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UAE rulers receive Eid Al Adha well-wishers
UAE rulers receive Eid Al Adha well-wishers (Wam) / 17 October 2013 Their Highnesses Supreme Council Members and Rulers of the Emirates exchanged best wishes on Eid with the well-wishers, crowds of citizens and expatriate residents. SHARJAH, RAS AL KHAIMAH, FUJAIRAH, UMM AL QUWAIN — Their Highnesses Supreme Council Members and Rulers of the Emirates Dr Shaikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi of Sharjah, Shaikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi of Ras Al Khaimah, Shaikh Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi of Fujairah and Shaikh Saud bin Rashid Al Mu’alla of Umm Al Quwain received crowds of well-wishers in their palaces on Wednesday on the occasion of Eid Al Adha. They exchanged best wishes on Eid with the well-wishers, who included Shaikhs, senior officials, dignitaries, Arab, Islamic and foreign Consuls-General accredited to the UAE, CEOs, Arab and GCC officials and crowds of citizens and expatriate residents. Also among the high-profile well-wishers were Mohammed Ahmed Al Murr, Speaker of the Federal National Council (FNC); Juma Al Majid, Chairman of the Dubai Economic Council; Shaikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, President of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC); Abdullah Mohammed Al Othman, Qatari Ambassador to the UAE; and Shaikh Nasser Al Mohammed Al Ahmed Al Sabah, Minister of the Kuwaiti Ruler’s Court. Shaikh Ammar bin Humaid Al Nuaimi, Crown Prince of Ajman, received Shaikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, President of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), on Wednesday at Al Zaher Palace. Shaikh Al Khalifa called on him to offer best wishes on the advent of Eid Al Adha. Shaikh Salman is in the UAE to attend the FIFA U-17 World Cup UAE 2013, which will kick off at the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium today. The Ajman Crown Prince also accepted Eid greetings from a number of other well-wishers including Shaikhs, ministers, senior officials, diplomats and dignitaries. Continue reading
Visitors express amazement at ‘Dubai 24 Hours’
Visitors express amazement at ‘Dubai 24 Hours’ Staff Reporter / 17 October 2013 Eid visitors indulge in 24-hour shopping, although spending isn’t as high as expected Spend, shop, then drop Families and visitors have expressed their amazement at ‘Dubai 24 Hours’, the non-stop shopping initiative that is operational at eight leading malls in the emirate as part of the ‘Eid in Dubai — Eid Al Adha’ celebrations. However, although footfalls in shopping malls are on the higher side during ‘Dubai 24 Hours’ people are not buying as much as retailers expected. ‘Dubai 24 Hours’ started at 10am on the first day of Eid Al Adha on October 15 and ends at 10am on the third day of Eid on October 17. The initiative provides shoppers 48 hours of non-stop shopping. Participating malls are — The Dubai Mall, Mall of the Emirates, Deira City Centre, Mirdif City Centre, Dubai Festival City Mall, Oasis Centre, Arabian Centre and Lamcy Plaza. “Yes it is very crowded. People are walking in and out of malls, but are they aren’t buying as much as we expected,” Fatima N, a sales clerk in The Dubai Mall told Khaleej Times. “I am doing longer shifts and it will only be worth it if there are enough customers. As of yesterday and the day before, the sales were just as usual,” she added. A few other retailers in some of these malls expressed similar views. “I think it depends on the sales at the stores. Some stores look more crowded than the others and I think the hardest brunt is on us storekeepers,” added Jerome Abuago, an employee of a store at Deira City Centre. The eight participating malls are offering extended shopping hours during the other days of the Eid in Dubai celebrations from 10am to 2am, and dining hours are running till 3am. The initiative is organised by the Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), an agency of the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), from October 10 to October 19. Several other malls including Mercato, Ibn Battuta Mall, BurJuman, Dubai Outlet Mall, Al Ghurair Centre, Wafi and Times Square Centre are offering extended shopping hours during the ‘Eid in Dubai — Eid Al Adha’ celebrations from 10am till midnight with some of them staying opening into the wee hours of the morning. Official sources have stated that shoppers were unanimous in lauding the non-stop shopping initiative. Some of the shoppers that Khaleej Times spoke to said the night is a good reason and excuse for younger generations to stay out. Fouad Al Arbash from Kuwait is visiting Dubai with his family to celebrate Eid Al Adha. Fouad’s family of five daughters, a wife and grandchildren, visit Dubai frequently. “We were here last Eid and we loved it. The ‘Dubai 24 Hours’ shopping experience is a brilliant idea. It’s great to have enough time to shop, and we wouldn’t mind shopping till the morning. However, we have children so we need to get some rest as tomorrow is yet another busy day for us. We plan to shop till 3am.” “The younger generations are the happiest. Look at them, out till 3am and parents are calm because mall environments are obviously safe. For adults its one in the same, but yes, for shopping we do go to stores that have the best sales,” said Keshav Manichandani, an Indian national and resident of Dubai. Fahad Al Baraz, with his wife and daughter, have also come from Kuwait after hearing the ‘Dubai 24 Hours’ shopping experience is back. “My wife loves to shop and my daughter loves to play. Despite the crowds we do enjoy our time during the ‘Eid in Dubai — Eid Al Adha’ celebrations and all that it offers”. Driving to Dubai from Riyadh, Ibrahim Mohammed Nasser and his family were here from day one of the celebrations, which commenced on October 10. “We always come to Dubai, but it’s the first time we visited the city during Eid Al Adha. The ‘Dubai 24 Hours’ shopping experience is really a great initiative. We come here mainly to shop and dine. Yet, my five children come first, so they get priority in terms of locations. Most of the malls have wonderful places of