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First Iraqi director at Cannes wins top prize with The President's Cake

First Iraqi director at Cannes wins top prize with The President's Cake

The National25-05-2025
Hasan Hadi, the first filmmaker from Iraq to win a top prize at the Cannes Film Festival said he's optimistic about the future of cinema in his country. "I think this proves that our story matters and if you can tell them and tell them well, people around the world will respond positively," he said. At the festival on Saturday, Hadi's childhood adventure film, The President's Cake, won the Camera d'Or, which honours first-time directors. Set in the 1990s when Iraq was under crippling UN sanctions, the drama follows nine-year-old Lamia after her school teacher picks her to bake the class a cake for President Saddam Hussein's birthday or risk being denounced for disloyalty. Along with her grandmother, the pair set off from their home in the marshlands into town to try to track down the unaffordable ingredients. Speaking at a press conference following his win, Hadi called the win "overwhelming and exciting". "It means more responsibility and that you have to make films in the same level," he said. "We are an emerging industry. There's still a lot to be done, there are lot of artists that are coming up and I'm optimistic about the future of cinema." The President's Cake received excellent reviews since premiering last week in the Directors' Fortnight section. Hadi and his team shot the feature entirely in Iraq, filming predominantly amid the ancient wetlands in the south of the country, listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site since 2016. He spoke to AFP about how the near-total trade and financial embargo imposed on Iraq after it invaded Kuwait "demolished the moral fabric of society," Hadi said. It sent the country "hundreds of years back", he said, adding that he did not taste cake until he was in his early teens, after the US-led invasion in 2003 toppled Saddam and sanctions were lifted. "Sanctions empower dictators," he said. "In the history of the world, there was no one time when they imposed sanctions and the president couldn't eat." Following his win, Hadi dedicated his award to "every kid or child around the world who somehow finds love, friendship and joy amid war, sanctions and dictatorship". "You are the real heroes," he said. He later shared the stage with dissident Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi, who won the festival's Palme D'Or top prize for his film It Was Just an Accident, the tale of five ordinary Iranians confronting a man they believed tortured them in jail. Also from the Middle East, Palestinian director Tawfeek Barhom received his award for his short film I'm Glad You're Dead Now. After giving thanks, he took the opportunity to mention the war in Gaza. "In 20 years from now when we are visiting the Gaza Strip, try not to think about the dead and have a nice trip," he said. US President Donald Trump sparked controversy this year by saying he wanted to turn the war-ravaged Palestinian territory into the "Riviera of the Middle East". Agencies contributed to this report
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Capella at Galaxy Macau Offers Exclusive Previews to the Luxury Resort's Most Distinguished Clientele
Capella at Galaxy Macau Offers Exclusive Previews to the Luxury Resort's Most Distinguished Clientele

Arabian Post

time2 hours ago

  • Arabian Post

Capella at Galaxy Macau Offers Exclusive Previews to the Luxury Resort's Most Distinguished Clientele

Previewing the Glittering New Landmark, Galaxy Macau celebrates its unwavering commitment to the craft of ultra-luxury hospitality at Asia's Award-Winning Integrated Resort MACAU SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 11 August 2025 – In a move which promises to redefine the contours of luxury hospitality in Asia, Galaxy Macau announces the soft opening of Capella at Galaxy Macau. This meticulously conceived property brings with it an ethos of crafted luxury, cultural authenticity and highly personalized service. The porte cochère signals the entrance to Capella at Galaxy Macau, where discerning guests can expect to encounter the ultimate expression of handcrafted elegance, bespoke luxury and refined hospitality. This eagerly anticipated exclusive private preview of Capella at Galaxy Macau for the luxury resort's most distinguished VIPs, is offering stays and previews of its food and beverage concepts by invitation only. As Asia's entertainment capital enhances its contemporary lifestyle offering as a global center of UNESCO World Heritage and sensory fusion, the arrival of Capella at Galaxy Macau marks a bold new chapter in the city's rich history, one that thoughtfully aligns with the evolving needs of the discerning global traveler. ADVERTISEMENT Designed by dynamic French interior architects Moinard Bétaille – whose clientele includes the world's leading luxury maisons, palaces, museums and private residences, such as Cartier, Grimaldi Forum, the Monte-Carlo Cigar Club and Opéra Garnier – the 17-storey property has been seamlessly integrated into the Galaxy Macau luxury resort's 'house of brands'; nestled alongside the world's largest collection of luxury hotel brands held under one sphere of influence. Behind the gilded façade lies 95 signature suites and private, infinity-pool Capella Penthouses, which invite guests to unwind within sensory spaces infused with tropical splendor and a tapestry of high art and Michelin ambitions. Together, they catapult Macau's living heritage into a new era of contemporary sophistication. Spacious, light-filled Capella Penthouses feature private balconies with transparent, infinity-edge pools that invite guests to unwind overlooking panoramic views of Macau's glittering architecture. Discerning guests of Capella at Galaxy Macau can expect to encounter the ultimate expression of handcrafted elegance, bespoke luxury and refined hospitality courtesy of Capella Hotels and Resorts, voted the 'No.1 Hotel Brand in the World' in Travel + Leisure's World's Best Awards for the third consecutive year. 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The 12 scariest horror movies of the 2020s
The 12 scariest horror movies of the 2020s

