Latest news with #Sal
The Age
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Age
I didn't set out to make a ‘diverse' film. I wanted to create a hero
There's a particular kind of magic that happens when you see yourself on screen. Not just someone who looks like you, but someone who feels like you. Someone whose story rings familiar – not because it's perfect, but because it's true. That magic is still far too rare. For decades, the stories we've consumed on screen have followed a narrow path: familiar faces, familiar arcs, familiar settings. We were taught to believe that these stories were universal. That if they resonated with the mainstream, they must be enough. But enough for whom? As a filmmaker, I've seen firsthand how the industry is slowly, sometimes painfully, waking up to the power of diversity – not just as a checkbox, not just as a quota, but as the lifeblood of meaningful storytelling. When I made What About Sal, I didn't set out to make a 'diverse' film. I set out to tell the story of one man – Sal, a young adult with Down syndrome on a mission to find the father he's never known. But in doing so, I quickly realised just how few films had ever placed someone like Sal at the centre. Not as comic relief. Not as a side character. As the hero. That shouldn't be rare. But it is. And that's why it matters. Diversity in film isn't about ticking representation boxes. It's about widening the lens – both literally and metaphorically – so that the world we see on screen starts to look a little more like the world we actually live in. It's about nuance, depth, and honesty. It's about telling the stories that have been sitting quietly on the sidelines, waiting to be heard. I'm often asked why diversity feels so urgent right now. Why the push? Why the focus? The answer is simple: because storytelling shapes perception. Film teaches us how to see one another. It teaches us who gets to be the hero, who gets to be complex, who gets to be loved, forgiven, redeemed. When we limit the stories, we limit the humanity.
Sydney Morning Herald
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
I didn't set out to make a ‘diverse' film. I wanted to create a hero
There's a particular kind of magic that happens when you see yourself on screen. Not just someone who looks like you, but someone who feels like you. Someone whose story rings familiar – not because it's perfect, but because it's true. That magic is still far too rare. For decades, the stories we've consumed on screen have followed a narrow path: familiar faces, familiar arcs, familiar settings. We were taught to believe that these stories were universal. That if they resonated with the mainstream, they must be enough. But enough for whom? As a filmmaker, I've seen firsthand how the industry is slowly, sometimes painfully, waking up to the power of diversity – not just as a checkbox, not just as a quota, but as the lifeblood of meaningful storytelling. When I made What About Sal, I didn't set out to make a 'diverse' film. I set out to tell the story of one man – Sal, a young adult with Down syndrome on a mission to find the father he's never known. But in doing so, I quickly realised just how few films had ever placed someone like Sal at the centre. Not as comic relief. Not as a side character. As the hero. That shouldn't be rare. But it is. And that's why it matters. Diversity in film isn't about ticking representation boxes. It's about widening the lens – both literally and metaphorically – so that the world we see on screen starts to look a little more like the world we actually live in. It's about nuance, depth, and honesty. It's about telling the stories that have been sitting quietly on the sidelines, waiting to be heard. I'm often asked why diversity feels so urgent right now. Why the push? Why the focus? The answer is simple: because storytelling shapes perception. Film teaches us how to see one another. It teaches us who gets to be the hero, who gets to be complex, who gets to be loved, forgiven, redeemed. When we limit the stories, we limit the humanity.
BBC News
13-07-2025
- BBC News
Cockermouth holidaymaker suing TUI over quad bike crash
A father-of-three is suing holiday provider TUI at the High Court after he claims a quad bike crash left him feeling as though he was "not the same person".Tony Holliday, 57, who lives near Cockermouth in Cumbria, needed operations after the bike crashed into rocks while on holiday in Cape Verde in is seeking £500,000 in damages claiming the excursion, which was provided as compensation for lost luggage, was misrepresented as suitable for beginners and did not have adequate safety is understood to be opposing the claim and is due to file its defence later this year. Mr Holliday said he needed two operations on his fractured right leg and also suffered head, shoulder and hand injuries, after he was thrown from the vehicle."I'm not the same person I was. I have anxiety, I struggle sleeping at night, going over the same accident, or similar events like that," he told the PA news agency. 'Inadequate instruction' The family flew to Sal, Cape Verde, on 1 March 2023 for a week-long holiday costing £4, court documents filed by law firm Stewarts, which is representing Mr Holliday, Sarah Prager KC said that on arrival, the family found their luggage had been lost, although it was later then found their rooms "smelled very strongly of sewage", and replacement rooms were Prager said TUI representatives offered a free excursion to compensate and recommended quad biking, claiming this was "suitable for total beginners".She said the accident was caused by the route being "unsuitable for beginners", Mr Holliday and his family being given "wholly inadequate instructions", and the quad bike being "defective". A spokesperson for TUI said: "We are sorry that Mr Holliday was injured during his holiday to Cape Verde."As this is now a legal matter, we are unable to comment any further at this time." Additional reporting by PA Media. Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
Otago Daily Times
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Otago Daily Times
A week of golden dreams, broken nights