entertainment, and my children just love it. They know where they want to go, and the longer time they spend the better they feel about their holiday. I love to see them enjoying their time off from school while my wife is busy shopping endlessly”. From Jeddah, Um Nujjoud came to Dubai with her three children and her sister and nephews. “The last time we visited Dubai was eight years ago. When we heard about ‘Eid in Dubai — Eid Al Adha’ celebrations we decided to live the experience. As you can see I am thoroughly enjoying my shopping. I just love the mix of brands at the malls.” Ludmiala Gurbativuk and her daughter Kate were on a shopping spree at the Mall of the Emirates. “We are so tired but we need to shop till we drop because we’re only staying for a week. We love to shop here and we will probably keep on shopping till dawn. This is a great idea and tourists like us need it”. Sayed Nasser, who lives in Dubai with his wife and three boys, said: “It’s an awesome experience, and foremost going out to malls unites us as a family, and the longer the better as we get to spend more time with our boys. Although one tends to spend a lot of money, the shopping experience is worthwhile”. Sharjah-based resident Anith, who was visiting Dubai with and his family, said: “My brother came over from Doha to stay with us. We wanted him to go through the experience of non-stop shopping. We are here to shop and entertain”. news@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
Movies a passion for Emirati filmmaker Majid Abdulrazak
Movies a passion for Emirati filmmaker Majid Abdulrazak Dhanusha Gokulan / 17 October 2013 Majid Abdulrazak has written, directed, acted in and produced three movies since his first film, Eqaab Bitten by the movie bug For Emirati filmmaker Majid Abdulrazak, the turning point in his life was when he read The Count of Monte Cristo, the 1844 novel by French novelist Alexandre Dumas. “Everyone has a turning point in their life, mine was when I finished The Count of Monte Cristo. I read the comic version for the first time when I was 13 and since then, I have always kept a copy of it near me. Even now I have about 15 copies at home,” said Majid. Another turning point in Majid’s life was when he met British author Wilfred Thesiger, popularly known as Mubarak bin London among bedouins. Majid’s wife brought Thesiger to their house when he was visiting the country. “It was in the 80s. I was sleeping at home and he walked into our house. I felt I was dreaming and it took me a while to understand that he was really there. Back then, I did not even dream that I would be making a movie based on his travels,” said Majid. He got candid with Khaleej Times about his passion for cinema, his early inspirations, his chance meeting with Thesiger, the challenges he has had to face as a filmmaker, and his latest movie Bani Adam. He is the first Emirati to have made two full-length feature films, spending millions of dirhams on his movies. “I used to run a successful business making furniture in the 80s. But I was not happy doing that. I understood that my true calling was being a filmmaker,” said Majid. A self-professed loner and traveller, Majid takes time off and travels for over a month while conceptualising a movie. “Pre-production and post-production can be done at leisure, but shooting is when your time is most precious,” he said. The Emirati filmmaker has written, directed, acted in and produced three movies since his first film Eqaab, based on The Count of Monte Cristo, which released in 2006. The bug for a career in the film industry bit him at a very young age. However he forayed into the industry only recently. “Cinema is still young here. I come from a very orthodox family and I still face severe criticism from my family for being a filmmaker. In their eyes, being in this industry equals being an entertainer. My family does watch my movies, but they do not discuss or talk about it, and it is considered a taboo subject,” said Majid. However, he continued to pursue his dreams and went on to fulfill his biggest dream of being a moviemaker. A love triangle Bani Adam will be released in cinemas in the GCC on November 7. The film depicts the realities of life in the Gulf and portrays a dramatic love triangle. Sultan, a rich man, suffers from childhood guilt; Salem is from a low-income family; and Khalil, Sultan’s treasurer, ishes for his daughter Maitha to marry Sultan, who’s in love with Maha. To further complicate matters, Maha and Maitha are both in love with Salem. An interesting plot, Bani Adam promises to be a good watch, according to Majid. “The film has commercial elements and is also an intelligent movie. My only request to local people is that they take time and watch the movie. Only if there is support from the local public will movie makers like me be able to make more movies,” said Majid. Since Eqaab, he has made two other movies — The Arabian Sands, based on Thesiger’s travels across the Empty Quarter; and Bani Adams, which is a tragic love story. Eqaab, according to the director, was an ambitious project. Shot simultaneously in three different languages, it was to have been released in Urdu, Arabic, and Persian. “Finally we released the movie in Arabic and Urdu. I think it was due to lack of good publicity, that the movie did not do well,” he said. Majid believes that there is no dearth of talent in the country; however, there is a shortage of interest amongst local people. “People here still prefer watching Hollywood or Bollywood movies,” he said. “Bollywood movies today are not like how they used to be. I happened to see the new Hindi release Besharam, and I walked out of the theatre after 10 minutes. I grew up watching Hindi movies made in the 40s and 50s. I am still a very big fan of veteran actor Dilip Kumar. At that time, those were the only movies we had access to.” The uniqueness in Majid’s approach to filmmaking is that he understands the artistic value and hard work behind making good cinema. However, he said that pleasing the local audiences remains the biggest challenge for filmmakers because people prefer commercial cinema from Bollywood and Hollywood to cinema by local filmmakers. — dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
