LOS ANGELES: “Argo” stormed to Best Picture victory at the Oscars on Sunday on a night of surprises that ended in disappointment for frontrunner “Lincoln” and handed the most overall wins — four — to “Life of Pi.”
It was the first time since “Driving Miss Daisy” in 1990 that a film won the top prize at the Oscars without its director also being nominated.
The honors for the Iran hostage drama marked a triumphant comeback into Hollywood’s mainstream for director Ben Affleck, who failed to get a nomination in the directing category six weeks ago, and who struggled for years to rebuild his reputation after tabloid ridicule over his 2002-2004 romance with Jennifer Lopez.
“Argo” also won best film editing and best adapted screenplay for its gripping and often comedic tale of the CIA mission to rescue six US diplomats from Tehran shortly after the Islamic Revolution.
“So many wonderful people extended their help to me when they had nothing to benefit from it ... you can’t hold grudges. It’s hard, but you can’t hold grudges. It doesn’t matter how you get knocked down in life, because it happens. All that matters is that you get up,” the 40-year-old Affleck, who also produced the film, said in an emotional acceptance speech.
Ang Lee was an upset choice for Best Director for his lavish shipwreck tale “Life of Pi,” beating the respected Steven Spielberg, whose presidential drama “Lincoln” took home just two Oscars from a leading 12 nominations.
The other three wins for “Life of Pi” came for original score, visual effects and cinematography.”
The Best Picture Oscar for “Argo” was announced in one of the best kept secrets in the history of Oscar telecasts when first lady Michelle Obama made an unprecedented video appearance from the White House to open the winning envelope.
Daniel Day-Lewis, as expected, made Oscar history and won a long standing ovation on becoming the first man to win three Best Actor Oscars. He collected the golden statuette for his intense performance as US President Abraham Lincoln battling to abolish slavery and end the US civil war in “Lincoln.”
“I really don’t know how any of this happened,” said Day-Lewis, who has dual Anglo-Irish citizenship.
Jennifer Lawrence was named Best Actress for playing a feisty young widow in comedy “Silver Linings Playbook,” tripping up on her Dior dress while was going up on the stage.
BAD NIGHT FOR ‘ZERO DARK THIRTY’
She beat “Zero Dark Thirty” actress Jessica Chastain and France’s Emmanuelle Riva, 86, the star of Austrian foreign-language winner “Amour,” in one of the closest Oscar contests this year.
The 5,800 members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, who chose the Oscar winners in secret ballots, dealt a stinging blow to “Zero Dark Thirty.”
The movie about the 10-year-long hunt for Osama Bin Laden, which has been attacked by Washington politicians and some human rights groups for its depiction of torture, came away with just one Academy Award out of five nominations.
Even that Oscar — for sound editing — had to be shared as it was a tie with James Bond blockbuster “Skyfall.”
Sunday’s show will also be remembered for the provocative performance given by Seth MacFarlane, creator of animated television series “Family Guy,” in his debut as Oscars host.
MacFarlane, 39, pushed the envelope with cheeky songs like “We Saw Your Boobs” about actresses who have stripped down for movie roles, and jokes about Hollywood’s large Jewish and gay communities.
He also turned the telecast into a running joke about whether he would be deemed the worst Oscar host ever by the media on Monday.
Anne Hathaway was a popular first time Oscar winner for her supporting turn in musical “Les Miserables.”
“It came true,” she said, cradling the golden statuette. Hathaway starved herself and chopped off her long brown locks to play the musical’s tragic heroine Fantine in “Les Miserables” where she showed off hitherto little known talents as a singer.
Austrian, Christoph Waltz, seemed shocked to win the closest contest going into the ceremony. He took Best Supporting Actor honors for his turn as an eccentric dentist turned bounty hunter in Quentin Tarantino’s slavery revenge fantasy “Django Unchained.”
It was Waltz’s second Oscar, after winning for the Tarantino movie “Inglourious Basterds” in 2010.
A jubilant Tarantino also won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, and credited the actors who brought the characters in all his films to life. “And boy this time, did I do it!,” he said.
“Brave,” the Pixar movie about a feisty Scottish princess, took home the golden statuette for Best Animated Feature.
