‘Barbie’ leads Golden Globe nominations  

'Barbie' director Greta Gerwig. (AFP)
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Updated 12 December 2023
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‘Barbie’ leads Golden Globe nominations  

LOS ANGELES: Greta Gerwig's “Barbie” dominated the Golden Globe Awards nominations with nine nods for the blockbuster film, including best picture musical or comedy as well as acting nominations for Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling and three of its original songs. 

It was closely followed by its release date and meme companion Christopher Nolan's “Oppenheimer,” which scored eight nominations, including best picture drama and for actors Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr. and Emily Blunt. 

The revamped group, now a for-profit endeavor with a larger and more diverse voting body, announced nominations Monday for its January awards show. Cedric the Entertainer and Wilmer Valderrama presided over the announcements from the Beverly Hilton Hotel, where the show will also take place on Jan. 7. 

Films nominated for best motion picture drama included “Oppenheimer,” Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon,” Bradley Cooper’s “Maestro,” Celine Song’s “Past Lives,” Justine Triet’s “Anatomy of a Fall” and Jonathan Glazer’s “The Zone of Interest.” 


Fashion trailblazers honored at Riyadh awards

Updated 15 sec ago
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Fashion trailblazers honored at Riyadh awards

  • Saudi Fashion Awards spotlight innovators and local talent
  • Women’s Wear Daily collaborates to honor Saudi creatives

RIYADH: Women’s Wear Daily, in collaboration with the Saudi Fashion Commission, honored several creatives at an awards ceremony in Riyadh on Thursday.

(AN: Huda Bashatah)

Alessandro Sartori, artistic director of Zegna, was named International Designer of the Year, while Matteo Tamburini, creative director of Tod’s, received the International Brand of the Year award.

Patrick Ta, founder of Patrick Ta Beauty, was named International Beauty Innovator of the Year, and Glow Recipe was awarded International Beauty Brand of the Year.

(AN: Huda Bashatah)

Additional awards presented by the Saudi Fashion Commission celebrated the achievements of several Saudi Arabia brands and individuals.

Rawan Kattoa was named Fashion Stylist of the Year, Rayyan Nawawi received the Fashion Photographer of the Year award, and KML was recognized as Menswear Brand of the Year.

(AN: Huda Bashatah)

In addition, Abadia was named Womenswear Brand of the Year,  Charmaleena as Jewelry Brand of the Year, and the Elite Model Honorary Award for Model of the Year went to Talida Tamer.

The judging panel included industry leaders Law Roach, Amanda Smith, Burak Cakmak, Xavier Romatet, Mohammed Aldabbageh, and Mai Badr.

(AN: Huda Bashatah)

In her acceptance speech, Kattoa said: “This award means so much to me. It represents a journey that started as a freelancer ... I want to thank my husband for his support, my parents for their inspiration, and all the creatives who made this possible.”

Ahmad Hassan, co-founder of KML, said: “This is such an award for the first time ... It means the world to us. Being recognized in our home country makes this achievement even more special.”

(AN: Huda Bashatah)

“We were born and raised here, and to have our work celebrated in Riyadh is a dream come true. This award inspires us to push boundaries and innovate in our designs,” he added.

Reflecting on the evolving fashion scene, Hassan said: “Events like this showcase the incredible talent we have in Saudi Arabia. It encourages us to keep creating and to elevate our craft.”

“We are committed to telling our story through fashion and contributing to this vibrant industry,” he added.


REVIEW: ‘Lilo and Stitch’ returns with heart, hula and a whole lot of charm

Updated 10 min 52 sec ago
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REVIEW: ‘Lilo and Stitch’ returns with heart, hula and a whole lot of charm

  • Homage to 2002 classic while vibrantly fresh
  • Maia Kealoha, 8, playing Lilo steals the show

DUBAI: The new “Lilo & Stitch” reboot honors the 2002 classic while giving it a vibrant look and feel for a new generation.

With stunning animation, amazing casting, and a deep sense of nostalgia, the film strikes an emotional chord from the opening frame.

