Culture

‘Jumbo’ Smashes Records: Indonesian Animation Hits Box Office Milestone

This is Beirut 08/05 12:20 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

An Indonesian animated movie is smashing regional box-office records and could be set for wider success as it prepares to open beyond the Southeast Asian archipelago's silver screens. Jumbo - a film based on the adventures of main character Don, a large orphaned Indonesian boy facing bullying at school - last month became the highest-grossing ...

Basel: a City at the Heart of European Culture

This is Beirut 08/05 10:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Banks Europe Eurovision Culture

With a population of 180,000, Switzerland's third-biggest city after Zurich and Geneva straddles the River Rhine and sits right on the northern border with both France and Germany. Basel's location played a major role in its growth and continental importance through the ages. From May 11 to 17, it will be a center-stage in Europe again as it ...

France Defends Cinema Model after Trump Threats

This is Beirut 07/05 21:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

France US Trade Movies Rachida Dati

France's culture minister vowed Wednesday to defend the country's system of promoting domestic film production in the face of threats from US President Donald Trump. France has a complex mix of taxes, quotas and levies on film and TV distributors that helps funnel money into the national film sector, making it Europe's cinema powerhouse. "We ...

Disney to Open First Middle East Theme Park in Abu Dhabi

This is Beirut 07/05 19:40 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

US Disney Abu Dhabi Entertainment Park

The Walt Disney Company announced plans Wednesday for a new theme park in the United Arab Emirates, highlighting the country's growing prominence as a global financial and entertainment hub. The waterfront resort will be located on Abu Dhabi's Yas Island and developed in partnership with local firm Miral. Disney stated that it aims to attract ...

Explainer‘To Exist Is to Be Different:’ The Challenge of Loving Without Losing Oneself

David Sahyoun 07/05 18:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Exist Psychoanalysis Couple Love Difference

When differentiation hasn’t occurred during key developmental stages, it eventually resurfaces as an existential crisis. Whether in adulthood, through burnout, sudden depression or emotional turmoil at a life crossroads, it often reflects a deep need to become something other than what one has turned into. Far from being solely negative, these ...

Dar Sader Honored at the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair 2025

This is Beirut 07/05 15:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Abu Dhabi Book Fair Dar Sader Culture Publishing

In a powerful moment of cultural recognition, Dar Sader, the Arab world’s oldest active publishing house, was honored at the 2025 Abu Dhabi International Book Fair for its enduring contribution to Arabic literature and intellectual heritage, tracing back over 160 years to its founding in Beirut. The tribute, held under the auspices of the Abu ...

Georges Khabbaz Shines in 'Yunan:' A Lebanese Star with Global Reach

Marilyne Jallad 07/05 14:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Georges Khabbaz Award Cinema Yunan

“Once again in Spain, I received the Best Actor award for my role in Yunan, directed by Ameer Fakher Eldin. A big thank you to the Las Palmas Film Festival and the jury for this honor, which means a lot to me,” he wrote on Instagram on Monday. He also extended his congratulations to the director for the film's fifth award. An Intense Role in ...

Rosy Daniel Unveils 'Echoes of Summer' in Solo Exhibition at Rebirth Beirut

This is Beirut 07/05 13:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Exhibition Culture Painting Art Beirut

Lebanese artist Rosy Daniel is set to present a captivating new collection in her solo exhibition Echoes of Summer, a deeply personal and evocative body of work. Opening on May 8, 2025, the exhibition will launch with an evening reception from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM. Hosted at Rebirth Beirut Space, located in the heart of Gemmayze, the show will ...

StoryGoya’s Cursed Pigment: When Art Becomes Poison

Bélinda Ibrahim 06/05 18:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Francisco Goya Poison Pigments Paintings Art

What if Goya’s deafness wasn’t just a twist of fate, but the poisoned result of a deadly pigment he used in his paintings? In 1793, at 47, Francisco de Goya was struck by a mysterious affliction that left him bedridden for months. He emerged weakened, feverish, delirious – and permanently deaf. The impact was profound. Just as he was poised ...

AFP Gaza Photographers Named Pulitzer Finalists for War Coverage

This is Beirut 06/05 17:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Pulitzer AFP Photography Press Culture

Four Palestinian photographers from Agence France-Presse (AFP) were finalists for their Gaza coverage in the "Breaking News Photography" category of the Pulitzer Prize, the most prestigious awards in US journalism. The jury for the award, presented on Monday by Columbia University in New York, praised the "powerful images" from Gaza by Mahmud ...

Cannes 2025: Glamour, Heritage, and Films in Competition

Marie-Christine Tayah 06/05 14:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Cinema Cannes France Festival Cannes Film Festival Culture

There was a time when Cannes carried an air of carefree charm, when passersby froze mid-step at the chance to lock eyes with Sophia Loren or Alain Delon. People exchanged smiles, hellos, and autographs between melting ice creams and cinema tickets, on a sun-drenched—or rain-soaked—Croisette. Today, Cannes retains its legendary glamour, but its ...

Trump's Film Tariff Shocks Hollywood: 'Makes no Sense'

This is Beirut 06/05 13:10 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

US Trump Films Tariff Hollywood

Hollywood reacted with skepticism on Monday to US President Donald Trump's announcement of 100 percent tariffs on foreign films, with movie insiders calling it a policy made up on the fly by a president who fails to understand how the industry works. "It makes no sense," entertainment lawyer Jonathan Handel said of Trump's idea. Handel told AFP ...