Author: Schayan Riaz

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Iranian director Schokofeh Kamiz (photo: private)

Interview with film director Schokofeh Kamiz

"I was surprised she wasn't a bigger sensation"

In early 2015, Pakistani activist Sabeen Mahmud organised an event on missing Balochi activists in her cafe. Later that day, she was killed by two men on the streets of Karachi. The documentary film "After Sabeen" is a very personal portrait of the woman. Interview by Schayan RiazMore

Pakistani film ″Dukhtar″: Arthouse with a conscienceInterview with Pakistani human rights activist Jalila Haider: "Women need to fight with all their might"Re-inventing the Taliban: "Don't you believe in Sharia?"
Franco-Moroccan author Leila Slimani (photo: Catherine Helie/Editions Gallimard)

Interview with Franco-Moroccan author Leila Slimani

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"Treat right-wing extremists like children"

This year has seen the publication of both Leila Slimani’s debut novel "Adele" and her essay collection "Warum so viel Hass?" in German. The Franco-Moroccan author‘s work addresses big issues such as upbringing, class and race. In conversation with Schayan Riaz, she talks about her reception in different countries, never censoring herself, and the readers’ right to interpretationMore

Book review: Saphia Azzeddineʹs "Bilqiss": "Just being born a woman is a provocation"Interview with the Moroccan writer Mahi Binebine: Forging a futureTahar Ben Jelloun: Bridging the gap
Fatima Farheen Mirza, Indian-American author of "A Place for Us" (photo: Juergen Frank)

Interview with Indian-American author Fatima Farheen Mirza

"What kind of system are we trying to pass on?"

In her debut novel "A Place for Us" about an Indian-American Muslim family, Fatima Farheen Mirza conveys a universal and unique story, revealing the generation gap between the parents and their three children. In conversation with Schayan Riaz, the author talks about the lack of Muslim characters in fiction and moving out to become a writerMore

Muslim youth in America: The "mipster" phenomenonInterview with French-Indian author Shumona Sinha: ″Looking for the truth″"The Ministry of Utmost Happiness": Novelist Arundhati Roy: "India is colonising itself"
French-Moroccan film director Nabil Ayouch (photo: picture-alliance/dpa)

Nabil Ayouchʹs "Razzia"

Soaked in sorrow

With his new film "Razzia", the French-Moroccan filmmaker Nabil Ayouch has once again turned to social criticism. Yet, his multi-perspective narrative about five misfortunate Moroccans never really takes off. By Schayan RiazMore

Nabil Ayouch's film "Much Loved": Sinner or saint?Nabil Ayouch's film ''God's Horses'': Ostracised and forgottenArab auteur film art: An authentic image of the Arab youth
Still taken from Mohammed Ben Atiaʹs "Dear Son" (distributed by BAC Films)

Mohamed Ben Attiaʹs "Dear Son"

O Sami, my son, my son

Of the many books, plays and films inspired by the story of the Islamic State movement, "Dear Son" by Tunisian director Mohamed Ben Attia offers something different. Far from the drama of the battlefield, he focuses on the anguish of the family that the fighter leaves behind. By Schayan RiazMore

A new age dawns for Tunisian cinema: Press reboot!Raed Andoni's "Ghost Hunting" at the Berlinale: The ghosts that lurkInterview with director Tamer El Said: "In the Last Days of the City": Between light and dark
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

Attacks on synagogues in Germany

The attempted attack on a synagogue in Halle is not the first in recent years. Even after the horrors of the Nazi era, anti-Semitic incidents occur in Germany — on individuals, memorials and Jewish places of worship. By Bettina Baumann