An Emirati filmmaker is pushing boundaries and bypassing state censors by delicately unraveling a story about a traditional Arab family grappling with issues of homosexual love, gender identity, sectarianism and women’s rights. The movie focuses on a conservative Iraqi family who begin seeing and unearthing one another’s secrets after the family matriarch goes blind and dies.

The Gouna International Film Festival, founded by Egyptian business tycoon Naguib Sawiris, is set to open on 22 September at the popular Red Sea tourist city of El-Gouna. “From the first moment, there was clarity in our vision; we wanted an international festival of high standards that also focuses on regional cinema,” said Gouna Film Festival director Intishal El-Tamimi at a press conference this morning. During the press conference, Sawiris shared some of his thoughts and ambitions behind launching the festival.

His picture is never present on theatre billboards like those of stars, but instead appears i small letters in the corner--yet it is always a sign that the show is worth watching, and certainly benefits from great lighting and decor. The artist in question is stage designer, lighting designer and scenographer Hazem Shebl, who was recently nominated vice-president of the International Organization of Scenographers, Theatre Architects and Technicians (OISTAT).

The Egyptian archaeological mission, operating in the Be’r al-Shaghala area of Dakhla Oasis, discovered five cemeteries dating back to the Roman era, during this years excavation season. The discovered tombs are constructed of mud-brick, Head of the Egyptian Antiquities Sector with the Ministry of Antiquities, Ayman al-Ashmaw, said in a statement on Wednesday.

This year witnesses the participation of 15 different troupes from 14 African, Asian, and Latin American countries, each presenting its folkloric dances and songs Egypt s folklore is full of thrilling, soul-amusing songs, dances, and poetry that never fade or lose their glorious shine. Yet, this inherited type of art seeks to be brought at the surface of the cultural scene every now and then—something Ismailia s International Folklore Festival aims to achieve.

People are deep oceans that are full of hidden stories; sailing these strong waves seeking to bring those stories out is Khaled Khella s biggest passion as a director. Videotaping the suffering stories of random people who belong to middle class and tell the stories captivated behind their calm looks and peaceful appearance was his main goal while directing his last short film “Egyptian Misery”. Egyptian Misery is a five-minute film that portrays Egyptian male sufferings in the community. With 8 different characters, each fight a different battle, these young men present the everyday people, one meets at public transportations or even deals with them on daily basis without noticing their submarine volcanos.

The British Parliament’s Big Ben bell is due to sound the hour for the last time before it is silenced for repair work scheduled to last until 2021. After 12 deep bongs at noon Monday, the bell will begin its longest period of silence since it first sounded in 1859.

Believing that the truth can never be known by reading the stories from one perspective, Egypt sent a mission to collect British documents about the occupying Egypt and the historical era following it. According to a state media portal, the Bibliotheca Alexandria has sent a mission to England with the aim of getting copies of British documents regarding the Egyptian-British political relationship and biographies of politicians who lived throughout the occupation, the 1952 revolutionary movement, which led the British Army to leave the country and the following war of 1956, when Great Britain, France, and Israel waged war on Egypt.

A beautiful four-floor early 20th century apartment building is being knocked down on Fouad Street at the heart of Alexandria, much to the consternation of inhabitants who have lived through what was arguably the city s belle époque. Another apartment building overlooking the corniche of Alexandria, in El-Shatby neighbourhood, has also been evacuated in anticipation of a demolition that architectural heritage preservation activists are campaigning against on social media.

Jerry Lewis, the manic, rubber-faced showman who jumped and hollered to fame in a lucrative partnership with Dean Martin, settled down to become a self-conscious screen auteur and found an even greater following as the tireless, teary host of the annual muscular dystrophy telethons, has died. He was 91. Lewis died Sunday of natural causes in Las Vegas with his family by his side, publicist Candi Cazau said. Tributes from friends, co-stars and disciples poured in immediately. “That fool was no dummy. Jerry Lewis was an undeniable genius an unfathomable blessing, comedy s absolute!” Jim Carrey wrote Sunday on Twitter. “I am because he was!”

