of the Horizons of Arab Cinema section, the Saadeddin Wahba Award for Best Arabic Film, and the second prize for Best Palestinian Film as well as a Special Mention for Abu-Sittah. After 43 days in Gaza, Abu-Sittah jumped on a plane to Amman to spend 24 hours with Mansour and Khalidi, who had called to request the meeting. As they stated in an online interview with the audience after the screening, the phone call that appears in the film is the real phone call. In Amman, the camera captures the emotions involved in the meeting, which also involves an old friend of Abu-Sittah's and his proud mother, whose favourite son he was, according to the two filmmakers. Mansour and Khalidi accompany Abu-Sittah on a quick visit to Kuwait, where he was raised and where he reminisces about his father, also a doctor, in front of said father's former clinic. Abu-Sittah was born in Kuwait to a Palestinian father and a Lebanese mother. His father's family originated in Maain Abu-Sittah in the southeast of Gaza, which they were forced to flee when the Zionists attacked during the Nakba. They moved to Kuwait and later to the United Kingdom in the 1980s and Abu-Sittah eventually realised his father's dream by studying medicine at Glasgow University. The documentary includes some harsh photos of children undergoing surgical procedures, especially when Abu-Sittah is trying to prove that Israel used white phosphorus in their military operations, but such graphic imagery was limited, reflecting the filmmakers' decision to give only a small taste of the horror after they were faced with the predicament of whether and how much to show. Abu-Sittah recalls performing amputations on six children in a single day, and when he elaborates on how complicated the situation is there, he explains that health procedures are based on people directing you to save the life of the only living member of the family or whether a doctor can just clean up a wound that will keep someone alive for a day so as to save a few other lives that require urgent attention. Abu-Sittah made his way to Gaza to treat patients all the way through Rafah many times; his first medical visit to Gaza was during the first Intifada in 1987. He was back during the second Intifada in 2000 and then in the wars of 2009, 2012, 2014, 2021 and finally 2023. Mansour alone accompanies Abu-Sittah to London where he lives with his family: his wife Dima and three sons. Khalidi couldn't go due to complications with her visa. And this is where the documentary becomes a more personal exploration of Abu-Sittah's extraordinary character. When he's not working, he is with his family, a dedicated husband and father whose presence is a delight to them. He is seen ironing his sons' school uniforms and putting together their lunch boxes in the morning. There is a sequence in the 90-minute documentary when we hear the exchange of voice messages between him and his three sons. It is touching how he says good morning to each of them in spite of the horrors he is enduring so many miles away. Dima and Abu-Sittah have a sweet relationship with the Palestinian cause at its core. Dima explains how she took the children to Gaza, showing them every corner of it with a strange presentiment that it might not survive. They went to the beach and visited all the landmarks. Her presentiment was right: they returned on 7 September, exactly a month before the horrific incidents began. When Dima and Abu Sittah were in Gaza, they took along Dima's mother, who needed medical attention in London while her father remained alone, an old man tired of being repeatedly displaced, refusing to leave his house. The mother could not return to Gaza but she has been living in Egypt: she was even present at the screening of the film. When Dima spoke of Palestinian resilience, it rang true in a way it usually doesn't. 'If he hadn't gone to Gaza, I wouldn't have known how to maintain my respect for him,' she also said of Abu-Sittah, who, for his part, said they were both so clear about his need to be there, the decision didn't even have to be discussed. * A version of this article appears in print in the 5 June, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:

Rami Malek's "Amateur" Sets Digital and Blu-ray Release Dates
Rami Malek's "Amateur" Sets Digital and Blu-ray Release Dates

