British singer Ozzy Osbourne dies at 76
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Broadcast Pro
an hour ago
- Broadcast Pro
Annemarie Jacir's ‘Palestine 36' to premiere as Gala Screening at TIFF 2025
Palestinian filmmaker and writer Annemarie Jacir's 'Palestine 36' will have its world premiere as a Gala Screening at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) Palestinian filmmaker and writer Annemarie Jacir's feature Palestine 36 will make its world premiere as a Gala Screening at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Set on the outskirts of Jerusalem, the film unfolds during the Arab uprising against British colonial rule in 1936, capturing a pivotal and turbulent moment in regional history. The story follows Yusuf, a young man caught between his rural village and the growing tensions of Jerusalem. As unrest intensifies across Mandatory Palestine, he finds himself yearning for a future beyond the mounting chaos. Against the backdrop of increasing Jewish immigration to Palestine from Europe and the largest Palestinian uprising against British dominion, the film portrays a rapidly escalating conflict that would go on to shape the fate of the British Empire and the region's future. Palestine 36 features a distinguished ensemble cast that includes Jeremy Irons, Liam Cunningham and Tunisian actor Dhafer L'Abidine. They are joined by celebrated Palestinian actors Hiam Abbass, Yasmine Al-Massri, Kamel El Basha and Saleh Bakri, adding depth and authenticity to the portrayal of the era. Written and directed by Jacir, the film marks her return to narrative cinema following acclaimed works such as Salt of the Sea, When I Saw You, Wajib and episodes of the series Ramy. Developed over several years, including during the pandemic, Palestine 36 is a deeply personal and political exploration of identity, memory and resistance. The film is produced by Ossama Bawardi for Philistine Films, with a strong lineup of international co-producers including Cat Villiers, Hani Farsi, and Nils Åstrand of Corniche Media in the UK, Olivier Barbier for France's MK Productions, Katrin Pors for Denmark's Snowglobe, and producers Azzam Fakhrildin and Hamza Ali. Financing came from a diverse range of supporters, notably including Red Sea Film Fund and Qatar's Katara Studios. Katara Studios played a central role in the project, backing it from development through post-production, and commissioning the film's evocative original score, performed by the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra. With its world premiere at TIFF, Palestine 36 not only signals Jacir's return to the global festival stage but also brings Palestinian narratives to the forefront of international cinema with renewed urgency and resonance.
Khaleej Times
a day ago
- Khaleej Times
Ozzy Osbourne funeral procession: Thousands honour 'Prince of Darkness' in UK hometown
Thousands lined the streets of UK city Birmingham on Wednesday to pay an emotional farewell to hometown hero Ozzy Osbourne as the heavy metal hellraiser was laid to rest. Black Sabbath frontman Osbourne, who earned the nicknamed the "Prince of Darkness" and once bit a bat while on stage, died on July 22 at the age of 76. He had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2019 and died 17 days after playing a final gig to a sold-out crowd in Birmingham. Osbourne's funeral procession set off at around 1200 GMT on a route planned with the rocker's family through the English city. Chants of "Ozzy! Ozzy! Ozzy!" could be heard, with one fan crying out "we love you Ozzy!" as his coffin — sitting in a stately black Jaguar hearse topped with flower arrangements — and other vehicles crawled by. The procession, which earlier passed the star's childhood home in the city's Aston area, was accompanied by a live brass band performance by local musicians from Bostin' Brass. Fan Reece Sargeant came with friends to say goodbye. "I think it was important to come and pay our respects.... Ozzy and Black Sabbath really put Birmingham on the map," he said. The 16-year-old told AFP the band's last concert had been "out of this world". Osbourne famously once said he wanted his funeral to be a celebration of his life and not a "mope-fest". The procession paused at the Black Sabbath bench — an art installation featuring headshots of each member on a bridge also named after the band. Visibly emotional family members including his widow, Sharon Osbourne, laid flowers at the bench and read some of the written tributes that have been left there along with balloons and flowers. Thousands of fans have gathered at the bridge in recent days, mourning the death of the musician who was instrumental in pioneering heavy metal. The cortege, led by police motorbikes, then continued its slow journey towards a private funeral service. 'Tribute' "Ozzy was more than a music legend — he was a son of Birmingham," Zafar Iqbal, the lord mayor of the central English city, said in a statement. "It was important to the city that we support a fitting, dignified tribute ahead of a private family funeral. "We're proud to host it here with his loving family in the place where it all began," Iqbal, who could be seen hugging family members when the procession stopped in central Birmingham, added. Black Sabbath enjoyed huge commercial success in the 1970s and 80s after forming in Birmingham in 1968. Their eponymous 1970 debut album made the UK top 10 and paved the way for a string of hit records, including their most famous song, Paranoid. The group went on to sell more than 75 million albums worldwide and were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2006. Osbourne was added for a second time last year as a solo artist. Osbourne gained notoriety for his outlandish stunts, many fuelled by his legendary indulgence in drugs and alcohol. In 1989, he was arrested for drunkenly trying to strangle his wife, which he once mentioned in a 2007 interview. His live performances at the height of his hedonism have gone down in rock folklore, particularly the 1982 gig in the US city of Des Moines when he bit a bat on stage. Osbourne said he thought a fan had thrown a rubber bat onstage, and it was not until he took a bite that he realised it was real.