With the original film being one of the most beloved Disney classics, there was a lot of pressure riding on this remake, especially considering the inconsistency in the latest Disney productions.

Visually, the animation is outstandingly expressive.

The Hawaiian landscapes practically glow and the redesigns of Stitch and his alien companions retain their mischievous charm, even with the updated disguises for Jumba Pleakley.

Although many were not happy with these changes, I personally loved the scene of them learning how to walk as humans.

The emotional core of the film, however, remains unchanged: the powerful bond between sisters Lilo and Nani.

Their dynamic is portrayed with warmth and honesty, balancing cheeky sibling rivalry moments with sincere, tender ones.

The comedic timing is spot-on throughout the movie but is not overdone to the point where it becomes cringey.

Casting is another major win.

The new ensemble delivers energy and heart, with the debuting young actress, Maia Kealoha, 8, playing Lilo stealing the show. She captures Lilo’s quirky spirit, fiery independence and emotional depth perfectly.

While longtime fans may note a few subtle updates to the characters and plot, the film stays true to its core message of family, belonging, and unconditional love.

The film really tugs at the heart strings and may even leave one teary-eyed at some points.

Reintroducing the beloved story to a new generation, “Lilo and Stitch” is a must-watch this summer.


‘An architecture of connection’ — inside the Saudi pavilion at Venice

Updated 21 min 17 sec ago
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‘An architecture of connection’ — inside the Saudi pavilion at Venice

  • Sara Alissa and Nojoud Alsudairi discuss their work for this year’s Venice Architecture Biennale 

VENICE: “The embroidery that you see is what remains of the vernacular fabric in central Riyadh,” says Sara Alissa, one half of Syn Architects, a small, research-focused practice founded by Alissa and Nojoud Alsudairi in 2019. “What’s interesting is, when people enter and they understand what is embroidered, they are either taken aback by how much remains, or how little.” 

Alissa is sitting on a long sculptural table occupying the central axis of the National Pavilion of Saudi Arabia. It’s the second day of previews at the Venice Architecture Biennale, and all eyes are on “The Um Slaim School: An Architecture of Connection.” Running until Nov. 23 and commissioned by the Ministry of Culture’s Architecture and Design Commission, the exhibition is a moment of truth for Alissa and Alsudairi, who have dedicated their careers to ecologically sensitive architectural design. 

Caption

Conceived as a living archive and a hub for communal gathering, the pavilion showcases the work of the Um Slaim Collective — a research, exhibition, and workshop space founded by Syn Architects in 2021. Dedicated to studying the displacement of Najdi architecture in central Riyadh, the collective — or lab — is a physical manifestation of the practice’s research, drawing on local architectural theories, creative practices, and environmental histories to examine the impact of rapid urban expansion on central Riyadh. It is, says Alsudairi, who could not make it to Venice, a grassroots attempt to collect history, data, and research in order to rethink both urban spaces and neighborhood communities.  

In essence, the pavilion is an evolution of the duo’s work and acts as a launchpad for The Um Slaim School — a propositional pedagogical platform that builds on the work of both Syn Architects and the Um Slaim Collective. As such, it is a re-evaluation of the role of architects within a city like Riyadh and introduces a new model for architectural education in Saudi Arabia, one that merges historical insight with contemporary practice to create shared spaces for learning, making, and cultural exchange. 

 The National Pavilion of Saudi Arabia at the Venice Architecture Biennale. (Courtesy of the Architecture and Design Commission)

“It’s a more refined lab than we have in Riyadh,” says Alissa of the pavilion, which has been curated by Beatrice Leanza with assistance from the Saudi interdisciplinary artist and curator Sara Almutlaq. “We don’t know what’s going to happen, but we wanted to put forth something in Venice that we could benefit from after and not something that gets discarded right after the exhibition closes. We also wanted to create an experience and a feeling that people can leave with.”  

