JERUSALEM: When the Israeli creators of the Netflix show “Fauda” first came up with its concept, they doubted whether an action series based on the never-ending Mideast conflict would make for must-see TV.
“Why would somebody want to watch in their spare time something that is right outside their door?” pondered Avi Issacharoff, a longtime Arab affairs journalist in Israel. “We wanted it to be realistic, but we didn’t know if people who live with this crap 24/7 would be interested.”
But even with a primarily Arabic dialogue, it became a hit in Israel, winning awards and accolades for humanizing both the Israelis and the Palestinians.
It surprisingly also garnered fans among Palestinians and other Arabs before earning acclaim in Hollywood for depicting the drama of the conflict and its human cost on both sides. No less a thriller authority than Stephen King lauded it on Twitter as “all killer and no filler.”
Netflix, which doesn’t release viewership numbers, calls it a “global phenomenon” available in 190 countries. Season 2 will be released on May 24.
Season 1 chronicles the adventures of an undercover Israeli commando team who immerse themselves in the heart of Palestinian society to capture a terrorist behind a wave of suicide bombings.
In addition to the shootouts and chases, it also delves into the politics and personal drama of the commandos and terrorists, depicting their motivations and family lives, often in a sympathetic manner.
The creators, though they identify as Zionist Jews, don’t shy away from showing the uglier sides of the West Bank occupation and the struggles of the other side. They even look to smash one of the greatest taboos of all, exploring the possibility of an Israeli-Palestinian romance.
“I think that’s the secret of the show — everyone can connect to their narrative and find something to identify with,” said co-creator Lior Raz, who also plays the lead role of Doron Kavillio. “I just got a message from someone in Turkey who said she hated Israeli soldiers but now understands the complexities better, and some Israelis have also begun to understand the Palestinians better.”
Though the plot is fictional, many elements mirror that of Raz’s own life. He too was an undercover commando who carried out operations similar to those depicted in the show, and during his military service he had a girlfriend who was killed by a Palestinian attacker — like one of the characters.
He turned to acting after a stint as Arnold Schwarzenegger’s bodyguard. A chance encounter with Issacharoff, a childhood friend, spawned the idea for a show that combined their backgrounds. At first, Israeli distributors didn’t want to touch it. Ultimately, the YES satellite network ran a few episodes and then extended its run after it became a local sensation.
Raz said the most he had hoped for was that it would perhaps inspire an American spinoff series, following hits like “Homeland,” “Hostages” and “In Treatment” that were based on Israeli productions. But Netflix went a step further, running it as-is in its original Hebrew-Arabic form.
Raz said he credits the success of “Narcos” for opening the door to non-English language programming in the United States. Netflix has already commissioned Raz and Issacharoff to write two new shows for them.
Einav Schiff, a TV columnist for the Yediot Ahronot newspaper, said the natural interest in Israel and the Middle East was not the primary source of the show’s success.
“Bottom line, it is good TV. It’s what you would come to expect from American and British productions. It’s what an action show should look like,” he said.
Delving into such sensitive terrain, though, has not come without its critics. Hamas militants have blasted it as Zionist propaganda. The anti-Israel BDS boycott movement says it aims to “whitewash the occupation” and has called on Netflix to remove it.
Such criticism seems likely to grow given the recent bloodshed on the Gaza border, where Palestinians have tried to breach the fence with Israel and dozens have been shot dead.
Even more moderate Arab voices have been off put by the lovefest for “Fauda,” the Arabic word for “chaos.”
Columnist Sayed Kashua said the series gave Israelis a sense of superiority by claiming it was popular with Arabs, while it served their own narrative.
“You already have military victories and cultural control in marketing the Israeli occupation policy: At least give the Palestinians the option of hating ‘Fauda,’” he wrote in Haaretz. “There is nothing in ‘Fauda’ that addresses the reality in the territories.”
In a case of life imitating art, students at the Palestinian Beir Zeit university in the West Bank captured footage in March month of undercover Israeli commandos arresting the head of the student council there. Israeli TV news broadcasts billed it as a real-life ‘Fauda’ scene.
The chief antagonist of Season 1, Abu Ahmad, is based on Sheikh Ibrahim Hamed, a Palestinian militant convicted of murdering 54 Israelis. But the Arab-Israeli actor who portrayed him tried to downplay comparisons to the contemporary conflict.
“I think some people are confused. This is art. It’s not real,” Hisham Suliman said with a chuckle. “In reality, there are no superheros.”
‘Fauda’ makes Israeli-Palestinian conflict a must-see TV hit
‘Fauda’ makes Israeli-Palestinian conflict a must-see TV hit
- Co-creator Lior Raz: “I think that’s the secret of the show — everyone can connect to their narrative and find something to identify with.”
- Even with a primarily Arabic dialogue, it has become a hit in Israel, winning awards and accolades for humanizing both the Israelis and the Palestinians.
Immersive installation takes center stage at Quoz Arts Fest with ENESS’s ‘Forest Dancer’
DUBAI: As part of this year’s Quoz Arts Fest in Dubai, ENESS, the Australian-based creative studio, will debut an immersive light and sound installation titled “Forest Dancer and the Path to Pure Creation” at Concrete in Alserkal Avenue on Jan. 25-26.
