You are here

  • Home
  • Saudi stars shine at Ivana Chubbuck’s Riyadh workshop

Saudi stars shine at Ivana Chubbuck’s Riyadh workshop

Saudi stars shine at Ivana Chubbuck’s Riyadh workshop
Sumaya Rida is known for her known for her roles in 'Another Planet' and 'Boxing Girls' and also has several films under her belt. (Instagram)
Short Url

https://arab.news/vujgy

Updated 13 sec ago
Arab News
Follow

Saudi stars shine at Ivana Chubbuck’s Riyadh workshop

Saudi stars shine at Ivana Chubbuck’s Riyadh workshop
Updated 13 sec ago
Arab News
Follow

DUBAI: Saudi actresses Sumaya Rida, Adwa Bader and Mila Al-Zahrani participated in a workshop hosted by the California-based drama school Ivana Chubbuck Studio in Riyadh. 

The workshop is part of the Ministry of Culture and the Film Commission’s Filmmakers Program, which runs until the end of January.

Rida, known for her breakout television roles in “Another Planet” and “Boxing Girls” as well as her big-screen appearances in “Junoon” and “Roll’em” — among the first films to premiere in the Kingdom after cinemas reopened — took to Instagram to share behind-the-scenes moments from the workshop with her colleagues.




Sumaya Rida (right) took to Instagram to share behind-the-scenes moments from the workshop with Mila Al-Zahrani (left) and Adwa Bader (center). Instagram 

She also shared a clip of herself with Zahrani and later posted an Instagram Story featuring both of them, captioning it, “My scene partner.”

Ivana Chubbuck, founder and director of the studio, is a US acting coach and creator of the widely adopted Chubbuck Technique, known for its role in Oscar-winning and nominated performances. 

She heads the drama school in Los Angeles and conducts acting workshops worldwide.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Adwaء Bader (@adwaxox)

Chubbuck has worked with renowned actors such as Charlize Theron, Brad Pitt, Sylvester Stallone, Terrence Howard, James Franco, Jake Gyllenhaal, Elisabeth Shue, Catherine Keener, Halle Berry, and Jared Leto, among others. 

She is also the author of the best-selling book “The Power of the Actor,” published by Penguin Books’ Gotham division, which has been translated into 20 languages.

Chubbuck’s Riyadh workshop was also attended by Saudi actor and comedian Fahad Albutairi, who shared a carousel of images from the event on Instagram. Among the pictures was a signed note from Chubbuck that read: “Fahad, you are so talented and (I) look forward to continuing our journey together.”

The attendees received a certificate of participation after the workshop, which Albutairi also posted on his Instagram.

The Filmmakers Program collaborates with several international film universities and institutes to provide training opportunities and workshops for both amateur and professional filmmakers in the Kingdom.

Topics: Ivana Chubbuck Sumaya Rida Adwa Bader Mila Al-Zahrani

Review: Palestinian poet Mosab Abu Toha writes against erasure, destruction

Review: Palestinian poet Mosab Abu Toha writes against erasure, destruction
Updated 2 min 58 sec ago
Sumaiyya Naseem
Follow

Review: Palestinian poet Mosab Abu Toha writes against erasure, destruction

Review: Palestinian poet Mosab Abu Toha writes against erasure, destruction
Updated 2 min 58 sec ago
Sumaiyya Naseem

JEDDAH: “Every child in Gaza is me,” writes Palestinian poet Mosab Abu Toha in the creed-like opening of “Forest of Noise,” setting the tone for the poems to come and establishing his profound connection to his people and Palestine.

The poems within the slim but impactful volume by the Palestine Book Award-winning poet blend personal narratives with the broader documentation of life under Israeli occupation, siege, and bombardment in Gaza.

Released amidst one of the most turbulent periods in recent Palestinian history, Abu Toha uses the art form to not only capture personal memory, but to document Israel’s atrocities committed against Palestinians and the resilience of the people living in a continuous state of emergency.

Written in clear, simple language that often evokes visceral, painful imagery, his poetry oscillates between moments of loss, destruction, and survival, and glimpses of peace that seem fantastical in their rarity.

In “Palestinian Village,” Abu Toha imagines a peaceful scene “where a canary never tires of singing” that feels like a distant memory or a dream in stark contrast to the harrowing reality on the ground. The poem, like others in the collection, is a reminder of the cultural and natural heritage that Palestinians are fighting to preserve amid what Amnesty International, as well as some regional states, have termed a genocide.

In “On Your Knees” he powerfully uses repetition of the line “on your knees!” to document the humiliating and horrifying experience of being abducted by Israeli forces as he attempted to cross the Rafah border with his family in November 2023.

