Author: Schayan Riaz

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The Christian Tony (Adel Karam) in Ziad Doueiriʹs film "The Insult" (source: Alpenrepublik Filmverleih)

Ziad Doueiriʹs film "The Insult"

A microcosm of Lebanese society

In Ziad Doueiri’s "The Insult", a Lebanese Christian and a Palestinian foreman in Beirut have an argument that lands them in court, and ultimately triggers civil war-like clashes between the two ethnic groups. By Schayan RiazMore

Interview with film director Samuel Maoz: Israeli "Foxtrot" pulls no punchesLebanon: from amnesty to amnesia: Lacking a culture of remembranceBook review ″Beirut Noir″: Chronicling life in the corrupt city
Iranian artist Shirin Neshat (photo: Reuters)

Interview with Iranian artist Shirin Neshat

The many faces of Oum Kulthum

In "Looking for Oum Kulthum", successful Iranian artist Shirin Neshat has created a highly personal work about the Egyptian singer. In conversation with Schayan Riaz, she talks about the political dimension of icons and the patriarchal nature of the film industryMore

Portrait of the Iranian artist Shirin Neshat: Imaginary OrientPhoto essay: "Exiled Iranian artist Shirin Neshat breaks new ground"Umm Kulthum: Homage to Egypt's "Fourth Pyramid"
Yasmine Zohdi, editor with Egyptʹs Mada Masr (source: Twitter)

Interview with Yasmine Zohdi, editor with Egyptʹs Mada Masr

"Censorship is the worst it has ever been"

Yasmine Zohdi is the culture editor for Mada Masr, Egyptʹs leading liberal online newspaper. In interview with Schayan Riaz, she talks about her work reviewing Arab cinema at this year's Berlinale and the increasing censorship felt by creatives and media professionals in EgyptMore

Egyptian video archive 858.ma: Nothing but the truthRepression and legitimation in Egypt: The world as al-Sisi sees itSocietal repression in Egypt: The tentacles of autocracy
Extract from the film "Sheikh Jackson" (source: YouTube)

Film review: ″Sheikh Jackson″

Pop go the faithful

The death of Michael Jackson is the catalyst that leads a young imam in Cairo to question the meaning of his life in the Egyptian film "Sheikh Jackson". Schayan Riaz watched the filmMore

Egyptian film controversy: Shams buys a manQantara dossier: "Arab cinema"″Cinema Clubs″ in Egypt: Rediscovering the silver screen

In brief

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Most Recent Photo Essay

Damascus: everyday life for whom?

With fighting around Damascus having ceased, everyday life is slowly returning to the Syrian capital. While the people there enjoy a touch of normality, life in the immediate surroundings could hardly be more different. By Rahel Klein and Marko Djurica