‘Argo’ storms to Oscar victory on night of surprises
‘Argo’ storms to Oscar victory on night of surprises
Basmah Felemban unpacks memory, identity in Riyadh solo show ‘Vessel of Wreckage’
RIYADH: Seasoned Saudi artist Basmah Felemban’s work will make you think. In her latest solo exhibition, “Vessel of Wreckage,” which runs at ATHR Gallery in Riyadh until June 26, she combines elements that many of us can relate to while being authentically, fully herself.
“In the past five or six years, my practice has been really an investigation of my family roots from Indonesia and — kind of as a result of getting into sci-fi — to have some imaginary explanations of those reasons why they came from Indonesia to Saudi, because I failed at the factual research, really,” Felemban, who lives and works between London and Jeddah, tells Arab News.
“When did my family move? This is one of the mysteries — part of the myth of the family. I have no idea. I’d say that my granddad came to Saudi for work, probably in the Seventies. But I’d learned that Felemban, our last name, comes from an island called Palembang, so in kindergarten I used to tell people I was a princess because I’m used to, like, the Al-Saud family and Saudi Arabia, so I thought since I’m Felemban from Palembang, I must be a princess.”
Growing up, Felemban assumed that they had no Saudi relatives, until her brother serendipitously found out that they had cousins in town.
“I realized, ‘Oh! We do have extended family here; we’re just not connected to them.’ And that’s also part of the myth and the lore of our family story. Once I realized that, it kind of clicked with me that our identities are really just a construct — it doesn’t really matter if they’re factual. I don’t think my family intentionally tried to lie. I think they believed this was the story.”
All of this was part of Felemban’s world building.
“I think, in Hejaz in general, people came from all over and there was this whole umbrella under which we wanted to identify as ‘Saudi’ for a lot of time. Like, if you speak to me about anything Indonesian, I would have no idea, because my family really assimilated,” she says, adding that she hopes to visit Indonesia soon.
“I wouldn’t say I feel like I’m part of a diaspora, even if I am, factually. But I think Saudi is a very specific, special case in terms of identity. I feel like I’m more interested in the family story and why their connections are the way they are.
“I didn’t grow up in an environment where ours was a weird story,” she adds. “Even my friends that are Bedouin are still also away from where they are from.”
Here, Felemban talks us through several works from the show.
‘Pulang (To Go Home)’
There are five ship windows looking out on five different topics that I researched, from facts to absurd sci-fi stories. They’re videos collected from YouTube — just rabbit holes I fell into. I really like to document my research and my notes, then my work grows like a mind map — I connect words and then try to connect concepts between those words and visuals. The first window starts with a propaganda documentary about the colonial history of Indonesia and its impact on folklore dances and music. Then a scene that a lot of my world is based on; Indonesian pilgrims reciting a religious song about the prophet.
I realized that another connection between Indonesia and Saudi is catfish — another creature of myth. A few years ago, people realized that there’s a lot of huge catfish in Wadi Hanifa and they started to ask: How did they come here? I like that, as a myth. In Indonesia, the catfish is a really huge asset, but also has some negative connotations.
‘Fish from the Ground’
This work talks about the catfish myth. They are an invasive species and tend to be really vicious and really quick to adapt, so in less than a couple of hundreds of years it was able to evolve from swimming to being able to ‘walk,’ almost on land. That’s likely where the term ‘catfishing’ comes from.
‘Wave Catcher’
When I was approached by the Islamic Arts Biennale (in 2023), I thought, ‘My work is quite futuristic, very colorful and digital, so how can (make it fit) in?’ I think of this work like an ancient machine used by the catfish to collect data by listening to sounds of the calls to prayer from countries around the Red Sea. And by hearing it, the fish are able to measure distances, and study the water and such. That thought was based on research from lectures from scientists.
‘The Gömböc, the Turtle and the Evolution of Shape’
This is a game based on a lecture by a scientist. If you put the headphones on, you can hear the lecture and then when you reach the top of this fish mountain, there’s a room that has a table that also existed in the lecture and you can interact with that. It’s a video game I made with my husband. He’s an economist so he helps me a lot with conceptualizing what data could be like — that kind of geeky aspect of my work. It’s very experimental and it’s a little bit janky — in the best way possible!