Abu Toha resists physical subjugation with poetry as a form of resistance and memory — asserting the Palestinian self and narrative and highlighting the power of art to fight back against erasure.

In “After Allen Ginsberg,” the Palestinian poet draws from the American’s iconic work “Howl,” writing:

“I saw the best brains of my generation

protruding from their slashed heads.”

By adopting Ginsberg's confrontational style, Abu Toha’s unrestrained voice laments and protests Israel's ongoing assault that has claimed the lives of thousands of children, women, and men. 

The poet’s unwavering voice in “Forest of Noise” challenges readers to see Gaza not as a distant conflict but as a human tragedy that demands attention.

Topics: Mosab Abu Toha Forest of Noise

Eddie Redmayne, Lashana Lynch talk ‘The Day of the Jackal’

Eddie Redmayne, Lashana Lynch talk ‘The Day of the Jackal’
Updated 06 January 2025
Shyama Krishna Kumar
Follow

Eddie Redmayne, Lashana Lynch talk ‘The Day of the Jackal’

Eddie Redmayne, Lashana Lynch talk ‘The Day of the Jackal’
  • The series, streaming on OSN+, has been renewed for a second season
Updated 06 January 2025
Shyama Krishna Kumar

DUBAI: “The Day of the Jackal” — a 10-episode series written by Ronan Bennett available to stream in the Middle East on OSN+ — is a contemporary reimagining of Frederick Forsyth’s 1971 novel and the famed 1973 film, directed by Fred Zinnemann. 

UK film star Eddie Redmayne plays the titular Jackal, an extremely thorough and detail-oriented British assassin, often taking on intricate disguises and speaking several languages to get the job done.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by OSN+ (@osnplus)

“One of the thrills of this experience for me was that the Jackal kind of is an actor. And particularly in Ronan’s version of him now, he’s quite obsessive, and he loves the process.

“And so, the fact that he’s an artist, and he preps the prosthetics himself and he mimics the languages … The whole experience was a sort of actor’s playground, really. And I loved that element of it,” Redmayne told Arab News.

“What I found intriguing about the part was, normally, when I’m playing a part, I kind of reach out to the character, and there were many moments in this in which I was going, ‘OK, so if this guy’s an actor, and he’s quite a proficient actor, how would I navigate my way through this situation? If I had these formidable assassin skills, if I had to lie horrifically to my wife, if I had to manipulate things.’

“So, what’s odd is, of all the characters I played, much more so I found it was about trying to bring that character to me, rather than reaching out to him, which was helped by the fact that it’s the first character I played in 25 years in which he wears contemporary clothes. I’ve been stuck in tweeds and stiff collars. So, that was fun,” he said.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by OSN+ (@osnplus)

Starring alongside Redmayne is Lashana Lynch, who plays Bianca, an intelligence officer with firearms expertise and a similarly obsessive approach to her work. 

The thrilling series follows a tense cat-and-mouse chase across Europe, with Bianca hot on the heels of the Jackal, who is leaving a trail of bodies in his wake as he evades authorities.

The show traces an uncanny parallel between the two characters. They both have family lives, they are both exacting and skillful at their jobs, but chaos follows wherever they go, often with deadly consequences.

“For me as an actor, it was exciting to see a man and a woman in those positions. I’m very used to the films that I have come across over the years, seeing two men in those positions, and everyone being very excited that one’s going to oscillate between being good and evil,” Lynch said.

“Having a woman being potentially evil is really exciting because it breaks the parameters in a way that kind of re-educates the industry to continue to stay open minded with female characters, and that’s kind of what I’m all about. And to have a team like this that celebrated that and did it within the genre of espionage is special and very new for the kind of TV that I’m used to watching,” Lynch said.

Topics: Eddie Redmayne Lashana Lynch The Day of the Jackal

Saudi couturier Mohammed Ashi dresses stars at the Golden Globes

Saudi couturier Mohammed Ashi dresses stars at the Golden Globes
Updated 06 January 2025
Arab News
Follow

Saudi couturier Mohammed Ashi dresses stars at the Golden Globes

Saudi couturier Mohammed Ashi dresses stars at the Golden Globes
Updated 06 January 2025
Arab News

DUBAI: Saudi couturier Mohammed Ashi dressed three stars at Sunday night’s Golden Globes in Hollywood, with Mindy Kaling, Kristen Bell and Ari Graynor showing off looks by the Paris-based designer.

Kaling showed off a gold column gown from Ashi Studio, hailing from the label’s Spring/Summer 2024 couture collection.