The National

time5 hours ago

  • The National

The 12 scariest horror movies of the 2020s

Want to see the future of film? Look to the horror genre. While some corners of Hollywood feel stuck in the past, with the same old directors making the same sorts of movies year after year, scary movies are experiencing a genuinely thrilling moment. Young filmmakers worldwide are turning in bold and inventive work, and even with small budgets and little marketing, audiences are turning out in droves. And with Halloween just more than two months away and many of us searching for a good scare towards the end of summer, here are 12 of the best and most frightening films that have come out this decade, from underrated chillers to terrifying blockbuster hits. Weapons (2025) One night in a small town, at 2.17am, 17 children run away from their homes and are never seen again. Weapons, the second film from Cregger, is the story of what happens next – blending elements of Stephen King's It, Hirokazu Kore-eda's Monster and Kiyoshi Kurosawa's Cure. Operating in a mystery-box format as we jump between character perspectives to figure out what really happened, Weapons executes its scares first through our fear of the unknown, punctuated with the unnerving creepiness with the security footage of the children running from their home. It then pays off that unease with shocking, violent moments when the danger gets closer, and the answers begin to unfold. The film is a big box office hit so far – and while Jordan Peele may not have fired his team after they lost the bidding war, its success virtually guarantees that the story will become myth. While it may not be wholly original, what makes this different from its influences, of course, is Cregger's sense of humour, and while it may be a funnier film than Barbarian, it may not be a scarier one. Oddity (2024) It's not just that Oddity is scary – it's how many different ways that the film finds to terrify you that's most impressive. The tension begins with a knock at the door. A young woman awaiting her husband's return is greeted by a strange man who has come to warn her that she is not alone. He's a patient of her husband's, he says, and while he may have been stalking her, he now only has her safety in mind. Is there danger lurking behind her? Or is the man the danger? You don't immediately find out. The film cuts forward in time months after the woman's death, introducing you to her sister who runs a shop that sells supernatural oddities, herself determined to figure out what happened. It's a ghost story, a murder mystery and a monster movie all in one, with the duelling tones leaving you unsure where it may go next from beginning to end. Longlegs (2024) Early on, Longlegs feels like it will coast along as a riff on Silence of the Lambs. In it, a young detective pursues a serial killer in a case that slowly starts consuming her life. But while it starts more eerie than scary, Nicolas Cage's unforgettable turn as the titular killer brings the film to another level, delivering goosebumps in the truckload, and adding an unexpected supernatural element as well. The film's outsized success has cemented Osgood Perkins, son of the late Psycho star Anthony Perkins, as one of the genre's new pillars, and his next film The Monkey is already one of next year's most anticipated. Barbarian (2022) Horror comedies have been around since the early days of film, but in almost every case, the moment humour is introduced, the horror dissipates entirely. Barbarian, the directorial debut of former sketch comedian Zach Cregger, somehow manages both. It begins with two strangers forced to share an Airbnb, and just when their night couldn't get any worse, the film cuts to actor Justin Long singing like a fool, and a new thread begins. Fiendishly clever in twists and turns through both plot and tone, this is a singular film that lingers long after it ends. Host (2020) When global lockdowns began during the pandemic in 2020, people worldwide pledged that they would use that time to create their masterpiece. Director Rob Savage may have been the first person to achieve that goal. Host, his screenlife film documenting a video call among friends who decide to hold a virtual ceremony to contact the dead, is simple in concept, but terrifyingly effective in execution. A product of its time, sure, but one that is worth revisiting even as lockdown memories begin to fade. Anything for Jackson (2020) Of all of the films on this list, Anything for Jackson is the one that has flown most deeply under the radar, moving straight to the boutique horror