‘Elemental Sprite’ series
These AI works — “Sphere,” “Rod,” “Disc,” and “Blade” (shown here) — are based on some of the same research as “Wave Catcher,” which is some sort of mathematical study of pebbles and the way that pebbles change in nature. But also, if you scan one of the squares, it animates. I’m very much a digital artist at heart and AI is something I’m really interested in, but I have to say that I don’t use AI in engines; I use sort of ‘offline AI.’ I use the modules themselves, the interfaces. Every six months, AI completely changes in quality because it really develops, and I learn more too. This is almost like a documentation of my learning curve, and of the technology itself.
‘Before Asphalt’
These are pictures that I stole from my dad before he passed away. He used to work at the municipality, and these were pictures from the Nineties documenting some of the potholes around Jeddah. I like to think of the city as a galaxy and the potholes as portals. The yellow looks like slime — I’m definitely a cartoon girl and this is like “(Teenaged Mutant) Ninja Turtles” sludge. I think maybe it’ll appear again in another work and I’ll get more into this portal idea.
Recipes for success: Chef Georges Ikhtiar offers advice and a tasty beef recipe
DUBAI: Georges Ikhtiar, head chef at Amelia Dubai, grew up in Beirut, where he remembers watching his mother cook “by instinct, without recipes or rules.”
That early exposure sparked a curiosity not just for flavors, but for the process of cooking — how ingredients transform, how timing and technique matter. This eventually led him to Lebanon’s Ecole Hôtelière.
A pivotal career moment came during his time in Peru, where he was introduced to the country’s bold, acidic and layered flavors. This now shapes his approach at Amelia, where he blends Peruvian ingredients with Japanese methods.
Here, Ikhtiar reflects on how mistakes can lead to creative breakthroughs, and gives his thoughts on simplicity in cooking.
When you started out, what was the most common mistake you made?
Like many young chefs, I believed that more was more — that adding extra ingredients or steps would somehow elevate a dish. I loved experimenting, and while that spirit of curiosity still drives me today, I’ve learned that simplicity is key. The most powerful flavors often come from restraint and letting the ingredients speak for themselves.
What’s your top tip for amateur chefs?
Taste constantly. It’s the most important tool you have. And don’t let mistakes throw you off — every error is a lesson. Some of the best ideas I’ve had started as accidents. Cooking at home should be fun, not stressful.
What’s one ingredient that can instantly improve any dish?
In Peruvian cuisine, it’s definitely lime. It brings brightness, aroma and a sense of freshness that can completely transform a dish. Just a few drops can awaken the palate and sharpen and enhance every other flavor.
What’s your go-to dish if you have to cook something quickly at home?
A simple truffle pasta. I soak the pasta to speed up the cooking time, then toss it with a creamy truffle sauce, fresh shaved truffles and parmesan. It’s rich, comforting and comes together fast, but still feels luxurious.
When you go out to eat, do you find yourself critiquing the food?
Always. It’s part of the job. I’m always observing, analyzing, and seeing what I like or don’t like. But I keep it to myself; dining out is also about experiencing what other chefs are creating.
What’s the most common mistake you notice in other restaurants?
It’s usually to do with balance or execution, like undercooked elements, seasoning that is off, or dishes that feel overcomplicated.
What’s your favorite cuisine?
I gravitate toward Japanese and Peruvian food, naturally, but I’m always curious to explore. I like to see how others approach flavor, presentation and structure. Inspiration can come from the most unexpected places.
What request or behavior by customers most annoys you?
Honestly, nothing. I believe taste is subjective and the customer is always right. We’re here to create an experience that works for them, not just for us.
What’s your favorite dish to cook?
It is a dish called Adas be Hamid, which means lentils with lemon. My grandmother used to make it when I was growing up in Beirut. It’s incredibly simple but full of flavor and warmth. Cooking it always takes me back to my roots, and I love how food has the power to do that.
What’s the most difficult dish for you to get right?
Risotto. It’s a very delicate dish that reacts to everything — temperature, timing, movement, even the humidity. You have to be fully present when making it. One misstep and the whole texture is off.
As a head chef, what are you like? Are you a disciplinarian? Or are you more laidback?
