Author: Schayan Riaz

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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

A woman stands in Sheikh Lotfallah mosque in Isfahan, Iran. This mosque is a true masterpiece of architecture and refinement. It was built between 1602 and 1619 during the Safavid Empire. The decorative detail is breathtaking

Around the world of Islam

For more than 10 years, Pascal Mannaerts has been travelling the globe as a freelance photographer. Seeking to do justice to the beauty, elegance and grace of Islamic monuments, he has compiled a selection of his favourite shots taken in Asia, India, Africa and the Middle East.