streaming service Shudder after a small festival tour. But if you give it a shot, you'll most likely be hooked from the opening scene. In it, a seemingly normal elderly couple are mourning the loss of their grandson. But while they may be easygoing in their demeanour, they secretly worship darker forces, determined to find a vessel that could bring their beloved progeny back from the dead. And while it could easily have veered into familiar and gory territory, the film has a restrained take that allows an unsettling feeling to take hold instead. Nope (2022) Nope, Jordan Peele's third film, is perhaps both his best and most perplexing. It's about many things: aliens, paranoia, grief, poverty, all wrapped in the general anxiety in modern-day America. But most importantly, this is about the human obsession with spectacle and the subsequent exploitation of it for monetary gain. It's even a commentary on the history of cinema, and how everything can be sacrificed for the sake of that one perfect shot. What makes Nope scary, apart from the obvious alien presence that literally looms large over the characters, is the fact that many of us are not much different. We as humans are drawn to darkness, no matter how gruesome. And facing that is a deeply unsettling truth. Talk to Me (2022) Sometimes you never know where the best horror talent will get their start. In 2022, a giggling pair of YouTuber twin brothers from Australia named Danny and Michael Philippou somehow gave the world one of the scariest films in recent memory. Following a group of young people who contact the dead by holding hands with a mysterious porcelain statue, it quickly becomes a moving exploration of grief. And while it often relies on jump scares, it uses them well, and the truly scary moments are psychological rather than simple shocks. Bring Her Back (2025) The second film by the Philippou brothers is far better than the first. And while Bring Her Back is a deceptively kinder-hearted film than its predecessor Talk to Me – offering us characters who feel fresh, real and impossible not to root for – it's all the more terrifying for it, as our emotional investment makes every brutal twist and turn even harder to bear. The film follows two siblings who are forced to enter foster care after the death of their father – and find themselves in the home of a woman who is thrilled at how much the younger sister resembles her own dead daughter. Not for the squeamish, this two-hour film will make you more anxious than any other film on this list, without ever feeling cheap or exploitative. It's a masterwork. Late Night with the Devil (2023) Starring David Dastmalchian, Late Night with the Devil shows the downfall of a late-night talk show host whose ratings drop so he must resort to cheap tactics such as a Halloween episode in which he hosts a cast of guests that attempt to communicate with the dead. The whole film is presented like a lost episode, in which we see both the show and the behind-the-scenes happenings, with every passing segment building up to an incredible crescendo. The scariest thing about the film is how it lulls you into the sense that you're watching a real true crime documentary, hoping you would forget that it's a horror film at all. If it works on you, then you're in for a thrill ride that will get under your skin. The Empty Man (2020) Directed by David Prior, a regular collaborator of filmmaker David Fincher, The Empty Man is unlike any other horror movie in recent years. It dances between genres and explores familiar themes – spooky cults, disappearances, murder and supernatural beings – but it does it all with a singular vibe that hooks it all together. Something feels off from the start, and that unease doesn't dissipate until the twist ending. Speak No Evil (2022) The 2024 remake of Speak No Evil starring James McAvoy received rave reviews upon release, but it doesn't hold a candle to the Danish original from 2022. Some films are scary because of a lurking unknown force of evil like a ghost or monster, others are scary because of the prospect of being the victim of a serial killer. Speak No Evil 's horror is found in social awkwardness. In it, a meek and polite family become prisoners of an abrasive and straight-talking couple. And it happens not by force or persuasion, but just merely to avoid an uncomfortable confrontation. Even if you've seen the new version, give this one a shot. It may start the same, but the last 20 minutes, completely changed in the remake, will leave you cowering behind the sofa. A version of this story was first published in October 2024

