DUBAI: In celebration of women in Saudi Arabia getting behind the wheel on June 24, we take a look at six classic car films — female-driven flicks included — that are guaranteed to get your adrenaline going.
‘The Italian Job’ (1969)
“You were only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!” It’s an iconic line known the world over, but have you actually sat down to watch this Michael Caine-starring classic? The plot centers on Caine’s character and his crew of gangsters who pull off a dazzling heist while driving a bevy of Mini Coopers. It’s fantastically fun and even inspired a 2003 remake. If it’s your first time, however, we suggest sticking to the original — they don’t build ‘em like they used to.
‘Thelma and Louise’ (1991)
It may have a controversial ending, but many see this film as the high octane, feminist version of “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” and it is revered in film culture. Directed by Ridley Scott and starring Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon, the film sees the pair flee after they kill a rapist and follows them as they fight until the very end — and meet a very young Brad Pitt on the way.
‘Crossroads’ (2002)
It may have received lukewarm reviews at the time, but this film was loved by teenage girls the world over. The flick stars Britney Spears (alarm bells, anyone?) and tells the story of three childhood friends who rekindle their connection on a cross-country trip.
‘Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby’ (2006)
The humor may be eye-roll inducing, but this film has too many fans to discount. The film pokes fun at NASCAR and sees Will Ferrell play the role of Ricky Bobby, a driver who was at the top of his game but loses it all to a snotty Frenchman.
‘Drive’ (2011)
It’s dark, it’s gritty and best of all it stars Ryan Gosling. He is known for his deadpan, inexpressive face (and oh, what a face) and skillfully portrays a Hollywood stuntman who moonlights as a getaway driver and ends up risking it all to protect a woman and her son from vengeful criminals.
‘Baby Driver’ (2017)
You can’t discuss this film without giving special mention to its epic soundtrack — it features everything from James Brown to Beck and will have you wiggling in your seat throughout the movie. Ansel Elgort plays a brilliant young getaway driver with a penchant for seriously good music, stunningly choreographed car chases and the primal desire to escape a mob boss with the girl he loves.
Six classic car films to watch as women in Saudi Arabia prepare to take the wheel
Six classic car films to watch as women in Saudi Arabia prepare to take the wheel
Recipes for Success: Chef Dexter Gelizon offers advice, a recipe for avocado ceviche
DUBAI: Filipino chef Dexter Gelizon, is currently sous chef at Dubai’s sister restaurants Salvaje (which serves Japanese cuisine) and Arrogante (Italian).
“My journey as a chef began when I was 17 years old, helping my aunt run her food truck,” Gelizon tells Arab News. “It was there that I started honing my palate and developing my skills in creating innovative recipes. Over time, I fell in love with Japanese flavors and techniques, which completely transformed my path.”
But his love for cooking was sparked at a much earlier age.
“My earliest memory of cooking goes back to when I was five, making adobo — braised chicken in soy sauce — with my mom. That left a lasting impression on me,” he says.
Here he talks salt, simplicity, and sharpness.
What was the most common mistake you made when starting out?
Overcomplicating the plate. I’d focus too much on presentation and lose sight of the most important element — the flavor. Now, I prioritize flavor and quality above all else.
What’s your top tip for amateur chefs?
Invest in good-quality equipment and utensils. A sharp knife, a reliable stove or induction cooktop, and sturdy pans can make all the difference. Having the right tools makes the cooking process smoother, but it also sets the tone for a positive and enjoyable experience. When I see a well-equipped kitchen, it puts me in a good mood and inspires me to prepare food with care and enthusiasm.
What one ingredient can instantly improve any dish?
Salt. It has the power to elevate and balance the flavors, bringing out the best in every ingredient. But achieving the right balance can be tricky — it requires precision and care. Too little, and the flavors might fall flat; too much, and the entire dish can be ruined.
What’s the most common issue that you find in other restaurants when you go out?
