The secret to the perfect working relationship seems to lie in finishing each other's sentences. For the British filmmakers Richard Symons and Joanna Natasegara it's proof of how tapped in they are to each other's mindset. Sitting in a London cafe discussing their documentary series on leadership - a gargantuan ongoing project focusing on 12 of the world's most renowned presidents and prime ministers - they often unwittingly interrupt each other to finish a point or clarify an idea.
There's clearly a strong meeting of minds. But that doesn't mean they always share the same views, especially when it comes to choosing the leaders for their series. "We often disagree about leadership decisions, stars of leadership and how genuine the obstacles are that each leader faces," says the producer Natasegara, smiling. "And in our discussions we found that if the debate was of interest to us, it probably would be for other people as well."
It's just days before the pair are to fly to the Dubai International Film Festival for the Middle Eastern premiere of the first film in their Price of Kings series, focusing on the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. So far they've completed filming for three leaders, with documentaries on Israel's Shimon Peres and the ex-president of Costa Rica, Óscar Arias, to follow early next year.
Showing in the Arabian Nights category, the Arafat film retells the peaks and troughs of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through an impressive roster of interviewees that includes Peres, Fatah's Tawfik Tirawi and - the biggest coup of all - Arafat's widow Suha.
"We were incredibly lucky in that Suha Arafat agreed to sit down for a series of interviews as she's never done before," says Natasegara. "Nobody has spent three days over a series of interviews really talking to her about her husband and their relationship."
Despite the fact that the film explores key moments in the past few decades of the tumultuous Israeli-Palestinian relationship - from the highs of 1993's Oslo Accords to the lows of the Israeli president Yitzhak Rabin's assassination in 1995 and the siege of Arafat's compound before his death in 2004 - the filmmakers are keen to stress that the documentary isn't political. This is a personal history, they argue, retold by its protagonists. It's designed as an educational tool; an attempt to understand why leaders make the choices they make.
The result is a moving and well-handled documentary; no mean task given the weight and complexity of the subject they were handling. "Something that runs through all the films we make is very human conflict between conscience, morality, religion and looking after your fellow men," says Symons, the director and owner of Spirit Level Films, the production company behind the project. "We were certainly very aware [of the sensitivities of the subject matter] and wary of that. But one of the reasons we got incredibly candid responses from Suha Arafat and Shimon Peres - and the rest of the contributors - was that this isn't a political documentary. We were there to learn."
There's no doubt that the filmmakers coax an extremely frank interview from Arafat's wife and she is frequently moved to tears. Talking about the birth of the couple's daughter, who had to leave hospital wrapped in bulletproof protection, she explains that it caused the Palestinian leader to readdress his priorities and realise that violence couldn't continue to envelop future generations. It's a fascinating revelation about a leader who is often remembered for the wrong reasons and continues to be misunderstood.
Indeed, of the initial three films in the Price of Kings series, Arafat and Peres are higher-profile names than the ex-president of Costa Rica, Arias, even though the latter managed to unite his country and help bring an end to the cycle of violence in Central America. "What's interesting is that the leader you've heard of least is the one who made it," says Natasegara. "We forget success and remember failure."
Although Arafat left behind a divided leadership and failed to achieve peace in the Middle East, reading history books or newspaper headlines often doesn't give the full picture, the pair argue. An interview in the film with Arafat's nephew, Dr Nasser Al Qidwa, shows there was a lot more to his character than the public was aware of. After Rabin's assassination, Al Qidwa couldn't understand Arafat's mortified, silent reaction at losing an Israeli leader committed to peace. "He looked at me in a way as if to say I understood nothing. And clearly he was right," Al Qidwa says.
"I would never have thought that Arafat was so attached to Rabin and that was such a genuine reaction," says Natasegara. "The fact that it was private and nobody knew about it is a terrible shame because maybe if the Israeli population had known, they may have been more prone to push Peres into action and to get what Rabin started finished."
Part of the secret behind the filmmakers' success is their use of a piece of equipment known as the "interrotron", the name given to it by its pioneer Errol Morris, the director of The Fog of War. The equipment uses a camera combined with an autocue screen. But instead of words, Symons face is projected on to the screen while he and Natasegara sit behind a curtain asking questions. Interviewees engage directly with Symons face, instead of a camera lens.
Despite its name, Symons says the set-up is nothing like an interrogation. "It feels like you're having a really, really honest conversation, one-on-one, with somebody in an intimate setting," he argues. "We're trying to get that feeling of sitting across a table and chatting with someone honestly."
The pair are animated about the film getting its Middle Eastern premiere in Dubai - and the fact that Suha Arafat will be attending in person to introduce it. They have already shown the film to the Palestinian leadership with positive results and although Symons says they're "slightly nervous", both are keen for feedback from a regional audience. It's all part of what remains a work-in-progress project and they're encouraging members of the public to suggest other leaders they should consider for forthcoming films.
For now, Symons and Natasegara are working flat-out putting the finishing editing touches to the next two films in the series with Helena Bonham-Carter on board to add a new voiceover to the Arafat and Peres films.
So can they divulge which leader they'll be focusing on for film number four? Natasegara toes the official line, firing back that presidential schedules are private and to be confirmed. Symons, however, can't resist giving a little taster. "It feels like we'll be travelling to Africa next," he says with a twinkle in his eyes.