See - Sada Elbalad

time15 hours ago

  • See - Sada Elbalad

Rami Malek's "Amateur" Sets Digital and Blu-ray Release Dates

Yara Sameh Egyptian-American Rami Malek's 20th Century thriller movie "Amateur," one of the year's best action thrillers, is all set to land on digital release later this month. Based on the 1981 novel of the same name by Robert Littell, it was adapted by Ken Nolan. British novelist and popular historian James Hawes is directing the movie from a script by Gary Spinelli. Hutch Parker and Dan Wilson are producing, with Malek executive producing. "Amateur" follows a CIA cryptographer who, after his wife is tragically killed in a London terrorist attack, demands his bosses go after them. When it becomes clear they won't act due to conflicting internal priorities, he blackmails the agency into training him and letting him go after them himself. The movie's official synopsis reads: 'Charlie Heller (Rami Malek) is a brilliant, but deeply introverted decoder for the CIA working out of a basement office at headquarters in Langley whose life is turned upside down when his wife is killed in a London terrorist attack. When his supervisors refuse to take action, he takes matters into his own hands, embarking on a dangerous trek across the globe to track down those responsible, his intelligence serving as the ultimate weapon for eluding his pursuers and achieving his revenge.' The movie has generated plenty of buzz during the fall festival season. Bleecker Street has acquired U.S. rights. "The Amateur" boasts an all-star cast that includes Rachel Brosnahan, Caitríona Balfe, Jon Bernthal, Michael Stuhlbarg, Holt McCallany, Julianne Nicholson, Adrian Martinez, Danny Sapani, and Laurence Fishburne. Release back in April, the movie racked up solid numbers at the box office. Particularly in this modern era of franchises and comic book movies. Against a budget of around $60 million, Malek's action outing grossed $95.8 million worldwide, making the movie a financial success. "The Amateur" is set to get a digital release next week on June 10, with the action thriller then landing on 4K UHD and Blu-ray a little later on July 8. read more New Tourism Route To Launch in Old Cairo Ahmed El Sakka-Led Play 'Sayidati Al Jamila' to Be Staged in KSA on Dec. 6 Mandy Moore Joins Season 2 of "Dr. Death" Anthology Series Don't Miss These Movies at 44th Cairo Int'l Film Festival Today Amr Diab to Headline KSA's MDLBEAST Soundstorm 2022 Festival Arts & Culture Mai Omar Stuns in Latest Instagram Photos Arts & Culture "The Flash" to End with Season 9 Arts & Culture Ministry of Culture Organizes four day Children's Film Festival Arts & Culture Canadian PM wishes Muslims Eid-al-Adha News China Launches Largest Ever Aircraft Carrier Sports Former Al Zamalek Player Ibrahim Shika Passes away after Long Battle with Cancer Lifestyle Get to Know 2025 Eid Al Adha Prayer Times in Egypt Sports Neymar Announced for Brazil's Preliminary List for 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers News Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly Inaugurates Two Indian Companies Arts & Culture New Archaeological Discovery from 26th Dynasty Uncovered in Karnak Temple Business Fear & Greed Index Plummets to Lowest Level Ever Recorded amid Global Trade War Arts & Culture Zahi Hawass: Claims of Columns Beneath the Pyramid of Khafre Are Lies News Flights suspended at Port Sudan Airport after Drone Attacks News Shell Unveils Cost-Cutting, LNG Growth Plan

Asser Yassin Joins Hend Sabry in "Dam ala Nahd" TV adaptation
Asser Yassin Joins Hend Sabry in "Dam ala Nahd" TV adaptation

See - Sada Elbalad

time17 hours ago

  • See - Sada Elbalad

Asser Yassin Joins Hend Sabry in "Dam ala Nahd" TV adaptation

Yara Sameh Egyptian actor Asser Yassin will once again team up with Tunisian actress Hend Sabry in the upcoming TV adaptation of writer and journalist Ibrahim Eissa's latest novel 'Dam ala Nahd." It marks the first collaboration between the two stars on the small screen and their second in 18 years after the 2007 film "'El Gezira." Mariam Ahmadi is directing the series from a script being adapted by Mohamed Hesham Obeya. "Dam ala Nahd" consists of 15 episodes and is produced by Sadek Al-Sabah. The novel follows Mai El Gebali, who had no idea that her exclusive interview with the "butcher" before his execution would turn her life upside down. With each meeting with the "butcher", he reveals secrets he never confessed before during the investigations. Along the way, El Gebali begins to question everything she'd previously believed in, disrupts her relationships, and puts her life in danger. Yassin was recently seen in the TV series "Alby We Moftaho" and Sabry in the hit Netflix TV series "Finding Ola" Season 2. Yassin, born February 25, 1981, began his career on the stage at the American University in Cairo. He was spotted by Director Khairy Beshara to play his first role in the 2006 TV series "Qalb Habiba", followed by the blockbuster "The Yacoubian Building" in 2007, and landed his first major role in a film "Zay El Naharda" in the following year. In the same year, he got his big break playing a leading role in the film "El Waad" (The Promise), starring opposite legendary actor and superstar Mahmoud Yassin. In 2010, Yassin played the leading role in Daoud Abdel Sayed's film "Messages from the Sea", which earned him the Best Actor award at the Carthage Film Festival and Malmö Arab Film Festival. read more New Tourism Route To Launch in Old Cairo Ahmed El Sakka-Led Play 'Sayidati Al Jamila' to Be Staged in KSA on Dec. 6 Mandy Moore Joins Season 2 of "Dr. Death" Anthology Series Don't Miss These Movies at 44th Cairo Int'l Film Festival Today Amr Diab to Headline KSA's MDLBEAST Soundstorm 2022 Festival Arts & Culture Mai Omar Stuns in Latest Instagram Photos Arts & Culture "The Flash" to End with Season 9 Arts & Culture Ministry of Culture Organizes four day Children's Film Festival Arts & Culture Canadian PM wishes Muslims Eid-al-Adha News China Launches Largest Ever Aircraft Carrier Sports Former Al Zamalek Player Ibrahim Shika Passes away after Long Battle with Cancer Lifestyle Get to Know 2025 Eid Al Adha Prayer Times in Egypt Sports Neymar Announced for Brazil's Preliminary List for 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers News Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly Inaugurates Two Indian Companies Arts & Culture New Archaeological Discovery from 26th Dynasty Uncovered in Karnak Temple Business Fear & Greed Index Plummets to Lowest Level Ever Recorded amid Global Trade War Arts & Culture Zahi Hawass: Claims of Columns Beneath the Pyramid of Khafre Are Lies News Flights suspended at Port Sudan Airport after Drone Attacks News Shell Unveils Cost-Cutting, LNG Growth Plan

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