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
Mai Masri, daughters pledge to keep alive Jean Chamoun’s film legacy Jean Chamoun and Mai Masri devoted their cinema careers to the Palestinian cause. A year after Chamoun's death, Masri has started work on a new script for a feature film. Palestine
The show must go on: 'Disney Live!' returns to Egypt after hiatus After a four-year break, performances of 'Disney Live!' are returning to the land of the pharaohs with a show celebrating Mickey Mouse’s 90th birthday. Egypt
New museum dedicated to legendary Istanbul photographer Celebrated Turkish photographer Ara Guler, known as the "eye of Istanbul," has gotten a museum of his own in the city he captured over decades of change. Turkey
Does Egypt need museum to save film set props? After a fire destroyed many of the iconic props of Egyptian cinema, prop master Abbas Saber appeals to Cairo to help put what remains in a museum. Egypt
Is 'The Wedding' new beginning for LGBTQ cinema in Egypt? Film director Sam Abbas' "The Wedding," which tells the story of a gay man forced into a heterosexual marriage, will be screened privately and by invitation only in the Middle East, making the already controversial movie even more controversial. Egypt
Culture alert: Music mixed with history in August Some of the August festivals in the Middle East take place in spectacular settings, from Cairo to Byblos to Troy. Egypt
Did concert in Iranian holy city topple an ayatollah's ban on music? The singer Hesameddin Seraj gave the first concert in many, many years in Mashhad, a city known for its religious heritage, leading to speculation about more concerts to come. Iran
Summer exhibition displays Cairo's contemporary art scene Zamalek Art Gallery's traditional summer exhibit brings old masters together with budding young talent in Cairo. Egypt
Local book fairs catch summer readers on Egypt’s coasts The organizers of Egypt's Cairo International Book Fair, the largest event in the Arab literary world since 1969, are branching out with smaller coastal book fairs this summer. Egypt
Culture Alert: July marked by festivals in the Middle East In Istanbul, Baalbeck, Jerusalem and Ras El Bar, the Middle East becomes a vibrant scene of outdoor festivals in July. Palestine
Film explores how things have, and haven't, changed for Tunisia's women The female-directed drama "Beauty and the Dogs" shows how much Tunisia has changed since the revolution in which it was set. Tunisia
Egyptian artist portrays soccer stars as saints Proud Egyptians have been putting the faces of their soccer team on everything from T-shirts to Ramadan lanterns, but when an artist decided to paint them as saints, all hell broke loose. Egypt
