Culture

Lotfy Nathan's 'Harka' is an engulfing expedition of Tunisian torment. Cast as lead Ali, French-Tunisian actor Adam Bessa speaks to The New Arab about his process to empathise with the character and tells of Tunisia's cultural and societal strife.

Mohammed Bouazizi's self-immolation set in motion a new era in the Arab world. The New Arab meets Lotfy Nathan, director of the Cannes-nominated Harka, who reminds us of our human urge to empathise with those thrust into tumultuous circumstances.

Post-sanctions, Iranian cinema often falls into the trap of trauma and hopelessness. Hassan Nazer's third film Winners bucks this trend, returns Iranian film back to its creative roots and suggests a more optimistic future for the country's youth.

In his latest effort, young Lebanese director Karim Kassem crafts a rich microcosm of hopeless characters living in and around a countryside mechanical workshop.

Mariam Al Astrulabi helped develop navigation and timekeeping as we know it. A pioneer of the astrolabe, a scientific device used to calculate the position of the sun and stars, Mariam's achievements have been recognised for over a millennium.

To commemorate the International Day of Tatreez and Palestinian culture, we met with The Tatreez Sisters, an online platform started by two British-Palestinian women living in the diaspora, that stitch together Palestinian culture and identity.

When life crumbles around you, how do you seek shelter? Using photographs, illustrative maps and drawings, Dr. Sana Murrani's visual archive 'Ruptured Domesticity' maps Iraqi lived experiences of war and treasures their spatial ingenuity to survive.

Renowned Palestinian literary giant Salma Khadra Jayyusi has died, leaving a rich legacy behind her which spans Arabic literature teaching, poetry and translation, as well as having brought about a deeper appreciation of Arabic culture in the West.

A new exhibition has arrived at London’s Kew Gardens, taking inspiration from the Holy Quran. Curated by botanical artist Sue Wickison and Dr Shahina Ghazanfar, the project cultivates a new sense of wonder for our earthly, natural surroundings.

Nostalgically referred to as a 'golden age' due to the surge of creativity and perceived economic success, Beirut in the 1960s is fondly remembered. A new exhibition showing at Doha's Mathaf interrogates this claim by tracing the city's trajectory.