While culture might differ from one nation to another, comes music to combine them all with different aspects that reach all people s souls with the same level, and it does not leave them before they are all spiritually bonded with peace. That s why a sitar recital performance was the best way for the Indian Embassy in Egypt to culturally celebrate its 70th independence day. Last week, the Indian Embassy in Cairo, opened its glamorous doors in Zamalek to welcome attendees who came to share the happiness of India s Independence day as well as to the amusement of a witnessing a live sitar recital performance that rarely takes place in Egypt.

Egypt s drama “Ali, Me za, and Ibrahim” (Ali, the Goat, and Ibrahim) takes part at AFAC Film Week in Khartoum alongside Jordanian film “The Curve”. The film week takes place between 17-24 August. Organised by the Sudan Film Factory, AFAC Film Week aims to revive independent filmmaking as well as developing the infrastructure of filmmaking in Sudan. The film was also the only Arabic one to take part at the VOX initiative at last year s round of the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF). This came after its first world premiere was marked at the same festival.

The government aims to inject investments worth EGP 2.5bn for the projects of the Antiquities Sector during the current fiscal year. The plan of sustainable development issued by the Ministry of Planning for the fiscal year of 2017/18 showed that government investments will contribute roughly 14.9% of total investments of EGP 370.6m, while the economic bodies will contribute about 85%, worth EGP 2.1bn.

The Head of the Central Museums’ Stores Authority, Saied Shebal, denied claims, on Tuesday, that his authority had released a statement in which it said 32,000 pieces of antiquities disappeared from 27 museum stores. The statement was issued from the head of the Central Museums’ Stores authority, after numerous local media outlets circulated reports, over the past two days, on the disappearance of the pieces

Three tombs from the Ptolemaic era were unearthed during excavation work in the al-Kamin al-Sahrawi area of Minya governorate, the Ministry of Antiquities said in a statement Tuesday. The discovery was made by an Egyptian archaeological mission from the Ministry of Antiquities working in the south-eastern town, Samalout.

Along with getting good grades and listening to their parents, LeBron James has encouraged kids in his foundation’s educational program to stand up for their beliefs. On Tuesday night, the superstar gave a lesson in how it’s done. Concluding a day of fun and games at an amusement park, James turned serious when speaking about the recent violence and tragedy in Charlottesville. James also took a pointed swipe at President Donald Trump, calling him the “so-called president.”

Minya governorate is preparing to launch a ground breaking ballet show. The Alwanat Arts and Culture Foundation in Minya announced it will hold the first ballet performance, put on by 50 male and female dancers from the first ballet school in Upper Egypt. The director of the show is Mamdouh Hassan, soloist at the Opera House and a professor at the Ballet Institute, said Alwanat founder Marco Adel on Sunday.

Three rock-hewn tombs from the Ptolemaic era have been discovered during excavation work in the El-Kamin El-Sahrawi area of Minya governorate, the Ministry of Antiquities announced on Tuesday. The discovery was made by an Egyptian archaeological mission from the Ministry of Antiquities working in the lesser-known area to the south-east of the town of Samalout.

Aiming to revive the Nubian language and promote its distinguished heritage and culture, Momen Taloush, a software programmer, released the first Nubian application, Nubi, that was downloaded by thousands of mobile users all over Egypt. “The whole thing started when I realized that a big number of Nubian people, especially those who live in Cairo and Alexandria, are not aware of their own culture and cannot speak their mother tongue,” Taloush said.

This year, Forbes Middle East reveals its Top 100 Arab Celebrities for the first time, looking at the popularity and influence of actors, singers and TV personalities from across the region. Judging a celebrity s influence in this digital age naturally involves looking at their personal brands, their notoriety and the scope of their reach on social media. The advent of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube have opened a new world to the entertainment industry—one where celebrities can connect directly with their consumers, and fans can build relationships with their idols that need never switch off. This means people in the public eye can wield greater influence and monetize on their fame more so now than ever before.

Shonda Rhimes, the creator of popular television series such as “Scandal” and “Grey’s Anatomy,” has signed a deal to make new shows for Netflix. The streaming service announced late Sunday that Rhimes’ Shondaland production company is moving to Netflix. Netflix wrote in a news release that Rhimes’ shows “Grey’s Anatomy,” ″Scandal” and “How to Get Away With Murder” would continue to air on ABC.