I’m direct and hands-on, but not someone who shouts. I believe in open communication, mutual respect and building trust. My team and I have worked together for a long time, so we understand each other without needing to say much. There’s a flow in the kitchen when everyone is aligned, and that’s what I strive for.
Chef Georges Ikhtiar’s hokkaido machu picchu recipe
Ingredients:
For the beef:
250g beef tenderloin
Salt and black pepper, to taste
Cooked over a robata grill (or any hot grill pan)
For the teppanyaki vegetables:
2 tbsp vegetable oil
20g Chinese cabbage, chopped
3 rainbow baby carrots, sliced
20g mange tout (snow peas)
10g shiitake mushrooms, sliced
20g baby corn, halved
1 spring onion, thickly sliced
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp kimchi sauce
2 tbsp sake sauce (optional for extra depth)
For the shiitake sauce:
300g fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1L fresh cream
200ml milk
Salt and black pepper, to taste
1 small onion, chopped
1 tbsp butter
Instructions:
1. Grill the beef:
Season beef with salt and pepper. Grill on a robata grill until cooked to your liking. Let it rest before slicing.
2. Sauté the vegetables:
Heat oil in a pan. Add the vegetables and stir-fry for a few minutes.
Add soy sauce, kimchi sauce, and sake sauce (if using). Stir well and cook until just tender. Season with pepper.
3. Make the shiitake sauce:
In a saucepan, sauté onions and mushrooms in butter until soft.
Add cream, milk, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and let simmer. Boil twice to bring out full flavor, then remove from heat.
To plate:
Slice the grilled beef.
Place the sautéed vegetables on a serving plate.
Lay the beef slices on top.
Spoon the warm shiitake sauce to the side or over the top.
Optional: If using a hot stone for serving, you can lightly reheat the meat on it just before eating for a fun finishing touch.
Balad Al-Fann brings Saudi art to life
- Exhibition blends art and memories through archival materials, selected artworks, personal possessions and rare voice recordings
JEDDAH: The second edition of the Balad Al-Fann art program has opened in Jeddah Historic District and runs until June 15.
The initiative this time presents a captivating series of art exhibitions, held under the theme “Our Storied Walls,” which celebrate memory, culture and place.
It boasts a renewed focus on local narratives with each exhibition looking at the tangible and human heritage of the city.
Held at Nassif Boutique, the exhibition is a tribute to the late artist Hisham Binjabi, a foundational figure in Saudi Arabia’s modern art movement.
Curated by Ayman Yossri Daydban, a former student of Binjabi, the exhibition blends art and memories through archival materials, selected artworks, personal possessions and rare voice recordings.
Arab News spoke to Daydban, who is one of the most prominent contemporary artists in Saudi Arabia, with his works featuring in major museums and biennials.
He said: “This is a personal exhibition. My journey with Hisham Binjabi began over 35 years ago when he discovered my work, admired it, and encouraged me.
“For a whole year his name echoed in my mind, until I held my first solo exhibition in 1991. It was his encouragement and appreciation of my boldness — he said I thought outside the box — that pushed me forward. I found myself naturally drawn to contemporary art.”
Daydban’s art is conceptual, and rooted in ideas and meaning. Binjabi, on the other hand, remained faithful to classical and realist styles.
Daydban said: “For years we observed each other’s work from afar, and every time we met I felt like a student reuniting with his mentor.
“But Hisham was more than an artist — he was a social figure, a cultural activist who managed and promoted art within the community, bringing art into social and human contexts.
“His greatest influence was not just in his paintings, but in his presence, personality, and wisdom.”
The exhibition does not merely display Binjabi’s artworks — it narrates his life story through them.
His wife played a part by telling their story through her lens and, for the first time, her works are featured in a dedicated section alongside audio recordings of her and their daughters, reflecting on their lives together as a creative family.
An audio room on the upper floor features testimonials from contemporary artists who were his students or peers, and more recordings are added daily.
The exhibition unfolds across three levels: a deeply emotional audiovisual experience, a debut showcase of his wife’s personal works, and a collective sonic space for shared memory and reflection.
Daydban added: “Hisham was, above all, a socially engaged artist, and this exhibit is aimed primarily at the community of Al-Balad, where he lived and left his mark.”
The program also honors the late Safeya Binzagr, one of the first female visual artists in the Kingdom.