Alissa is sitting in a ‘building within a building.’ Located in the Arsenale — one of the biennale’s two main venues — the pavilion’s exhibition features four rows of scaffolding wrapped in layered textiles. These textiles, embroidered with maps featuring the nine districts of central Riyadh and various drawings, are interspersed with film, writing, and photography, all of which explore the stories and relationships woven into the architectural fabric of Riyadh. The exhibition includes an immersive sound installation created by Mohammed Alhamdan, which layers urban recordings of Riyadh, the city’s construction, and traditional builders’ chants.  

Um Slaim Neighborhood, in Riyadh in 2021. (Courtesy Syn Architects)

Alhamdan’s installation is one of three new commissions integrated into the exhibition. Set into one of the scaffolding walls is Saudi artist Maha Malluh’s “Tamwenat Addirah,” which explores the identity of the Um Slaim neighborhood through collected market items. Elsewhere, the photography of Laurian Ghinițoiu documents the ritualized rhythms of daily life. Alongside these, the photography of Mansour Alsofi captures modernist and postmodernist buildings in the city, while historical photographs and archival books chart its urban and architectural development. All of the artists and photographers have previously collaborated with Syn Architects.  

Ephemeral in nature, the space highlights some of the projects and interventions carried out by Syn Architects over the past five years, including the Shamalat Cultural Centre, an old mud building on the edge of Diriyah, which was converted into a cultural hub by Malluh and renovated by the architects in 2022. For their reimagining of the traditional mud house through restoration and addition, Alissa and Alsudairi were recently awarded the Moira Gemmill Prize for Emerging Architecture. 

(Courtesy of the Architecture and Design Commission, the Commissioner for the National Pavilion of Saudi Arabia)

“When Nojoud and I started our practice, we felt a responsibility,” says Alissa. “We’re young Saudi architects working in the city and we wanted to create, or help create, this contemporary architectural language within the country. We felt the need to really explore our historical built fabric, but also the values embedded within it. We are advocating for restoration in a physical sense, but also in an intangible sense, where we restore the successful values associated with Najdi architecture.” 

The duo’s work inhabits the metaphorical space between the building and the scaffold, says Alsudairi, and seeks to challenge both neglect and over-romanticization — reviving vernacular structures not as relics or ruins, but as functional, living elements within the urban fabric. It also examines the ways in which cultural preservation and contemporary design can coexist. In doing so, their goal is to restore knowledge, to preserve, and ultimately to share what they have learned.  

(Courtesy of the Architecture and Design Commission, the Commissioner for the National Pavilion of Saudi Arabia)

“We didn’t want to depart from the core work we’ve been doing with the Um Slaim Collective, so we chose to build on that,” explains Alsudairi. “We saw it as a valuable opportunity to expand the collective’s knowledge-sharing focus and move toward something more permanent. Right now, the school is a propositional project, but imagine the value of creating a school that is truly site-specific, in the sense that it doesn’t import knowledge, but grows from its own context.” 

It has been an overwhelming few months for the young studio, which has been catapulted into the spotlight since the announcement of the Saudi pavilion in early February.   

“Before we came to Venice, I was telling my daughter I’d be away for the biennale,” says Alissa. “She’s seven, she’s aware, and she kind of understands what we’re doing. And she was saying, ‘Oh, I hope you win in Venice.’ I’m like, ‘It’s not about winning.’ And then she sends me a message, saying, ‘I don’t care if you win. I’m just happy that you’re doing what you’re doing.’ It was so sweet.  

(Courtesy of the Architecture and Design Commission, the Commissioner for the National Pavilion of Saudi Arabia)

“Sometimes we feel very overwhelmed and unsure if we even want to continue because of how difficult things are. But then we have these moments — whether from our children, from people around us, or from each other. I think it’s something we rarely say out loud, but having a partner to go through it all with is really key.” 

Running alongside the exhibition is a complementary program of laboratorial and public sessions led by Leanza and supported by the Bahraini architect, researcher, and photographer Maryam AlNoaimi. It includes lectures, workshops, performances, screenings, readings, and walks that seek to foster dialogue on how architecture influences education and community-based practice. 