Spike Lee's new movie is much more than a Kurosawa remake
Spike Lee's new movie is much more than a Kurosawa remake

Gulf Today

time10 hours ago

  • Gulf Today

Spike Lee's new movie is much more than a Kurosawa remake

Decked out in a resplendent orange-and-blue-striped zoot suit symbolizing the colours of his beloved New York Knicks, Spike Lee hit the Cannes Film Festival's red carpet in May in full boogie mode. As Lee and his wife, producer Tonya Lewis Lee, huddled under an umbrella and made their way through a throng of photographers, he started dancing as speakers blasted 'Trunks,' a track from the soundtrack of his new film, 'Highest 2 Lowest,' by ASAP Rocky, who also acts in the movie. Accompanied by his superstar partner, Rihanna, exhibiting her sizable baby bump, the rapper locked eyes with Lee and the two broke out into a spontaneous shimmy. With the exception of the Knicks winning the NBA championship (they would be eliminated from the playoffs a few days later), it would be hard to imagine Lee in a more joyous spirit than the one he was in at that May 19 event. His film 'Do The Right Thing' had premiered at Cannes on the same date in 1989. It was also the 100th birthday of Malcolm X, who was portrayed by 'Highest' actor Denzel Washington in their most successful partnership, 1992's 'Malcolm X.' Though months have passed since that triumphant evening, Lee is extending his 'Highest 2 Lowest' victory lap, delighted that he and Washington, whom he calls 'America's greatest living actor,' have joined forces for a fifth time. 'I've had a love relationship with the Cannes Film Festival since 1986 — they've loved all my films that have been there,' says Lee, 68, speaking on a recent video call from his residence at Oak Bluffs in Martha's Vineyard. 'May 19, 2025, was a continuation of that. I don't think it was a mistake that the world premiere of 'Do the Right Thing' was May 19, 1989. I don't think it was a mistake that May 19, 2025, was Malcolm X's 100th birthday. 'For me, some things you just cannot explain. They just happen. And to add to that, this is the first time Denzel has ever been to Cannes with a film.' He pauses: 'It was ancestral spirits, whatever you want to call it,' adding with a mischievous cackle, 'But not voodoo!' A reimagining of Akira Kurosawa's 1963 thriller 'High and Low,' 'Highest 2 Lowest' stars Washington as a wealthy music mogul whose livelihood is threatened by a life-or-death ransom demand. (The film is Lee's first with Washington since 2006's 'Inside Man.') The idea for an updated 'High and Low' has circulated around Hollywood for several years, sparking interest from David Mamet and Chris Rock, among others. Playwright Alan Fox's New York-set script was sent to Lee by Washington, who was convinced he was the only director who could do it justice. 'He didn't have to ask me twice,' cracks Lee. Seated in front of a Kehinde Wiley painting and within reach of a 'Jaws 50th' T-shirt, Lee, who wore a Knicks cap, is relentlessly jubilant, flavoring his comments with humorous exclamations and explosive laughter while declaring 'Highest 2 Lowest' as one of the most deeply felt endeavors of his decades-long career. The passage of time since he and Washington worked together stunned them both. 'Denzel and I didn't realize that it's been 18 years since 'Inside Man,'' he says. 'We only found out when journalists told us.' 'Highest' is also his first film shot and set in New York in more than a decade. The action moves from Brooklyn to the South Bronx. A key set piece involving a subway chase (an homage to 'The French Connection' and the late Gene Hackman, Lee says) is a kinetic mash-up, switching between the pursuit, rowdy Yankee fans traveling to a day game against the 'the hated motherf—ing Boston Red Sox' and a boisterous National Puerto Rican Day celebration in the Bronx featuring Rosie Perez, Anthony Ramos and Eddie Palmieri's Salsa Orchestra. 'We were not playing around,' declares Lee, almost doubled over with glee. 'Bedlam! Mayhem! Puerto Rico is in da house! It's the Bronx, baby! The Bronx!' The new movie also reflects Lee's serious admiration for Kurosawa. His introduction to the work of the legendary Japanese filmmaker came while attending New York University's Graduate Film School: Tribune News Service

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