DUBAI: Dubai-based Hollywood star Lindsay Lohan took to Instagram to thank fans after her latest festive film “Our Little Secret” became Netflix’s No. 1 streamed movie this week.

“Thank you for everyone who tuned in,” she wrote on Instagram Stories.

The actress — who is married to Kuwaiti financier Bader Shammas — also showed her appreciation for the MENA region when she appeared on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” recently in an outfit from Lebanese designer Zuhair Murad’s Resort 2025 ready-to-wear collection, which included a black, long-sleeved top with structured shoulders and silver jeweled detailing down one side. The ensemble was completed with a matching black skirt, paired with black heels.

Lohan also attended the premiere of the romantic comedy in a Murad outfit, choosing a black gown from the label’s spring/summer 2025 ready-to-wear collection. The sleeveless dress featured a plunging neckline with two statement crystal-embellished motifs at the midriff.

The flowing skirt incorporated sheer panels, and she topped off the look with open-toe black heels and subtle jewelry, and her hair in soft waves.

“Our Little Secret” tells the story of Avery (Lohan) who is planning to spend Christmas with her boyfriend’s family. Things take an unexpected turn when she discovers that ex-boyfriend Logan (played by Ian Harding) is also joining the festivities, as it transpires their current partners are siblings. Avery and Logan must navigate the holiday while ensuring their former relationship remains a secret.

Lohan will next be returning to her Disney roots by reuniting with Jamie Lee Curtis for next year’s “Freaky Friday” sequel, titled “Freakier Friday.”

The film was shot over the summer and had Lohan feeling like a child again, she told ABC’s “Nightline.”

“I think really for me was when I went onto the Disney lot,” Lohan said. “And being back on the Disney lot because that’s not just ‘Freaky Friday’ for me. That’s ‘The Parent Trap,’ that’s ‘Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen,’ that’s ‘Herbie.’ It’s so many moments for me. So when I got there, I kind of felt like this essence of a little kid again.”

“I’m so grateful for every moment of it, every second,” she said of being back on the lot. “I’m going to, like, get emotional. It’s a great experience.”

DUBAI: Following part one, here is the second half of our rundown of the films in competition at this year’s RSIFF, which begins Dec. 5. 

‘Seeking Haven For Mr. Rambo’ 

Director: Khaled Mansour 

Mansour’s debut feature will tug at the heartstrings of animal lovers. Set in Cairo, the film centers on 30-year-old Hassan, who faces eviction from the home he shares with his mother and his dog, Rambo. Their landlord, Karem, wants them out so he can expand his auto-repair workshop. When Karem attacks Hassan, Rambo steps in, and the landlord is humiliated in front of the whole neighborhood. Karem vows to take revenge. Mansour told Deadline that the film is “not about extreme violence against dogs, but about me and my generation’s relationship with society … That relationship in which we always feel chased in our city like stray dogs. At the same time, we do not know any other haven to belong to.” Mansour’s film was backed by the Red Sea Film Foundation.  

‘Sima’s Song’ 

Director: Roya Sadat 

Starring: Mozhdah Jamalzadah, Niloufar Kookhani, Aziz Deildar 

Sadat has established herself as one of Afghanistan’s leading filmmakers. Her latest feature is a period piece, set in Kabul in 1978, and follows two friends — Suraya, a wealthy communist, and Sima, a not-so-wealthy Muslim conservative — navigating their country’s transition to socialism, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, and the rise of anti-Soviet resistance, including the mujahideen. With the Taliban once again controlling her country, Sadat’s film is a timely one. “The world has turned a blind eye and a deaf ear to what is happening to Afghan women,” she told Variety. “Perhaps this film can … invite the audience to join this collective call for solidarity through a shared sense of empathy.” 

‘Aïcha’ 

Director: Mehdi M. Barsaoui 

Starring: Fatma Sfar, Nidhal Saadi, Yasmine Dimassi 

The Tunisian filmmaker’s second feature — which was backed by the Red Sea Film Foundation — is reportedly based on real-life events. A dissatisfied woman in her late twenties, Aya, is the sole survivor of a bus crash. Realizing that no one knows she is alive, she impetuously takes the opportunity to flee to Tunis under a false identity. But when she witnesses a crime, she learns just how precarious her new life is. 

‘6 in the Morning’ 

Director: Mehran Modiri 

Starring: Samira Hasanpour, Mehrdad Sedighian, Mona Farjad 

Multi-hyphenate Modiri is, according to the Tehran Times, “Iran’s leading social satirist.” In his latest feature, a young woman named Sarah is due to leave Tehran for Canada for three years to study for her doctorate. The night before her 6 a.m. flight, after a tense final family dinner, she heads out to a farewell party at her friend’s apartment. Then there’s a knock on the door from the police. 

‘To Kill a Mongolian Horse’ 

Director: Xiaoxuan Jiang 

Starring: Saina, Undus, Qilemuge, Tonggalag 

The Manchurian filmmaker’s moving debut feature is the story of a Mongolian horseman (played by Jiang’s real-life friend Saina) who decides to become a performer in the hugely popular local horse shows, where Saina’s spectacular stunts help him make enough money to support his young son and cover his father’s gambling debts. But all Saina really wants is to care for his beloved sheep and horses on the wild grasslands — a way of life threatened by climate change and capitalism.  

‘Saba’ 

Director: Maksud Hossain 

Starring: Mehazabien Chowdury, Rokeya Prachy, Mostafa Monwar 

The Bangladeshi filmmaker directorial debut has already impressed on the festival circuit. The title character is the sole carer for her paraplegic mother Shirin. When Shirin suffers a heart attack, Saba rushes to sell their home, putting her life on hold in order to save her mother. Variety called it “a pressing work of social realism, expressing — in quiet but poignant ways — the tenor of the nation’s disaffected youth.” 

‘My Friend An Delie’ 

Director: Zijian Dong 

Starring: Liu Haoran, Zijian Dong 

Li Mo is flying home for his father’s funeral when he bumps into his former best friend An Delie, whom he hasn’t seen since middle school and who insists he doesn’t know Li Mo — even though they are both heading to the same funeral. With their flight diverted, the two embark on a long drive together. Through flashbacks to the late Nineties, we see the formation of their friendship and the difficult relationships both had with their parents.   

‘Bin U Bin, Elsewhere the Border’ 

Director: Mohamed Lakhdar Tati 

Starring: Salim Kechiouche, Slimane Dazi, Hanaa Mansour 

Tati’s atmospheric drama is set in the unforgiving desert on the Algerian border. Saad is a filmmaker trying to scrape enough money together to finish his movie. To do so, he has been living with his friend Fethi and his family who are professional smugglers, taking goods — usually fuel — into Tunisia. While Fethi and his family have welcomed Saad into their home, he remains, essentially, an outsider.