“I would be lying if I said we have an exact plan of where we’re going, because we didn’t have this in our plan,” says Alissa. “We definitely had an aspiration to do the Biennale, but never for this kind of duration. As long as we keep learning along the way, I think the objective is to plant the seed with this propositional school and see where it takes us.” 


Japan: A bucket-list destination worth the hype 

Updated 59 min 32 sec ago
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Japan: A bucket-list destination worth the hype 

  • Our trip to Tokyo and Kyoto proved family-friendly. We will be back 

DUBAI: A bucket-list destination for many, Japan doesn’t disappoint if you’re looking for that hard-to-find mix of bright lights, big cities, fascinating history and glorious nature. As first-time visitors, we opted for the tourist-heavy double whammy of Tokyo and Kyoto on our recent (last-minute) week-long visit during cherry blossom season.  

A wonderful surprise was just how welcoming Japan is for those travelling with young children. With our three- and four-year-old in tow, we visited sites including the beautiful Meiji Jingu Shrine, the extremely popular Sensoji Temple and the buzzing Shibuya Scramble — the world’s busiest pedestrian crossing.  

(A great hack for your must-do timelapse video at the latter? Visit MAGNET by SHIBUYA109 and head to the Dream Capsule store on the 5th floor for a quiet viewing window, which you can follow with a strangely addictive gacha gaming session, fun for all ages.) 

Tokyo's famed Shibuya Scramble at night. (Getty Images)

While it’s easy enough to list the aforementioned sites in a single sentence, it should be stressed that Tokyo is enormous, so organizing your itinerary according to neighborhoods is advisable. My highlights included shopping at LOFT (multiple locations across the city) for beauty products and adorably quirky homeware, and — of course — the ‘TikTok-famous’ 3D cat at the hectic Shinjuku crossing, solely due to the amazement on my kids’ faces. 

Another top tip for travelling in Japan is to ask about the luggage-delivery service before you head to your next destination, which in our case was Kyoto. Your bags will be waiting for you in your next hotel room within 24 hours of dropping them off at the counter. 

With that sorted, we hopped on the bullet train blissfully unencumbered — well, besides the kids — and sped off to Kyoto, home to 17 UNESCO World Heritage sites. The capital of Japan for more than 1,000 years, the city is an incredible maze of temples, shrines and zen gardens. 

Nuunu Kyoto sells original works by Japanese artists. (Instagram)

Our first stop, though, was rather less storied: The Takashimaya Shopping Center is home to Nuunu Kyoto, an art department store selling original work by Japanese artists. The sketches and posters are laid out in record-store format and you can happily pass hours here picking out the perfect  affordable souvenir. 

When it comes to historical sites, this city is bursting at the seams. The stunning views from Kiyomizu-dera Temple’s cantilevered viewing platform were a personal favorite. Although we chose not to take a guided tour, I will say that a tad more info on Kyoto’s various sites would be welcome in the form of billboards or QR codes. 

The peaceful Kodai-ji Temple boasts a small bamboo forest for those unwilling to brave the crowds at Kyoto’s famous Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, and we wrapped up our afternoon by visiting the Nanzen-ji Temple complex, at the base of the forested Higashiyama mountains. The expansive complex, which dates back to the 13th century, includes Tenjuan sub-temple with its serene gardens, stepping stones and koi pond full of inquisitive fish. 

Although it seems ludicrous to visit Kyoto without exploring the iconic red torii gates of the Fushimi Inari Shrine, braving the uphill slope with two prams was something we couldn’t face — but we will return. That was a familiar phrase while we were in Japan, which goes to show what an enjoyable time we had. 

The only warning I have — for couples traveling with children, at least — is to be mindful that restaurants tend to specialize. While this means most eateries are masters of their chosen fare, it also makes it hard to sample great sushi if your young ones are not of sushi-eating age.  