Mindy Kaling showed off a gold column gown from Ashi Studio, hailing from the label’s Spring/Summer 2024 couture collection. (Getty Images)

The first designer from the Gulf to take part in Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week, Ashi also dressed Graynor in a risque look complete with cutouts across the bodice. The all-black gown was plucked from his label’s Fall/Winter 2023 couture collection.

For her part, nominee Bell shimmered in a gold, beaded Ashi Studio gown that boasted a peplum and rounded neckline.

Kristen Bell on the red carpet at the Golden Globes. (Getty Images)

With some of Hollywood's most fashion-forward stars up for awards this year, it's going to be an eventful season. The Golden Globes gets it all started, with stars — and their stylists — marking their territory at one of Hollywood's splashiest events, the Associated Press reported.

“Wicked” star Ariana Grande showed off a pale yellow Givenchy haute couture look. The gown was in crafted in silk with a hand-beaded bodice — a vintage 1966 gown from what the designer calls the Audrey Hepburn era of Givenchy.

Ariana Grande showed off a pale yellow Givenchy haute couture look. (Getty Images)

Cate Blanchett looked like an awards statue come to life in a glistening gold gown with a ruched top by Louis Vuitton — one that she also wore at the Cannes Film Festival. New gold stones were added to the gown, designed by Nicholas Ghesquière, to freshen the look.

Cate Blanchett and Ari Graynor on the red carpet. (Getty Images)

Where Blanchett glistened in gold, Nicole Kidman sparkled in silver, in a daring, one-shoulder backless Balenciaga gown. The “Babygirl” star polished off the look with a chic, voluminous half-ponytail.

Nicole Kidman sparkled in silver, in a daring, one-shoulder backless Balenciaga gown. (Getty Images)

Globes host Nikki Glaser zeroed right in on Timothee Chalamet, one of the hottest stars in Hollywood, in her monologue, telling him: “You have the most gorgeous eyelashes on your upper lip.” As for the clothes on his body, Chalamet went more traditional than other recent trips to the carpet, wearing a sleek Tom Ford black suit with embellished jacket, a white shirt and a blue scarf tossed around his neck (or was it a tie?).

Zendaya in a custom Louis Vuitton ballgown paired with Bulgari jewelry. (Getty Images)

Always a winner on the red carpet, actress Zendaya provided yet another high fashion moment at the Golden Globes in a custom Louis Vuitton ballgown paired with Bulgari jewelry.

Over 4,000 participate in second World Athletics-certified marathon in Karachi

Over 4,000 participate in second World Athletics-certified marathon in Karachi
Updated 05 January 2025
Follow

Over 4,000 participate in second World Athletics-certified marathon in Karachi

Over 4,000 participate in second World Athletics-certified marathon in Karachi
  • Athletes from Poland, Germany, Japan and other countries take part in marathon event
  • The event featured Marathon (42.195 KM), Marathon Relay, Half Marathon (21.0975 KM) and 5KM Fun Race
Updated 05 January 2025
NAIMAT KHAN

KARACHI: At least 4,000 people from all walks of life took part in an annual marathon event, accredited by the World Athletics and held in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi on Sunday, its organizer said. 

The event kicked off on Sunday morning from the city’s Nishan-e-Pakistan monument at Sea View. It featured five types of marathons, such as the Full Marathon (42.195km) the Half-Marathon (21.1 km), the Relay Marathon, a team of four participants for 42.2km (10.5km run, 10.5km run, 10.5km run, 10.5km run and the Fun Run, a 5 km run.

Athletes hailing from Poland, Germany, Japan and many others participated in the event, Sports in Pakistan, one of the organizers of the event, said in a press release. The marathon’s certification by the World Rankings Competition ensured a world-class experience for all participants, it added. 

“We are delighted with the overwhelming success of the Karachi Marathon 2025,” Shoaib Nizami, CEO of Sports in Pakistan, said. 

“The event has emerged as a testament to Karachi’s unwavering resilience and warm hospitality and we extend our sincerest gratitude to our participants, sponsors, and partners for their invaluable support.”

The top performers in each category were:

Marathon Category:

  • Male Winner (1st Prize): Israr Muhammad (Pakistan) – Time: 2:30:13 won Rs. 500,000/
  • Male Winner (2nd Prize): Muhammad Riaz (Pakistan) – 2:32:13 won Rs. 250,000/
  • Female Winner (1st Prize): Enub Khan (Pakistan) – 3:47:49 won Rs. 500,000/
  • Female Winner (2nd Prize): Uzma Abid (Pakistan) – 4:01:13 won Rs. 250,000/

Half Marathon Category:

  • Male Winner (1st Prize): Muhammad Ajhtar (Pakistan) – Time: 1:12:08 won Rs. 50,000/
  • Second Runner-up Male (2nd Prize): Qasim Bajwa (Pakistan) – 1:12:52 won Rs. 40,000/
  • Female Winner (1st Prize): Mumtaz Naimat – 1:43:26 won Rs. 50,000/
  • Second Runner-up Female (2nd Prize): Dua Nazakat (Pakistan) – 1:51:45 won Rs. 40,000/

The city saw its first-ever World Athletics-certified marathon last year in January 2024 where hundreds of people from all walks of life participated. 