ENESS founder Nimrod Wies said that the installation symbolized “freedom and joy through creativity.”
“The artwork promotes the idea that embracing your creative gifts positively impacts those around you and inspires you to find your place in humanity through art,” he said. “We hope that visitors experience joy and playfulness in our exhibition and take away from it the inspiration to fill their lives with creativity and expression.”
The installation features inflatables packed with computers controlling sound, lightplay and motion-tracking LED eyes. “The biggest challenge is that we arrive from the other side of the world and we work all hours to create a completely immersive artwork that takes over any space that it occupies,” Wies said.
“The most rewarding part of my journey has been to exhibit all over the world and see different people respond to the artworks. I love seeing the appreciation audiences feel and experience, and hearing their joyful feedback.”
Speaking about the festival’s appeal, Wies said: “Working with Quoz Arts Fest suits the ENESS vision because we love to be involved in local cultures and bring our work to thriving areas with all-ages audiences who are open to new ideas. We think that the Alserkal neighborhood is the coolest place in Dubai.”
Wies said that public art created opportunities for alternate behavior and emotion. “Public spaces are generally relatively codified with clear designations for what sort of behavior is undertaken where. However, the introduction of public art can reconfigure a space visually, emotionally and behaviorally.”
Looking ahead, Wies said: “We have works coming up all around the world. We are looking forward to our next experience in Saudi Arabia.”
Rare Vatican artifacts on show at Islamic Arts Biennale in Jeddah
- More than 500 historic items, contemporary artworks on display
- 1685 Nile map’s journey to Jeddah a ‘cultural milestone’
JEDDAH: A six-meter map of the Nile believed to be more than 300 years old has left its home in the Vatican archives for the first time to become the centerpiece of the second Islamic Arts Biennale launched in Jeddah on Saturday.
Visitors to Jeddah’s Western Hajj Terminal, the biennale venue, can see the map along with 10 other artifacts from the Vatican Library.
The historic chart, drawn with watercolor ink on Venetian paper and depicting historic sites along the Nile, has been dated to around 1685.
Its inclusion in the biennale marks a cultural milestone, showcasing the Vatican’s commitment to interreligious and intercultural dialogue, according to Vatican archivist and librarian Angelo Vincenzo Zani.
The map underwent restoration by the Vatican before making the journey to Jeddah. It is displayed alongside a sister map of the Arabian Gulf from the National Library of Qatar.
Both maps are believed to have been acquired in the 1700s in Constantinople by Giuseppe Alemanni, a Lebanese librarian who later became the Vatican Library’s prefect.
HIGHLIGHTS
• Organized by the Diriyah Biennale Foundation, the exhibition in Jeddah explores faith by juxtaposing contemporary and newly commissioned artworks with historical objects from Islamic cultures.
• More than 30 cultural institutions have provided objects from their collections, as well as 29 newly commissioned works of art.
Zani attended the biennale’s opening ceremony and later told Arab News that the artifacts highlight a rich history of cultural exchange and shared knowledge.
“I think this Islamic Arts Biennale is very important. The concept of art is very important — to expand knowledge and creativity. Art is an emotion that we can all understand. It can cross over in a dialogue that is ‘in between’.”
The 2025 biennale’s theme, “And all that is in between,” draws from the Qur’anic verse “And God created the Heavens and the Earth and all that is in between.”
The Vatican Library is also showcasing several works from its collections in “The Art of Numbers” display at Al-Madar section of the biennale.
Al-Madar, or “The Orbit” section, features items from 20 institutions with significant Islamic art collections worldwide.
The section examines the role of numbers in collective history, exploring their origins in natural calculations and applications across Islamic culture, mathematics, architecture, music, design, celestial and terrestrial mapping, ocean navigation, trade and geometric patterns in Qur’anic decoration.
Heather Ecker, Al-Madar’s curator, said the Vatican Library, which was established in the Middle Ages, is the oldest taking part in Al-Madar.
“The Vatican has Arabic manuscripts on virtually any subject, and has a large collection of early Qur’ans. It has early translations of the Qur’an, of which we are exhibiting several,” she said.
Ecker said the Nile map appears to have been linked to a travel log and is a visual record of a journey.
“The maps were created from the written text and from memory, apparently,” she said.
“It’s not a map as we conceive it, because it is image with text, with annotations that correspond to observations made during the voyage and notes taken. It collapses geography in a certain way, so it scrunches up the land between the Nile and the Red Sea, for example, in order to include more sites such as Jeddah.”
The map has been in the Vatican since the late 18th century, but had never been restored and was first shown in 2021, Ecker said. The Diriyah Biennale Foundation helped fund its restoration and conservation.
“It’s much brighter now,” Ecker said. “The paper is much more supple now, so it’s really vastly improved, and it’s much easier to exhibit and for people to appreciate. That was a big undertaking, and important in the field of conservation preservation.”