In our case, this meant our four-year-old developed a worryingly expensive penchant for wagyu steak, while our youngest existed on dry noodles and convenience store snacks (although, I have to say, even high-end restaurants were fantastic with the kids, welcoming them in no matter how late it was). 

Overall, Japan made for an ideal destination for a family vacation. Don’t let those social-media gripes about overcrowding put you off. Even in its busiest cities at one of its busiest times of year, Japan is one of the most welcoming places on Earth. 


FZN and Tresind Studio become first restaurants in Dubai to receive 3 Michelin stars

Updated 22 May 2025
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FZN and Tresind Studio become first restaurants in Dubai to receive 3 Michelin stars

  • They received the coveted classification at the city’s 4th annual Michelin Guide Awards ceremony on Thursday
  • 2 venues achieve their first Michelin star: Thai-inspired Manao and Indian restaurant Jamavar; Dubai-born Abhiraj Khatwani of Manao receives Young Chef Award

DUBAI: In a first for Dubai, the Michelin Guide has awarded its highest rating of three stars to not one but two of the city’s restaurants.

European-inspired FZN by Bjorn Frantzen and Indian-South African venue Tresind Studio received the coveted classification at the fourth annual Michelin Guide Awards ceremony on Thursday at the Address Sky View Hotel.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by FZN Dubai (@restaurantfzn)

Accepting the award, Indian chef Himanshu Saini, who runs Tresind Studio, said: “Thank you everyone. It is a great honor and pleasure. This has been a marathon for many years. Today, I feel honored to be able to receive the distinctive award.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by FZN Dubai (@restaurantfzn)

A representative of FZN said: “Thank you so much … wow. What a moment, what an achievement. I am speechless but, again, we are representing a strong and talented team that relocated here for the purpose of representing FZN in Dubai and going all in.”

Three restaurants retained their two-star status: Il Ristorante — Niko Romito; Row on 45; and Stay by Yannick Alleno.

Two venues received their first Michelin star: the Thai-inspired Manao, which opened only a few months ago, and Indian restaurant Jamavar.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by @manao_dubai

They join 12 other establishments that retained their one-star rating: 11 Woodfire; Al-Muntaha; Avatara; Dinner by Heston Blumenthal; Hakkasan; Hoseki; La Dame de Pic Dubai; Moonrise; Orfali Bros; Ossiano; Smoked Room; and Tasca by Jose Avillez.

Manao’s Mohammed Orfali, who accepted the award alongside his team, said: “It means a lot. We opened five months ago. It is a different age for the food scene in the city. Now, we take on more responsibility.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by @manao_dubai

Michelin also added five new restaurants to its Bib Gourmand list: Duo Gastrobar — Creek Harbour; Harummanis; Hawkerboi; Khadak; and Surfret Maryam. The Bib Gourmand section, introduced by Michelin in 1997, shines the spotlight on restaurants offering authentic and memorable culinary experiences at moderate prices, honoring quality and value.

The five new additions join 17 existing venues on the list: 21 Grams; 3Fils; Aamara; Al-Khayma Heritage Restaurant; Bait Maryam’ Berenjak; Duo Gastrobar — Dubai Hills; Goldfish’ Hoe Lee Kow; Indya by Vineet; Kinoya; Konjiki Hototogisu; Reif Japanese Kushiyaki — Dar Wasl; Reif Japanese Kushiyaki — Dubai Hills; Revelry; Shabestan; and Teible.

Three restaurants — Boca, Lowe and Teible — retained their Michelin Green Star awards, in recognition of their commitment to sustainable practices.

In the special awards categories, chef Sin Keun Choi of Ronin was honored with the Opening of the Year Award; chef Shiv Menon of Boca received the Sommelier Award; and the Service Award went to Mohammed Galal of Al-Khayma Heritage Restaurant.

The Young Chef Award went to 30-year-old, Dubai-born Abhiraj Khatwani of Manao, who said: “It does mean a lot. It is not just me, its (an award for) the whole team. Thank you so much for the recognition. We are just new, so its about retaining and sustaining.”