Topics: Karachi marathon Pakistan Karachi

Pic Group president David Sinapian discusses French brand’s expansion and Gulf success

Pic Group president David Sinapian discusses French brand’s expansion and Gulf success
Updated 05 January 2025
Zeina Zbibo
Follow

Pic Group president David Sinapian discusses French brand’s expansion and Gulf success

Pic Group president David Sinapian discusses French brand’s expansion and Gulf success
Updated 05 January 2025
Zeina Zbibo

DUBAI: With three Michelin stars at their flagship restaurant Maison Pic in Valence, France, the president of Pic Group, David Sinapian, and his wife and celebrated chef Anne-Sophie Pic are on a mission to take French culinary genius to the world.

After entering a long-term partnership with French luxury label Dior to open Dior Cafes around the world — starting with two outposts in Japan in December 2024 — Pic and Sinapian have their sights set on the Gulf.

“We have almost reached the potential for development of the catering business in Saudi Arabia, and I believe that the future holds great opportunities for the industry in the Kingdom. It is a no-brainer,” Sinapian told Arab News en Francais recently, three years after the Pic Group hosted a pop-up restaurant in AlUla.

Meanwhile, in the UAE, the group opened La Dame de Pic Dubai at the city’s swanky One&Only Zaabeel hotel in 2024, nabbing a Michelin star in the 2024 guide and being voted the World’s Best New Restaurant 2024 at the fifth annual World Culinary Awards.

“I have witnessed an evolution at a pace that continues to surprise me ... and that’s what characterizes business in the Emirates,” Sinapian said of the famously fast-paced food and beverage industry in the city.

“You can be in fashion one moment and quickly out of it the next, because the market changes, and if you can’t adapt, you’re left behind,” he added.

The Pic Group’s international accolades are the latest in a long list of culinary nods for a brand founded in the late 19th century.  

The precursor to Maison Pic, Cafe-Restaurant du Pin opened its rather more humble doors in 1889, with Pic’s great grandmother cooking ingredients hunted and farmed by her husband. Pic’s grandfather, Andre, then took over the family restaurant and earned it three Michelin stars in 1934.

Over the decades, Maison Pic lost and gained stars with the most recent blow being dealt after Pic’s father Jacques died in 1992 — the restaurant lost its third star in 1995 before Sophie-Anne returned in 1997 to head up the kitchen. After 10 years of creating memorable dishes in the restaurant, she gained back the third star in 2007.

“We began to build an ecosystem together and expand our business by opening other restaurants,” Sinapian told Arab News of the period that followed.

In 2009, they cut the ribbon on Pic au Beau-Rivage Palace in Lausanne, Switzerland.

“I was in charge of building the project in terms of identity, design and team building, while Anne-Sophie began to create a new menu using Swiss products,” Sinapian said, explaining their working relationship.

The Pic name then expanded its activity internationally, with openings in Paris, London, Singapore, Megeve, Hong Kong, and Dubai alongside its projects in Japan.

A new Monsieur Dior restaurant opening in Osaka, Japan, in 2025, will be orchestrated by the French chef.

“Anne-Sophie has had an affinity for Japan for a very long time, and so have I. It’s the love she has for tea, the products, and Japanese refinement,” Sinapian said.

 

Latest updates

Review: Palestinian poet Mosab Abu Toha writes against erasure, destruction
Review: Palestinian poet Mosab Abu Toha writes against erasure, destruction
International flights resume at Damascus airport
International flights resume at Damascus airport
France says fate of citizens held in Iran worsening
France says fate of citizens held in Iran worsening
Scholz says Germany shares French ‘pain’ on Charlie Hebdo attack anniversary
Scholz says Germany shares French ‘pain’ on Charlie Hebdo attack anniversary
Hundreds of Afghans detained in Pakistan: Afghan embassy
Hundreds of Afghans detained in Pakistan: Afghan embassy

Search form

Print Edition
Read pdf version Subscribe now
© 2025 SAUDI RESEARCH & PUBLISHING COMPANY, All Rights Reserved And subject to Terms of Use Agreement.