Culture Bites

In this week’s episode of the Culture Bites podcast, hosts Farah Andrews and Maan Jalal start with a recap of the prestigious Dubai World Cup, held at Meydan Racecourse last week, chatting about the glamour and fashion highlights of one of Dubai's biggest showcases.

The hosts turn their attention to Beyonce’s new album, Cowboy Carter, and discuss their favourite tracks on it as the artist ventures into country music.

Farah and Maan then talk about Egyptian-American actor Ramy Youssef's groundbreaking appearance on Saturday Night Live, with an opening monologue that included anecdotes about Ramadan and moments of sincerity to use the platform to express solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

Finally, with Eid celebrations around the corner, the hosts share their plans and traditions for the holiday, with Maan teaching Farah the different ways to say “Eid Mubarak” in Arabic and recommending places to visit and suggests ideas for gifts to bring when seeing family.

In this week’s episode of the Culture Bites podcast, hosts Enas Refaei and Farah Andrews talk about theme parks, Lindsay Lohan's new film Irish Wish, the much-anticipated return of Jacqueline Wilson's Girls in Love book series and the pressure social media can put on mental health.

After the news that the first Dragon Ball theme park will be built in Saudi Arabia, and will feature locations from the original Japanese anime TV series created in 1984, the hosts chat about other pop culture-themed parks in the region and Enas shares her impression of Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, which she recently visited for the first time.

The hosts then talk about the news that English novelist Wilson is set to revive her Girls in Love book series.

The popular collection of books originally revolved around the lives of three teenage girls, but will be updated and set in the present day, checking in with the main characters, now in their forties.

They then discuss Selena Gomez’s latest comments about body image and mental health, reflecting back on her 2022 documentary My Mind & Me.

Arts & Culture reporter Maan Jalal then joins the conversation to talk about the new Netflix movie Irish Wish, in which where Dubai-resident Lohan plays a book editor whose romantic dream comes true ... or does it?

Maan also shares a rundown things you can do in the UAE this week, including the Stay a Little Longer Ramadan-themed nights at Alserkal Avenue.

In this week’s episode of the Culture Bites podcast, hosts Enas Refaei and Farah Andrews talk about Mother's Day in the region, which is celebrated on March 21. Enas reflects on motherhood and why it’s important to celebrate mothers, and the hosts discuss statements on motherhood made by British star Lily Allen, who has spoken recently of how becoming a mum affected her music career.

The hosts then talk about the first images of actor Timothee Chalamet in character as Bob Dylan on the set of A Complete Unknown, as filming began in New York this week. They discuss Chalamet’s outfit in the pictures, pondering if he looks like 19-year-old Dylan.

Farah talks about the new Banksy artwork that has appeared this week on the side of a building in north London and the team discuss the fictional settings from film, television and literature that they would move to if they could.

Arts and Culture reporter Maan Jalal then joins the conversation to recommend a list of books to read during Ramadan, including The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak, The Baghdad Clock by Shahad Al Rawi and Minaret by Leila Aboulela. He also fills the hosts in on the television he watched during his time off.

In this week's episode of the Culture Bites podcast, hosts Enas Refaei and Maan Jalal are at Art Dubai to talk about the biggest art fair in the region and what to expect when it opens to the public.

They also talk to Emirati artist Sarah Almehairi about Encounters, a new exhibition which is part of the Dubai Collection at the art fair.

Maan also gets into Art Week across the UAE and the shows at Alserkal Avenue that opened this week.

In this week’s episode of the Culture Bites podcast, hosts Enas Refaei and Farah Andrews start with highlights of the 77th British Academy Film Awards, from red carpet appearances, to dresses made by regional designers and the artists showing solidarity with people affected by the conflicts in Gaza and Yemen.

They also talk about Abu Dhabi hosting the Middle East premiere of Dune: Part Two, and discuss other movies filmed in Abu Dhabi such as Star Wars, Mission: Impossible 7 and Furious 7.

Farah then dives into the internet buzz around the Spider-Man-adjacent Sony film, Madame Web. She navigates through the negative fan commentary online and the positive reviews from film critics, such as The National’s own review.

Arts and Culture reporter Maan Jalal also joins the conversation to talk about The Circle Was a Point, a group exhibition at The Foundry presented by Barjeel Art Foundation and recalls what caught his eye at Ripe Market in Dubai.

In this week’s episode of Culture Bites podcast, hosts Enas Refaei and Farah Andrews discuss how celebrities around the world are showing solidarity for Gaza on awards show red carpets, with many actors and actresses calling for a ceasefire. Stars who have spoken out about the war include American actor Mark Ruffalo and Spanish artists at the recent Goya Awards.

The hosts also talk about Al Yamaniah, a new publication founded by Yemeni-British singer Noha Al Maghafi, aka Intibint, which spotlights Yemeni female creatives and aims to create a space for the work of established and upcoming artists.

Enas and Farah then discuss Saltburn, a recently-released thriller comedy movie, sharing their impressions and rating it. They also enthuse over Netflix’s new limited series, One Day, and the trailer for Ariana Grande’s musical film Wicked.

Arts and culture reporter Maan Jalal joins the conversation to talk about his favourite performances from Perform Sharjah, where 16 artists from diverse disciplines are giving a variety of live performances. He also lists some of the big names appearing this weekend at one of the UAE's most anticipated music festivals, Untold Dubai.

In this week’s episode of Culture Bites podcast, hosts Enas Refaei and Farah Andrews talk about the Middle East Film and Comic Con, which is returning to Abu Dhabi from February 9 to 11.

They share highlights from the line-up of celebrities who are expected to come to town for the pop culture convention, including American actor Oscar Isaac and English actress and Marvel’s Loki star Sophia Di Martino.

Enas speaks about a film that caught her eye during Reel Palestine last weekend: Tomorrow’s Freedom, which features the story of Palestinian political leader Marwan Barghouti. Farah also talks about how this Palestinian film festival gathered a community of Arabs together, screening 12 feature films and offering space for social enterprises at the Reel Palestine Souq.

The hosts also talk about the 2024 Grammy Awards, sharing their highlights from the ceremony and explaining why it was a record-breaking night for Taylor Swift.

Arts and Culture reporter Maan Jalal joins the conversation to talk about exhibitions that have grabbed his attention in the UAE, including the Nika Project Space's fourth exhibition, I Can No Longer Produce the Limits of My Own Body, at Al Khayat Avenue.