The National
a day ago
- The National
Are Britain's clean seas a thing of the past?
A few miles along the coast from Dover's white chalk cliffs the English seaside town of Folkestone is holding an art festival, but with a difference. Every three years the 'Folkestone Triennial' commissions art works in which the town is the 'gallery'. As you walk around you will come across 20 or so artworks of different kinds responding to Folkestone's landscape and history. I've been visiting the "Minister of Sewers'. The Triennial guide says it's 'a creative project by the Turner Prize-nominated artists Cooking Sections' created as 'a platform for the public to voice concerns about coastal water pollution and share their experiences with sewage spills and related issues'. The project, in the harbour's old Customs House, begins with a friendly welcome and a display about water pollution and sewage, but behind it is a serious purpose. Folkestone, like much of the English coast, is delightful to live in and visit, but bathing in the sea is nowadays not always a pleasure. It can be a risk, especially after heavy rain. Too many of the beaches in prime swimming areas of England – including lakes and rivers as well as the sea – have seen bathing water quality dip from 'excellent' to 'good' or worse. Heavy rainfall can lead to overflows in the often antiquated sewage systems. When that happens the water quality drops to 'poor'. There is no official 'Minister of Sewers' in England, but the Folkestone arts project encourages visitors to make an appointment for a chat with one of the volunteers. The 'Minister' dressed in an official-looking 'Minister of Sewers' costume sat with me for a chat. She took notes about my own experiences as a sea swimmer on this lovely coast to gather evidence and create a "Log of Grievances" to support collective action and push for better water quality. Too many of the beaches in prime swimming areas of England – including lakes and rivers as well as the sea – have seen bathing water quality dip from 'excellent' to 'good' or worse Art in Action strikes a chord with the British public because sewage, water quality and the cost of drinking water are big news right now across the UK. We think of ourselves as a wet little island, but we have serious water problems and possible future shortages. We have a growing population in the south east, an area which has much lower annual rainfall than rural areas like the Scottish Highlands, and despite significantly increased demand for water we have failed to build any new major reservoirs since 1992. The Starmer government is promising action. They commissioned a review of the water industry in England and Wales by a respected former civil servant, Sir Jon Cunliffe. It was published last week and calls for once in a generation fundamental reforms to address what is being called Britain's 'Great Stink moment'. The Great Stink is a reference to the shocking state of the River Thames at Westminster in Victorian times. In 1858, the river was so polluted with sewage and the smell so bad that Members of Parliament refused to meet. A massive public works programme followed and a world-leading sewage system for London was built. A similar kind of energy and investment is now being promised although the details are as yet unclear. What is clear is that the privatisation of the water industry in England and Wales by Margaret Thatcher in 1989 has been a profound failure. Privatisation extracted private profits for shareholders and paid huge bonuses to some employees while failing to invest in reservoirs, better sewerage and fixing broken pipes and waste. The 464-page Cunliffe review has provided 88 recommendations for change, but re-nationalisation is not being contemplated largely because it would demand a vast amount of public money, which is not available. The Water Services Regulation Authority, or Ofwat, will be scrapped and what follows is billed as 'the biggest overhaul of water since privatisation'. Well, we shall see. But it's worth pointing out that Britain is not alone in having a water problem. Rising demand, growing populations, changes in our climate, and arguments about water quality are nothing new. The South African city of Cape Town came close to running out of water entirely a few years ago with 'Day Zero' – no tap water – a real possibility. The Afghan capital Kabul right now has severe water shortages. India and Pakistan's recent short-lived conflict over the terrorist attack in Indian-controlled Kashmir led to threats that India would abrogate the Indus Waters treaty that has shared waters between these two nuclear armed powers since 1960. In France, pollution of the River Seine caused the French government considerable embarrassment during the 2024 Olympics. They have cleaned things up since then at great cost. And in the first days of the Trump administration in January this year the new President and California Governor Gavin Newsom argued not just about California wildfires but about lack of water to fight them. It's predicted that the world in the 21st century will see water conflicts even water wars over this most precious resource. We can hope not. As for me, I just want my children and other families to be able to swim in our beautiful clean seas without worrying about the possibility that we really need a Ministry of Sewers.