The experience for diners starts with the service — it sets the tone for the entire meal. When the staff explain the dishes on the menu with enthusiasm and precision, it excites me and heightens my anticipation. However, if the service fails to make a good first impression, it can shift my focus, and I might start noticing flaws or areas for improvement. Service and atmosphere are as important as the food itself in creating a memorable dining experience.
What’s your favorite dish?
I always look for ramen. It’s incredibly satisfying. I love exploring how different chefs are evolving and innovating with flavors and techniques. Ramen is fascinating to me because it’s so complex — every component, from the broth to the noodles and toppings, needs to be perfectly balanced. It’s tricky to get right, but when done well it’s absolutely delicious and a true testament to a chef’s skill.
What’s your go-to dish if you have to cook something quickly at home?
A combination of eggs, sausage, rice, and soup. It’s quick to prepare, satisfying, and gives me the energy I need — perfect for a busy day.
What customer behavior most frustrates you?
What annoys me most is when customers deconstruct a well-prepared dish that has a perfect balance of flavors. Each element is carefully crafted to complement the others, so altering it can disrupt the harmony and intention behind the dish.
What’s your favorite dish to cook?
Braised short ribs in peanut sauce, a dish my mom calls Kare Kare. Braising the short ribs is a complex and time-intensive process, but the result is incredibly rewarding. There’s a deep sense of pride and satisfaction when you achieve perfectly tender meat paired with a rich, creamy peanut sauce. It’s a dish that carries a lot of sentimental value for me.
What’s the most difficult dish for you to get right?
From the Salvaje menu, the most challenging dish is the Salvaje steak. There are two crucial components to manage — the steak and the sauce. Timing is everything. If the timing is off, the steak can easily become overcooked, and the sauce can split and turn oily. Once that happens, there’s no way to fix it — you have to start over from scratch. It requires precision and focus to ensure it’s served perfectly every time.
What are you like in the kitchen? Are you a disciplinarian? Or are you more laid back?
I’m a disciplinarian, but in a calm and constructive way. I see myself as a teacher, focusing on guiding and correcting where needed. If I ever raise my voice, it’s only because something has gone seriously wrong — but I work hard to ensure it doesn’t come to that.
Chef Dexter’s avocado ceviche recipe
Char-grilled avocado with amarillo ponzu, fried corn, chili, mango, cucumber and onion
Procedure:
Cut the avocado into quarters, grill it to get smoky flavor, put on a plate and drizzle with amarillo ponzu, add the rest of the vegetables randomly, finish with salt and olive oil.
INGREDIENTS:
Amarillo ponzu
8g yellow hot pepper paste; 10g ponzu; 5g yellow capsicum; 6ml olive oil; salt to taste; lemon juice to taste
Procedure:
Roast the yellow capsicum, allow to cool then remove the seeds. In a food processor, mix all the ingredients apart from the olive oil until you get a paste. Slowly add the olive oil until emulsified. Season with salt and lemon.
Al-Wadi and Al-Jabal: embracing Ramadan’s cherished traditions
- Villagers, with unwavering devotion, pass down their customs, fostering a strong sense of community and shared experience
- Kitchens come alive with the aromas of local dishes — recipes passed down through generations — prepared with fresh ingredients from their own farms
RIYADH: Al-Wadi and Al-Jabal village in the Taif governorate in the western part of Saudi Arabia exemplifies the enduring power of cherished traditions during the holy month of Ramadan.
The villagers, with unwavering devotion, pass down their customs, fostering a strong sense of community and shared experience.
Throughout the holy month, the village displays a rich tapestry of noble practices, interwoven with the villagers’ daily agricultural work.
At dawn they tend to their fields, harvesting fruit and flowers, maintaining water channels for their ancient trees and livestock, and completing essential tasks such as wall construction and material transport.
Families in Al-Wadi and Al-Jabal village observe Ramadan traditions by thoroughly cleaning their homes, encouraging children to fast, and celebrating the first day with gifts.
Their kitchens come alive with the aromas of local dishes — recipes passed down through generations — prepared with fresh ingredients from their own farms.