Organized by the Diriyah Biennale Foundation, the Jeddah exhibition explores faith by juxtaposing contemporary and newly commissioned artworks with historical objects from Islamic cultures.
The event has built on the success of the first biennale, and is bigger in scale and ambition, Aya Al-Bakree, CEO of the foundation, told Arab News.
This year, more than 30 cultural institutions have provided objects from their collections, as well as 29 newly commissioned works of art.
“The biennale is rooted in Saudi Arabia and has become a clear landmark on the international stage as well. We are excited to share this exhibition with audiences from near and far,” Al-Bakree added.
Display space is divided into several sections, each blending Islamic cultural heritage with contemporary interpretations.
The inaugural Islamic Arts Biennale in 2023 attracted more than 600,000 visitors. The 2025 edition will feature more than 500 historical artifacts and contemporary artworks, including treasures from Makkah, Madinah, and around the world.
The 2025 curatorial team is led by Julian Raby, Amin Jaffer, and Abdul Rahman Azzam, with Saudi artist Muhannad Shono as curator of contemporary art.
The Islamic Arts Biennale will run until May 25.
Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer wows fans in Riyadh
RIYADH: Renowned composer Hans Zimmer performed on Friday at the Mohammed Abdo Arena in Saudi Arabia as part of the Riyadh Season events.
The Oscar-winning composer performed a selection of compositions from films such as “Dune,” “Wonder Woman,” “Pirates of the Caribbean,” “Interstellar,” “The Lion King” and “No Time to Die.”
The music was accompanied by interactive visual projections and stage effects that complemented the performance and highlighted its theme.
The concert, which sold out immediately on ticket release, concluded with enthusiastic applause, marking a memorable highlight of the Riyadh Season.
Zimmer expressed his gratitude to the Riyadh Season audience in a recorded message at the end of the concert, thanking them for their enthusiasm and energy.
Turki Alalshikh, chairman of the General Entertainment Authority, revealed this week that the composer is working on a new interpretation of Saudi Arabia’s national anthem.
The post continued that the German composer was also offered the chance to create the soundtrack for the upcoming Saudi Arabia film, “The Battle of Yarmouk.”
Zimmer attended the Kingdom’s Joy Awards on Jan. 18, which honors the achievements of artists in the Arab world.
Gwen Stefani to perform in the UAE in February
DUBAI: US pop star Gwen Stefani is set to perform in Abu Dhabi on Feb. 21 as part of the city’s Saadiyat Nights, marking her first-ever performance in the UAE capital.
The triple Grammy Award winner will take the stage just 24 hours before legendary US singer Lionel Richie closes the event on Feb. 22.
The three-month open-air music series will also feature performances by Egyptian composer Omar Khairat on Feb. 1, British musician Sting on Feb. 3, Lebanese music icon Magida El-Roumi on Feb. 10 and US pop star Christina Aguilera on Feb. 15.
Artists who have already performed include Grammy-winning Michael Buble, Russian band Leningrad, US R&B group Boyz II Men, British singer Robbie Williams and Iranian singer Ebi.
Stefani has achieved global recognition as a songwriter, performer, and frontwoman of the US rock band No Doubt, and as a multi-platinum solo artist. Over the course of her career, she has received numerous awards, including four MTV Video Music Awards, two Billboard Awards, an American Music Award and a Brit Award.
Stefani has sold over 60 million records worldwide, combining her success with No Doubt and her solo career. Her 2004 debut solo album, “Love. Angel. Music. Baby.,” achieved multi-platinum status and included chart-topping hits like “Hollaback Girl,” which became the first digital download to sell over 1 million copies in the US.
Stefani is no stranger to Emirati culture. In 2019, she performed in Dubai at the Dubai World Cup. During her visit, the singer immersed herself in Emirati culture, embracing the quintessential tourist experience by taking a desert safari, dining in a desert tent, watching a falcon show, riding a camel, covering her face and hair with a headscarf, shopping at the perfume souk, and visiting the iconic Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building.
Saadiyat Nights is part of the Abu Dhabi Calendar’s year-round schedule of events, which includes music, sports, comedy, family-friendly shows, cultural festivals and art exhibitions.
Held on Saadiyat Island, the concert series is set against the backdrop of the Saadiyat Cultural District, pristine beaches, and luxurious resorts.
The inaugural edition of Saadiyat Nights, which ran from January to March 2024, featured a lineup of artists, including American stars Mariah Carey, John Legend, and Alicia Keys, Iranian singer Googoosh, and Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli.
Princess Iman of Jordan is expecting her first child
DUBAI: Jordan’s Princess Iman bint Abdullah II and her husband, Jameel Alexander Thermiotis, are expecting their first child.
Queen Rania, the princess’s mother, shared the news on Instagram with a photo of the couple at sunset by the beach, highlighting the mother-to-be’s baby bump. “Two is a couple, three is a blessing,” the Queen captioned the image.
This will be the second grandchild for Queen Rania and King Abdullah II. Their first grandchild, born in August, is the daughter of Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah and Princess Rajwa Al-Hussein. She was named Iman in honor of her aunt.