Curated by Effat Fadag, the exhibition weaves together the visual and literary in a journey filled with nostalgia, history and cultural memory.
The exhibition presents rare paintings, handwritten letters, and personal belongings that reflect Binzagr’s unique lens on Hejazi life. Her deeply human portrayals of women, homes, attire and rituals offer not only artistic beauty but also historic insight.
Titled “Revealing What Was Hidden,” the exhibition shows how Binzagr used her art to bring the past to life. Her work helps keep Saudi culture and history alive.
The event honors her role as an artist and historian, and Fadag said: “I asked myself: What can I say that hasn’t already been said? I wanted to highlight aspects of her journey that aren’t widely known.”
Binzagr was the first woman to publicly showcase her family and community life, giving a voice to the private lives of Saudi women — a society that was largely hidden at the time.
Fadag said: “I tried to reflect this (voice) through the layout of the exhibition, using the historic Nassif House, starting from the main building to the external annex, with three symbolic doors that narrate her story.”
This journey begins with Binzagr’s birth and upbringing, moves through her education, the exhibitions she held, and finally her artistic projects on Saudi traditional attire, which are featured on the second floor.
Fadag said: “In the clothing room you see very personal images — she even modeled for her work so she could better understand and express the exact details she wanted to paint. She knew exactly how to translate her vision.”
The final section focuses on giving back to the community, and how Binzagr impacted learning, the broader culture and society at large.
The initiative also puts the spotlight on a curated selection of winning works from a national photography competition, while Balad Al-Fann also hosts a competition showcasing traditional calligraphy, ceramics, ornamentation, and engraving.
Qatar’s ‘Beyti Beytak’ exhibition in Venice explores architecture’s roots in hospitality
- Show examines how traditional MENASA design ‘fosters belonging, dignity, and collective life’
DUBAI: Qatar’s first participation in the Venice Biennale of Architecture is a major exhibition spanning two sites in the Italian city — the ACP-Palazzo Franchetti, and the site of what will be the permanent Qatar Pavilion in the Giardini della Biennale. (That pavilion will be the first permanent addition to the historic gardens in more than 30 years.)
The exhibition, “Beyti Beytak. My Home is Your Home. La Mia Casa è la Tua Casa,” is presented by Qatar Museums and curated by the Art Mill Museum — Qatar’s yet-to-be-built museum of modern and contemporary art — and, according to a press release “explores meanings of hospitality within the architecture, urbanism and landscape designs of the Middle East, South Asia, and North Africa region.” It features examples from 30 architects, dating from the mid-20th century to the present day.
Aurélien Lemonier, architect and curator at the Art Mill Museum, and the exhibition’s co-curator, tells Arab News: “The exhibition reflects on the essence of hospitality, not just as tradition but as a spatial and social practice. It explores how architecture from the MENASA region fosters belonging, dignity, and collective life.”
On the permanent pavilion’s future site stands a newly commissioned structure by Yasmeen Lari, Pakistan’s first female architect and a pioneer of humanitarian design. Her bamboo-and-palm-frond “Community Center,” created using zero-carbon, low-cost techniques, was developed through the Heritage Foundation of Pakistan, which Lari co-founded. The structure exemplifies what she calls Barefoot Social Architecture — a methodology that mobilizes local resources, community labor, and heritage crafts to produce flood- and earthquake-resistant structures, addressing, she has said, “climate and social justice.”
“When I spoke with Yasmeen,” recalls Lemonier, “I realized her work is a direct legacy of (Egyptian architect) Hassan Fathy. Like him, she empowers the poor to build their own futures.”
The exhibition draws a clear line of continuity from Fathy’s radical use of earthen materials and community-led design to Lari’s ‘barefoot architecture’ in Pakistan. “Fathy taught communities to build with mud brick and vernacular layouts; not only to survive but to thrive,” he says. “Lari continues that legacy by using architecture as a tool of empowerment.”
Lemonier’s co-curator Sean Anderson, an associate professor at New York’s Cornell University, says: “For centuries, cities in the MENASA region have been shaped not by individual buildings, but by how people gather, interact, and live together. Today, that wisdom is more relevant than ever, as we witness the planet’s transformations, mirrored by technology’s drive toward a more collective, yet divided, future.”
