This is Beirut - culture

Scandal-Plagued Director Kechiche Returns with Festival Premiere

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

Film Cinema Culture Art Abdellatif Kechiche

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 ...

Darth Vader’s Star Wars Lightsaber Goes to Auction

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

Movies Star Wars Auction Britain United States Culture

Darth Vader's lightsaber, used to chop off Luke Skywalker's hand in Star Wars classic The Empire Strikes Back, went on display in London on Wednesday, ahead of its US sale next month. The prop has been described as the "Holy Grail" for Star Wars fans, with millions prepared to end up like Skywalker and give their right arm to own the iconic ...

Farewell to a Giant: Latin Music Legend Eddie Palmieri Dies at 88

This is Beirut, 07/08 11:45 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Obituary Eddie Palmieri Music Legend United States Culture

Eddie Palmieri, who revolutionized Latin music and played a major role in the salsa explosion in New York City, passed away Wednesday at the age of 88, according to the artist's official social media account. The "legendary pianist, composer, bandleader, and one of the most influential figures in Latin music history, passed away in his New Jersey ...

Luc Besson’s Dracula: A Timeless Tale of Love

Marie-Christine Tayah, 07/08 10:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Dracula Movie Cinema Art Culture Luc Besson

Luc Besson’s latest film, Dracula, is generating buzz among audiences and critics alike. Inspired by Bram Stoker’s classic novel, the French director elevates the literary and historical roots of the story into a sweeping, gothic cinematic ode to love. With Caleb Landry Jones, Christoph Waltz, and Zoë Bleu in the leading roles, this ...

Disney Lifts Forecast as It Readies ESPN Streaming Launch

This is Beirut, 06/08 21:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Disney Earning United States Streaming Culture

Disney on Wednesday lifted its full-year earnings forecast after reporting higher quarterly profits, as the company readies the launch of a new ESPN sports service. Profits for Disney's fiscal third quarter were $5.3 billion, about double the year-ago level as the entertainment giant added 1.8 million subscribers to its Disney+ streaming ...

Egypt to Open Grand Museum Near Pyramids of Giza on November 1

This is Beirut, 06/08 19:10 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Museum Opening Heritage Egypt Culture

Egypt said on Wednesday that its much-anticipated new $1-billion archaeological museum near the Pyramids of Giza will officially open on November 1 after several delays. Authorities hope that the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), which boasts the treasures of Tutankhamun among its collection of more than 100,000 ancient Egyptian artifacts, will ...

Forgotten First Edition of ‘The Hobbit’ Sparks Bidding Frenzy

This is Beirut, 06/08 14:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

The Hobbit Movie Book Trilogy Culture Art

A rare first edition of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit was expected to sell for thousands of pounds on Wednesday after it was found during a house clearance in southwest England. The book is one of 1,500 original copies of the British author's seminal fantasy novel that were published in 1937. Of those, only "a few hundred are believed to still ...

Gabon Forest Cave Unlocks Secrets of Human Origins

This is Beirut, 06/08 14:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Heritage Archeology Culture Gabon Africa

In Gabon's sprawling forest, archaeologists dig for ancient clues that could unlock the secrets of how prehistoric humans lived and interacted within the changing landscape of Central Africa. Two billion years ago, the eastern Gabonese region of Lastourville was covered by a vast ocean. But that has long given way to dense forest and dolomite ...

Gen Z and Inflation Shake Up the Uk’s Once-Thriving Club Scene

This is Beirut, 06/08 10:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Music Entertainment Gen Z Night-Clubs Britain Culture

Is the party over? UK nightclubs are famed around the world, but Covid and inflation have hit the sector hard, forcing businesses to reinvent themselves to attract new generations to the dance floor. Pryzm Kingston is a well-known club in southwest London popular with students, where artists like Billie Eilish, Rod Stewart, and Stormzy ...

Chopin’s Spirit Fills Polish Mountain Town at Festival

This is Beirut, 05/08 12:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Chopin Festival Music Art Piano Culture

A few hundred people gather in front of a large white tent in the peaceful spa town of Duszniki-Zdroj, nestled on the Polish-Czech border. Inside, the Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra is preparing to open the 80th edition of the International Chopin Piano Festival. "I've loved Chopin for so many years!" said Erin Gao, a 33-year-old from ...

Rodin’s "Thinker" Submerged in Plastic as UN Talks on Pollution Open

This is Beirut, 05/08 10:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Arts Environment Plastic UN Switzerland Culture

A replica of Auguste Rodin's famous sculpture The Thinker outside the United Nations headquarters was slowly submerged in plastic rubbish Monday as countries gathered in a bid to finalize a global treaty on plastic pollution. The sculpture will slowly disappear under layer upon layer of bottles, toys, fishing nets and other garbage during the 10 ...

From Beirut’s August 4 Tragedy to 'Blooming Joy' by Rana Hatem Slim

Marie-Christine Tayah, 04/08 19:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Painting August 4 Beirut Culture Art Beirut

Gemspace Art Gallery, tucked in the heart of Beirut, is hosting the solo exhibition of artist Rana Hatem Slim. Titled Blooming Joy, the collection invites visitors into a luminous, sensory world where color and emotion intertwine to celebrate joy in all its forms. Rana Hatem Slim spoke to This is Beirut about her work. In the gentle chaos of ...

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