Oscar-winning Palestinian director freed from Israeli detention after night in custody Hamdan Ballal, a co-director of the Oscar-winning documentary "No Other Land," was assaulted by Israeli settlers and later detained by Israeli forces in the West Bank as the Israeli army continues its raids in the Palestinian territory. Palestine
Palestinian-Israeli documentary, Iranian film win at Oscars: What to know Two films from the Middle East won Oscars at Sunday's Academy Awards, highlighting the growing reputation of the region's film industry at a time of ongoing tensions and crises. Palestine
Lebanon's resistance through culture: Return of Beirut’s Metropolis Cinema As Beirut continues to navigate its path toward recovery, Metropolis Cinema stands as a symbol of the enduring power of art and culture to resist, unite and inspire. Lebanon
Analysis How Saudiwood’s power play is reshaping Middle East film industry While the country's first entry at Cannes didn’t win, its inclusion in the festival was another step toward Saudi ambitions to become a film industry powerhouse. By Samuel Wendel In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech
Turkey Islamist group calls for art expo's closure for 'blasphemy,' LGBTQ 'propaganda' Islamist media and AKP members attacked Istanbul Municipality’s inaugural exhibition of top Turkish artists at Feshane, a recently renovated 19th-century factory. Turkey
Qatar to buy stake in Washington Wizards, Capitals: reports The move follows the National Basketball Association allowing sovereign wealth funds to invest in teams and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund merging its LIV Golf league with the PGA Tour, demonstrating Gulf investors' interest in US sports. Gulf
Saudi Arabia bans new Spider-Man movie that features transgender flag A few issues of censorship of LGBTQ content have occurred in the Gulf recently, though Saudi authorities did not say exactly why “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” will not be shown. Gulf
Turkey's conservatives lash out at actress Merve Dizdar after Cannes win Angry reactions to actress Merve Dizdar’s acceptance speech at the Cannes film festival may foreshadow more crackdowns on the liberal arts sector as Erdogan and a new conservative parliament takes the reins. Turkey
What's behind removal of Palestinian Mohammed Assaf's song from Spotify? Spotify says the Gazan artist’s song was removed from its streaming service by "the distributor." Social media users call the act discriminatory and part of the ongoing censorship of Palestinian content masked under the guise of eliminating anti-Israeli sentiment. Palestine
Egypt's ‘Eissa’ debuts at Cannes with spotlight on Africa’s refugee community Egyptian critics and activists praised "I Promise You Paradise," a short film directed by Egyptian director Morad Mostafa, highlighting untold stories of immigrants living in Egypt, with a focus on African refugees. Egypt
Turkey hands pop star Gulsen jail sentence over religious schools joke The sentence is widely seen as the epitome of the culture wars that the country has witnessed under Erdogan. Turkey
Egypt archaeologists refute Ramses II-Exodus connection The display of the sarcophagus of Ramses II at an exhibition organized by the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism in Paris has revived the debate of whether the Exodus occurred during the era of the king. Egypt
In Iran, hardliners successfully orchestrate takeover of state TV Iran's state TV has been taken over by hard-line figures who use it to transmit ideological and hard-line views targeting the Reformists and opposition, including in entertainment shows. Iran
UK sanctions Lebanon art dealer accused of financing Hezbollah Already sanctioned by the United States back in 2019, Lebanese art dealer Nazem Said Ahmad was sanctioned by the British government on Tuesday. Iran
Arab women's group 'Khateera' dares to defy, one narrative at a time Khateera’s content ranges from misconceptions about women’s intelligence in society and women's unpaid labor, to heavier topics such as sexual rights and honor killings, toxic masculinity and the shame around periods in Middle East society. Gulf
Explainer: Egypt cancels Kevin Hart’s show after ‘Black Egyptians’ reference Hart was criticized on Egyptian social media for comments he allegedly made asserting that ancient Egyptians were black. Egypt