This spirit is echoed in the main exhibition at Palazzo Franchetti where “Beyti Beytak” becomes an immersive and archival deep dive into MENASA’s architectural richness. Some of the architects featured are being exhibiting in Venice for the first time. The curators’ ambition is to capture the continuity across generations — from pioneers such as India’s Raj Rewal, Abdel-Wahed El-Wakil of Egypt, Pakistan’s Nayyar Ali Dada, and Sri Lanka’s Minnette de Silva to contemporary leaders including Palestinian-Jordanian architect Abeer Seikaly, Bangladesh’s Marina Tabassum, Sumaya Dabbagh of Saudi Arabia, and Palestine’s Dima Srouji.
“‘Beyti Beytak’ is a testament to the architectural heritage and creativity of the Arab world and the Global South,” says Lemonier. “The future Art Mill Museum was conceived as a multidisciplinary institution, one that will embrace this richness not as a regional footnote but as a core narrative.”
The curators have woven together an architectural narrative grounded in civic humanism, tracing three generations of architectural expression through thematic sections that include oases, mosques, museums, housing, and gardens, with a special focus on community centers and urbanism in Doha.
“The selected architects’ work forms a chorus of alternative futures; ones where architecture is not a luxury, but a deeply human practice of care, resilience, and place making,” says Anderson. In fact, one of the pavilion’s central propositions is that, architecturally, traditional knowledge may offer more-resilient solutions to climate change than high-tech design.
“It’s a paradox,” Lemonier admits. “You’d think triple-glazed facades and cutting-edge systems are more advanced — but mud, lime, and bamboo buildings often perform better in extreme climates. What we see with Yasmeen Lari is a reappropriation of vernacular materiality as climate adaptation.”
Throughout the exhibition, the curators draw a sharp line between architectural conceptualism and communal responsibility.
“Architecture is not sculpture,” Lemonier says emphatically. “It is a social and collective act. The architect must think of themselves not as an artist, but as a participant in a living society.”
This ethos is also reflected in the Doha-based segment of the exhibition, where the urbanism of Qatar is framed as humanist and collective. “Doha offers public parks, civic space, and an architecture of sociability,” Lemonier notes. “It’s not only about the buildings, it’s also about the empty spaces that allow a community to gather. It’s not about big gestures. It’s about how architecture allows a community to live, build with care, with humility, and with others in mind. For me, that’s the measure of success in design.”
Anderson adds: “As architects, we hold a responsibility not just to build, but to shape how we gather, connect, and see one another. Architecture isn’t static. It’s one of the most dynamic ways we experience humanity. This exhibition explores how space can be a vessel for empathy — especially in a time when technology often divides us. Yasmeen Lari’s work may be rooted in (Pakistan’s province of) Sindh, but its message transcends borders: it asks us to reflect on what it truly means to design for people.”
By placing Lari’s work in direct dialogue with the legacy of Hassan Fathy and by elevating regional voices too often overlooked, “Beyti Beytak” challenges dominant norms in global architecture. And it offers a compelling argument: Your home is not just yours — it belongs to the community, the climate, and the culture it serves.
For the Arab world and the broader MENASA region, “Beyti Beytak” positions architects as custodians of culture and agents of justice.
“This exhibition is not just about buildings,” says Lemonier. “It is about how we live together, how we welcome one another and how we shape a shared future through design.”
-ENDS-
Marvel’s ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ cast spotted in Bahrain
- Production underway in Bahrain, set for release December 2026
DUBAI: Members of the star-studded “Avengers: Doomsday” cast were recently spotted in Bahrain, where production for the upcoming Marvel film is believed to be underway.
This week, Address Beach Resort held a dinner event attended by several cast members. Among the guests were director Joe Russo and actors Anthony Mackie, Simu Liu, Winston Duke, Letitia Wright, Tenoch Huerta, Hannah John-Kamen, Danny Ramirez, and Alex Livinalli.
“This past weekend, Address Beach Resort Bahrain had the marvellous honour of hosting some of Hollywood’s most iconic stars,” the resort posted on Instagram.
Fans also spotted the cast dining at Sumosan, a Japanese restaurant located within the hotel.
Directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, “Avengers: Doomsday” is set for release on Dec. 18, 2026.