Speaking to the Saudi Press Agency, farmer Khalaf Al-Nemri explained how fasting provides a sense of focus for daily tasks.
“My father and I continue the cultural practices passed down from our ancestors, including the tradition of sharing iftar in our rural community,” Al-Nemri said.
“Our village traditions emphasize love and unity with family and friends after Isha and Taraweeh prayers, often held in traditional Ramadan tents,” Al-Nemri added.
“These enduring bonds strengthen solidarity, family unity and neighborly ties, positively influencing children’s behavior during Ramadan.”
World Monuments Fund strengthens its presence to support heritage in Arab countries
- Organization has made significant contributions to the preservation of tangible heritage and has carried out 68 projects in 13 Arab countries since the mid-1990s
- Dr. Elie Flouty: We can now say that the WMF has an official presence in the region, which is rich in world heritage sites
RIYADH: The World Monuments Fund, which celebrates its sixth decade this year, has strengthened its official presence in Arab countries, organizing an exploratory tour in several countries including Saudi Arabia.
The organization has made significant contributions to the preservation of tangible heritage and has carried out 68 projects in 13 Arab countries since the mid-1990s.
At the end of last month, WMF organized an exploratory tour in several countries, including Kuwait, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
The delegation, composed of 45 individuals, was led by the fund’s president and CEO, Benedicte de Montlaur, with the attendance of Shaikha Mai bint Mohammed Al-Khalifa, board member of the fund, and Dr. Elie Flouty, the fund’s representative in the Arab countries, along with other members of the organization.
This tour marked the beginning of a stronger official presence of the WMF in the Arab region, coinciding with increasing official and unofficial Arab interest in heritage issues, preservation, and integrating this into economic, tourism and social development plans. This aligns with the WMF’s 60th anniversary celebration.
Dr. Elie Flouty said: “We can now say that the WMF has an official presence in the region, which is rich in world heritage sites. We will work with all Arab governmental and non-governmental entities and international institutions to safeguard our ancient Arab heritage. WMF is currently active in 14 sites across various Arab countries and collaborates with both governments and local communities to implement these projects, providing funding and expertise.”
Among the most significant initiatives of the WMF is the World Monuments Watch, a list of endangered sites issued every two years, which includes 25 historic places.
For the 2025 list, three sites from the Arab region were included — the Jewish heritage in Debdou in Morocco, the historic urban fabric of Gaza, and the water reservoirs (majels) in the Old City of Tunis.
The delegation’s tour in the Gulf region included several stops, starting in Kuwait where it visited the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development and Dr. Mohamed Al-Rumaihi discussed the history of Kuwait and its major economic and social milestones. The delegation visited the Soof Center for Spinning and the Grand Mosque, designed by architect Mohamed Saleh Makiya.
In Saudi Arabia, it visited the Islamic Arts Biennale in Jeddah, explored the Old City of Jeddah, and toured the home of architect Sami Angawi, which reflects the architecture of Hijaz.
They also visited Madinah and its major religious landmarks and concluded their visit to AlUla, a site rich in human heritage, natural and cultural landmarks.
In Bahrain, the delegation visited the city of Muharraq and the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Pearling Path, the Bahrain National Museum, and several houses within the Sheikh Ibrahim bin Mohammed Al-Khalifa Center for Culture and Research. They also visited Bahrain Fort and its museum, the Dilmun Burial Mounds listed on UNESCO’s World Heritage list.
WMF is the world’s leading non-governmental organization for heritage preservation. Headquartered in New York, the fund has offices in Peru, London, Paris, Spain, Portugal, India and China, with projects in 112 countries. It has worked on more than 700 heritage sites. WMF’s mission is to save the most threatened landmarks, whether from war or climate change.
Saudi filmmaker Ali Kalthami, Kuwaiti photographer Abdullah Alshayji give iPhone photography workshop in Riyadh
RIYADH: Photography enthusiasts in Riyadh had the opportunity to refine their skills at an exclusive iPhone photography workshop on March 5 at Sima Creative Space.
