This is Beirut - culture

Jane Birkin’s First Hermès Birkin Bag Breaks Auction Record

This is Beirut, 10/07 18:55 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Fashion Hermès Jane Birkin Luxury Heritage Culture

The first-ever Hermès Birkin bag, custom-made for Jane Birkin in 1984, was sold at auction in Paris on Thursday for €8.582 million, including fees, according to Sotheby’s. This oversized black leather tote was the original prototype of what would become one of the most iconic and expensive handbags in the world. Until now, the most ...

Ed Sheeran Swaps Stage for Canvas in Colorful Debut

This is Beirut, 10/07 17:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Culture Art Music Painting Culture Art

British pop star Ed Sheeran has swapped a microphone for paint brushes, with the fruits of his endeavors to go on display later this week, the London gallery exhibiting his works confirmed Wednesday. The abstract pieces — colorful Jackson Pollock-esque paintings and prints — will be available to buy, with part of the proceeds going to the Ed ...

Avignon Honors Imprisoned Algerian Author Boualem Sansal Through Readings

This is Beirut, 10/07 12:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Theater Avignon Boualem Sansal France Algeria Culture

Several cultural figures, including the president of the Avignon Festival, paid tribute on Wednesday to French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal, who was sentenced to five years in prison in Algeria. The tribute took place during an evening of readings from his works, AFP observed. The 80-year-old author has been imprisoned in Algeria for over seven ...

Netflix’s Latest ‘Knives Out’ Film to Open London Film Festival

This is Beirut, 10/07 10:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Movie London Film Festival Netflix Knives Out Britain Culture

Netflix's latest Knives Out movie starring Daniel Craig and a host of other Hollywood talent will launch this year's London Film Festival (LFF), organizers announced Wednesday. The third installment in the streaming giant's whodunnit series, Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, will open the UK capital's 69th annual film and television ...

Demna bows out at Balenciaga with star-studded Paris catwalk show

This is Beirut, 09/07 18:40 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Fashion Week Luxury Paris Celebrity Culture

Maverick Georgian fashion designer Demna bowed out after 10 years at Balenciaga on Wednesday with a star-studded Paris show featuring Kim Kardashian and veteran supermodel Naomi Campbell on the catwalk. The final collection from the 44-year-old - who is switching to fellow Kering-owned brand Gucci - was watched by celebrities from Nicole Kidman ...

Diddy Faces Sentencing After Shocking Split Jury Verdict

This is Beirut, 09/07 14:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Music Justice Culture Art

Sean "Diddy" Combs will be sentenced on October 3 for his conviction on prostitution-related charges, following a split verdict that saw him acquitted for crimes that carried more serious punishment. The music mogul was found not guilty of sweeping racketeering and sex trafficking charges after the marathon trial in which he was accused of ...

Cinema: Superman’s Comeback as a Vulnerable Hero

This is Beirut, 09/07 12:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Superman Cinema Culture Art Film

More than 10 years after his last big-screen appearance, the red-caped superhero returns to theaters this week in a new film simply titled Superman, in which he appears vulnerable in a world where he's no longer universally admired. To take on the role, a low-key actor more used to supporting roles was cast: David Corenswet, 32. He“looks like ...

AI-Generated Rock Band With Over 1 Million Spotify Fans Admits Truth

This is Beirut, 09/07 11:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

AI Music Art Culture Spotify

The Velvet Sundown, a fast-rising rock band that gained over 1.1 million followers on Spotify in just a few weeks, has admitted it was generated using artificial intelligence. The revelation confirms growing suspicions surrounding the band’s meteoric rise and retro aesthetic. In an updated bio on Spotify viewed by AFP, the group confesses to ...

Kechiche Returns: Final ‘Mektoub My Love’ Film Set for Locarno Premiere

This is Beirut, 08/07 16:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Cinema Locarno Festival Abdellatif Kechiche Tunisia France Switzerland Culture

A new film by award-winning but scandal-prone French director Abdellatif Kechiche has been selected by a Swiss film festival, marking a comeback six years after his last widely panned feature, organizers said Tuesday. The third film of his Mektoub My Love trilogy - titled Mektoub My Love: Canto Due - is to show in competition at the Locarno ...

Flute, Art, and Resonance: Antonio Al Mallah Live at Galerie Janine Rubeiz

This is Beirut, 08/07 16:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Galerie Janine Rubeiz Art Culture Musique

In collaboration with Zeina Saleh Kayali, founder and director of the Figures Musicales du Liban collection, Galerie Janine Rubeiz launches a series of flute performances by Antonio Al Mallah on Thursday, July 10, from 3 to 8 PM, at Galerie Janine Rubeiz. The performance is part of Beirut Art Days 2025, organized by L’Agenda Culturel, under the ...

AI Video Surges Ahead, Reshaping Hollywood and Creativity

This is Beirut, 08/07 12:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

AI Video Culture Art

Gone are the days of six-fingered hands or distorted faces — AI-generated video is becoming increasingly convincing, attracting Hollywood, artists, and advertisers, while shaking the foundations of the creative industry. To measure the progress of AI video, you need only look at Will Smith eating spaghetti. Since 2023, this unlikely sequence — ...

Haute Couture kicks off in Paris: Schiaparelli and Iris van Herpen dream of elsewhere

This is Beirut, 08/07 10:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Fashion Paris Haute Couture Schiaparelli Iris van Herpen Culture

From the future to the ocean floor, Schiaparelli and Iris van Herpen opened Paris Haute Couture Week with a longing for the extraordinary—set against a backdrop of ongoing artistic reshuffles in the fashion world. Schiaparelli opened the week on Monday with its Fall-Winter 2025–2026 collection titled Back to the Future, blending futuristic ...

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