The Price of Kings - Yasser Arafat is showing at First Group Theatre, Souk Madinat Jumeirah tomorrow at 8.45pm, in a screening that will be introduced by Arafat's wife Suha; it will show again at the Mall of the Emirates on Saturday at 12.30pm. For more information, visit www.priceofkings.co.uk and www.dubaifilmfest.com
artslife@thenational.ae
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20HyveGeo%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202023%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Abdulaziz%20bin%20Redha%2C%20Dr%20Samsurin%20Welch%2C%20Eva%20Morales%20and%20Dr%20Harjit%20Singh%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ECambridge%20and%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%208%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESustainability%20%26amp%3B%20Environment%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%24200%2C000%20plus%20undisclosed%20grant%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EVenture%20capital%20and%20government%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDirect%20Debit%20System%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Sept%202017%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%20with%20a%20subsidiary%20in%20the%20UK%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20FinTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Undisclosed%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Elaine%20Jones%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%208%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.3-litre%20turbo%204-cyl%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E10-speed%20auto%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E298hp%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E452Nm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETowing%20capacity%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3.4-tonne%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPayload%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4WD%20%E2%80%93%20776kg%3B%20Rear-wheel%20drive%20819kg%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPrice%3A%20Dh138%2C945%20(XLT)%20Dh193%2C095%20(Wildtrak)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EDelivery%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20from%20August%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs: 2019 Aston Martin DBS Superleggera
Price, base: Dh1.2 million
Engine: 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 725hp @ 6,500pm
Torque: 900Nm @ 1,800rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.3L / 100km (estimate)
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
Chelsea 2 Burnley 3
Chelsea Morata (69'), Luiz (88')
Burnley Vokes (24', 43'), Ward (39')
Red cards Cahill, Fabregas (Chelsea)
Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
What%20is%20Dungeons%20%26%20Dragons%3F%20
%3Cp%3EDungeons%20%26amp%3B%20Dragons%20began%20as%20an%20interactive%20game%20which%20would%20be%20set%20up%20on%20a%20table%20in%201974.%20One%20player%20takes%20on%20the%20role%20of%20dungeon%20master%2C%20who%20directs%20the%20game%2C%20while%20the%20other%20players%20each%20portray%20a%20character%2C%20determining%20its%20species%2C%20occupation%20and%20moral%20and%20ethical%20outlook.%20They%20can%20choose%20the%20character%E2%80%99s%20abilities%2C%20such%20as%20strength%2C%20constitution%2C%20dexterity%2C%20intelligence%2C%20wisdom%20and%20charisma.%20In%20layman%E2%80%99s%20terms%2C%20the%20winner%20is%20the%20one%20who%20amasses%20the%20highest%20score.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
If you go
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Funchal via Lisbon, with a connecting flight with Air Portugal. Economy class returns cost from Dh3,845 return including taxes.
The trip
The WalkMe app can be downloaded from the usual sources. If you don’t fancy doing the trip yourself, then Explore offers an eight-day levada trails tour from Dh3,050, not including flights.
The hotel
There isn’t another hotel anywhere in Madeira that matches the history and luxury of the Belmond Reid's Palace in Funchal. Doubles from Dh1,400 per night including taxes.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESmartCrowd%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2018%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESiddiq%20Farid%20and%20Musfique%20Ahmed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDubai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%20%2F%20PropTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%24650%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2035%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeries%20A%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EVarious%20institutional%20investors%20and%20notable%20angel%20investors%20(500%20MENA%2C%20Shurooq%2C%20Mada%2C%20Seedstar%2C%20Tricap)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
So what is Spicy Chickenjoy?
Just as McDonald’s has the Big Mac, Jollibee has Spicy Chickenjoy – a piece of fried chicken that’s crispy and spicy on the outside and comes with a side of spaghetti, all covered in tomato sauce and topped with sausage slices and ground beef. It sounds like a recipe that a child would come up with, but perhaps that’s the point – a flavourbomb combination of cheap comfort foods. Chickenjoy is Jollibee’s best-selling product in every country in which it has a presence.
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
SPECS
Toyota land Cruiser 2020 5.7L VXR
Engine: 5.7-litre V8
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 362hp
Torque: 530Nm
Price: Dh329,000 (base model 4.0L EXR Dh215,900)
WIDE%20VIEW
%3Cp%3EThe%20benefits%20of%20HoloLens%202%2C%20according%20to%20Microsoft%3A%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EManufacturing%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Reduces%20downtime%20and%20speeds%20up%20onboarding%20and%20upskilling%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngineering%20and%20construction%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Accelerates%20the%20pace%20of%20construction%20and%20mitigates%20risks%20earlier%20in%20the%20construction%20cycle%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EHealth%20care%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Enhances%20the%20delivery%20of%20patient%20treatment%20at%20the%20point%20of%20care%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEducation%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Improves%20student%20outcomes%20and%20teaches%20from%20anywhere%20with%20experiential%20learning%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Orwell Prize for Political Writing
Twelve books were longlisted for The Orwell Prize for Political Writing. The non-fiction works cover various themes from education, gender bias, and the environment to surveillance and political power. Some of the books that made it to the non-fiction longlist include:
- Appeasing Hitler: Chamberlain, Churchill and the Road to War by Tim Bouverie
- Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me by Kate Clanchy
- Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez
- Follow Me, Akhi: The Online World of British Muslims by Hussein Kesvani
- Guest House for Young Widows: Among the Women of ISIS by Azadeh Moaveni
Company profile
Name: Tratok Portal
Founded: 2017
Based: UAE
Sector: Travel & tourism
Size: 36 employees
Funding: Privately funded