The event, organized in celebration of Ramadan, featured renowned Kuwaiti photographer Abdullah Alshayji and acclaimed Saudi film director Ali Kalthami, offering attendees a unique learning experience.
The workshop explored the advanced features of iPhone photography, equipping participants with innovative techniques to enhance their social media content. The event fostered a dynamic and collaborative environment, bringing together creatives eager to develop their visual storytelling skills.
One of the highlights of the workshop was Kalthami’s talk on his recent experience filming an iPhone advertisement. Speaking to Arab News, he recalled his initial surprise when tasked with directing the project using an iPhone 16 Pro instead of traditional camera equipment.
Kalthami said: “When I was assigned to create the iPhone ad I asked about the camera lenses, and they told me I would be using the iPhone 16 Pro instead.”
He noted that the smartphone’s compact size helped create a more relaxed atmosphere on set, adding: “The actors acted naturally, which made the filming process enjoyable.”
Kalthami — known for his film “Mandoob” and as the co-founder of Telfaz11 — expressed enthusiasm for integrating iPhone technology into future projects, particularly those requiring a raw, immersive feel.
He said: “Using the iPhone is much more convenient than heavy camera equipment as it can be easily placed anywhere. Some projects benefit from an organic feel, which the iPhone can deliver.”
He also shared insights into the preproduction process, revealing that the ad was filmed in the desert during the golden hour to achieve a cinematic aesthetic. To maximize the capabilities of the iPhone, he incorporated professional filmmaking tools such as a large monitor and stabilizer, proving that smartphone technology can deliver high-quality results.
Alshayji led hands-on demonstrations, showcasing the iPhone camera’s features and sharing expert tips on capturing high-quality images. Using models and objects, he guided participants through techniques to elevate their photography skills, ensuring they left the workshop with practical knowledge to apply to their creative pursuits.
REVIEW: Arab Australian debut cultivates hope, solidarity in rural New South Wales
JEDDAH: Escaping personal strife, a Muslim single mother carves a space for herself in the heart of rural Australia in “Translations,” an engrossing debut novel by Australia-born Palestinian-Egyptian writer Jumaana Abdu.
Set in New South Wales in the period just after the COVID-19 era with the threat of bushfires looming, the novel explores one woman’s efforts to cultivate not only the land but also a sense of belonging and identity on foreign soil.
In this story of self-discovery and resilience, Abdu intricately weaves in the broader theme of solidarity between First Nations of Australia and Palestinians — two nations grappling with colonization, dispossession and cultural erasure.
The novel’s title could be a reference to not just the transformation of the land through re-vegetation and restoration, but also the translations that characters undertake to bridge linguistic, cultural and emotional gaps between them — translation in this sense is portrayed as the language of solidarity and resistance.
Hidden within the trope of new beginnings in a small town, Abdu paints a powerful picture of mutual recognition and respect, of shared struggles, and the healing potential of intercultural bonds.
This is unveiled through Aliyah’s interactions with the community into which she slowly, and sometimes reluctantly, begins to integrate, including her conversations with Shep, the reserved Palestinian man from Gaza who she hires as a farmhand, and Billie, the wise and nurturing Kamilaroi midwife.
Love and faith are also focal elements in the story. Love in its many forms — romantic, familial, and communal — acts as a balm to past wounds for the Arab and Aboriginal characters, while faith, both in the divine and in human resilience, guides Aliyah, and her childhood friend Hana, through despair toward hope.
“Translations” is a profound exploration of not just the complex interplay between identity and trauma, but also a look at how love can bridge divides, and how shared histories of resistance can unite different peoples in their quest for peace and understanding.
In one pivotal moment in the story that carries a deep message, Shep discusses displacement and the “chain of loss and expulsion” with Billie’s husband Jack, an Aboriginal character, who poignantly says: “You want to wish for something, wish for the return of the land’s dignity.”