Ali Mostolizadeh offers a personal reflection on the Israel–Iran war. A few nights ago, after 12 days of open war between Israel and Iran, I finally heard back from my sister in Iran. Though I had been in touch with my family in Isfahan during the early days, I hadn't been able to speak with them at all in the last three or four days due to internet blackouts. When her message came through, she had attached a short video of her 13-year-old son, Mohammad Hossein, playing Golden Dreams , a bittersweet and quietly powerful piece by the late Iranian composer Javad Maroufi. "We are OK," she wrote. That night, Mohammad Hossein, visibly shaken, kept biting his nails and told my sister he didn't want to die. He didn't cry. He just sat there, tense and silent. Since then, he hasn't been sleeping well. The piano has become his sanctuary — a place of calm between the daytime echoes of drone and anti-aircraft fire and the nightmare-soaked nights. Like millions of children across the Middle East — in Palestine, Yemen, Lebanon, Syria — he now knows the sound of war not from a history book, but from the vibration of windows and the scream of missiles overhead. I watched all of this unfold from Dunedin, where I live now, feeling both disconnected and consumed. Like many in the Iranian diaspora, I spent those days endlessly refreshing news sites, switching between different applications to contact relatives, and wondering whether to let my 6-year-old son see my fear. Even my Iranian-Kiwi friend Sal, who had travelled to Iran for a short family visit, became stranded when international flights were suspended. Ironically, I was able to stay in touch with him more easily than with my own family. It reflected the Iranian government's chronic use of internet blackouts to control the flow of information during crises. Sal kept insisting things were calm, but even over the phone, I could hear the unmistakable sound of anti-aircraft fire in the background. The ceasefire was announced on June 23 — brokered by Qatar and, ironically, proposed by Donald Trump, the same man who had helped escalate the war by authorising strikes on Iran just days before. It was quickly framed as a victory by all sides. Netanyahu called it a "historic win" for Israel. Trump claimed it as a diplomatic success for "everyone involved." Even Iran's vice-president declared it proof that Iran had "broken the West's dominance". But what does victory look like when 49 women, including two pregnant women, and 13 children — one only 2 months old — lie among the dead? When more than 4000 people are injured, hospitals are overwhelmed, and the only certainty left for many is fear? In Israel, 28 people were killed by retaliatory strikes from Iran, including a 7-year-old child. Yet political rhetoric quickly drowned out these losses. As always, it is civilians who pay the price, not the men who give the orders. What makes this moment even more painful is the timing. Before the war, the Iranian people had been reclaiming a sense of collective voice through the Woman, Life, Freedom movement — a powerful push for justice sparked by the killing of Mahsa (Jina) Amini in 2022. The movement had cracked open decades of silence and fear. It brought together young people across ethnic and class lines. But war is the enemy of movements. Iran began cracking down on dissent during the war — jailing activists, executing protesters and silencing critics under the banner of "defending the homeland." Now, several days into the ceasefire, repression continues with renewed force. The voices that had begun to demand change — women, students, ethnic minorities — are being pushed further into the shadows. Meanwhile, some in the Iranian diaspora welcomed the war. Tired of 47 years of dictatorship, they viewed the Israeli and American strikes as a potential opportunity to topple the regime. Among them were monarchists and supporters of exiled figures like Reza Pahlavi, who called on Iranians to rise up and "finish the job". Some waved Israeli and American flags at rallies abroad, framing the conflict not as a national tragedy but as a necessary step towards regime change. I understand the anger. I understand the longing for justice. But I don't believe liberation comes on the wings of foreign missiles. As a sociologist and someone deeply engaged in the Woman, Life, Freedom movement, I believe meaningful change must come from the people — not be imposed from the skies. Iran has lived this before. In 1953, the US and UK orchestrated a coup that removed Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh and shifted the country's political trajectory for decades. That moment, and what followed, played a role in shaping the upheaval of the 1979 revolution — a legacy that still echoes through Iran's political consciousness today. Any change not rooted in the people's will is doomed to repeat the cycle of violence, repression and betrayal. That's why I return to Mohammad Hossein. His music, played in fear and defiance, is not just a melody. It is a reminder of what we must protect: the right of a child to sleep, to dream, to play music — without fearing that tomorrow will bring another missile, another lie, another "victory." • Ali Mostolizadeh is a Dunedin-based sociologist and former researcher at the University of Otago.
STV News
03-07-2025
- Sport
- STV News
Russell Martin adds to Rangers backroom staff with two new coaches
Russell Martin has added to his Rangers backroom staff ahead of the new season kicking off. The new Ibrox coach will be joined by former Carlisle United head coach Mike Williamson and ex-Arsenal goalkeeping coach Sal Bibbo. Williamson played for the likes of Newcastle, Wolves and Wycombe Wanderers, and has managed MK Dons and Gateshead. He becomes the new first-team coach. Meanwhile, Bibbo arrives from Sheffield Wednesday, but was previously working under Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta and has become goalkeeping coach. Martin said: 'I am delighted to have Mike and Sal join my team ahead of the new season. 'I played with Mike at Wycombe Wanderers so we go back a long way, and I know the qualities he can bring to this group. 'As a player, he played at the very top level and is an experienced coach having been a manager himself. 'I am also really happy to bring Sal into the team, he has a lot of experience and a strong track record of developing goalkeepers. After speaking to him it was clear that his knowledge and character will be a real asset to the players and the staff, and I am looking forward to working with them both.' It comes after Rangers coach Issame Charai left the club last month after just six months in Glasgow. He was assistant under Philippe Clement and remained on the coaching staff throughout Barry Ferguson's interim spell. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
