Main Takeaways From El Gouna Film Festival: ‘I See It as a Hub for Arab Filmmakers’

Jacqueline Jossa, who shot to fame playing troubled teen Lauren Branning on EastEnders in 2010, has become one of the nation's favourite celebs. With her loving husband Dan Osborne and their two daughters, the former Queen of the Jungle often gives her 3.4 million Instagram followers a peek into her lovely life as she prepares to return to the soap over the festive season, with scenes in Paris, France being shown on New Year's Day 2024. We look at all the hurdles the star has jumped over on her way to becoming the nation's darling.

After a presumably very busy Christmas, the Radford family have headed to Disneyland Paris to see in the New Year, marking their 23rd holiday in two years. Parents-of-22 Sue, 48, and Noel, 52, who star in hit TV show 22 Kids & Counting, have whisked their brood off to Paris to end 2023 on a high, with Sue sharing some sweet photos of the getaway on the family's Instagram account.

They were testing the New Year’s Eve ball today in Times Square ahead of Sunday’s celebrations, but the real spectacle was happening on the streets.

Pro-Palestinian protesters gathered at the Trafford Centredemanding a ceasefire in Gaza. Crowds of demonstrators flooded the shopping destination waving flags and clutching banners.

$3.5 million price cut four months ago, signaling a struggle to entice potential purchasers into this opulent Versailles-inspired penthouse.Situated on Manhattan’s Upper East Side on 62nd Street near Fifth Avenue, the abode once owned by the comedic legend until her passing in 2014 was initially sold for $24 million by her estate — a considerable dip from the original $28 million asking price. Its current proprietor, Prince Muhammad bin Fahd of the Saudi royal family, son of the late King Fahd, and former governor of Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province, attempted a resale in 2021 at a staggering $38 million.This exquisite property boasts breathtaking views of Central Park, a grandeur that justifies its lofty valuation.

Bradley Cooper’s film “Maestro” premiered in Venice this fall, it seemed his moment of glory had finally arrived.The “Hangover” star’s direction of the prestige drama and his performance as famed “West Side Story” composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein were greeted enthusiastically by critics. The pretentious historical movie is, of course, the sort of thing the press tends to rubber-stamp automatically.The picture is about a real person; a big chunk of it was shot in black and white; the main character leads a secret gay life in New York City and ages some 40 years over the course of the story.

“Each year, First Feature Competition is something truly special. We can’t wait to introduce these emerging talents to the world.”, she adds.

Sally Nugent is best known for presenting BBC Breakfast, but this Christmas she's swapped the iconic red sofa for the Strictly Come Dancing ballroom as she gets set to star in the show's festive special. The journalist and presenter, 52, has quickly become a favourite among TV viewers after taking over presenting BBC Breakfast from Louise Minchin in October 2021. Sally fronts the show alongside fellow permanent presenters Jon Kay, Charlie Stayt, and Naga Munchetty.

It’s been an eventful 2023 for international TV and film. As the strikes shut down Hollywood and streamers retrenched from the mega-spends of the Covid era, shows and movies from far and wide came were already in demand like never before, as viewers look to new countries for inspiration. Call it the Squid Game effect, or whatever you want, but neither subtitles nor geographical boundaries are an impediment to content getting seen any more. Here, we run down each Deadline International journalist’s top pick from the year, for the most part avoiding spoilers (there are some though, so this is a fair warning). You’ll find big-ticket U.S. fare, Japanese anime, restaurant TV dramas and Australian newsroom stories among our eclectic selections.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Muvi Studios, the production arm of Saudi Arabia’s leading exhibition chain Muvi Cinemas, is ramping up production of Arabic movies with plans to release 10 titles spawned by its own pipeline in 2024, starting with comedy “Esabet Azeema” that will bow locally on Jan. 4. “Esabet Azeema,” which toplines Egyptian icon Esaad Younis making her hotly anticipated return to the big screen, is part of a co-production pact that Muvi struck in 2022 with prominent Egyptian studio Al Arabia Cinema.

EXCLUSIVE: Actor Lior Ashkenazi has boarded Israeli-American filmmaker Matthew Mishory‘s Mosolov’s Suitcase, exploring the life and legacy of Ukrainian, early Soviet era, avant-garde composer Alexander Mosolov.

John Bleasdale Guest Contributor South Korean director Hong Sang-soo was awarded the El Gouna Gold Star for best narrative film for his meditation on art and relationships, “In Our Day,” as the delayed edition of the El Gouna Film Festival held its closing ceremony on Thursday. The Italian animated film “A Greyhound of a Girl,” directed by Enzo D’Alò, and the Brazilian director Guto Parente’s “A Strange Path” picked up the Silver and Bronze Stars respectively.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Neha Dhupia (“A Thursday”) and Adil Hussain (“Life of Pi”) will star in Egyptian director Ali El Arabi‘s upcoming drama “Blue 52,” about a young Indian soccer fan’s journey as a migrant worker to the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. El Arabi’s “Blue 52” chronicles the true tale of a young man named Ashish, who is a fervent soccer fan.

When Asha Daniels filed her illegal retaliatory termination, racial and sexual harassment lawsuit against Lizzo and her touring team in September, the Grammy winner bashed the action by her former tour wardrobe designer as “a bogus, absurd publicity-stunt.” Now, the ‘Truth Hurts” singer and her Big Grrl Big Touring, Inc. want a state judge to toss the matter out.

A woman was rescued from a lake in Rochdale by emergency crews. Police, firefighters, paramedics and rescue units were called to Hollingworth Lake in Littleborough just after 7.30pm last night (Thursday).

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor European Film Promotion has revealed the 10 emerging actors who will take part in the 27th edition of European Shooting Stars program, which promotes European acting talent. Past Shooting Stars have included Carey Mulligan, Alicia Vikander, Maisie Williams and Riz Ahmed. From Feb.

French director Justine Triet’s Cannes Palme d’Or winning film Anatomy Of A Fall swept the awards at 36th European Film Awards in Berlin this evening, winning Best European Film, Director, Screenplay (with Arthur Harari) and actress for Sandra Hüller.

While fans wait for “Gangs Of London” Season 3, how about a film directed by one of the TV show’s directors? “Mayhem!” doesn’t star anyone from the British crime series, but it operates in a similar vein: a crime-ridden tale about violence, vengeance, and the value of family. READ MORE: The Most Anticipated Films Of 2024 “Mayhem!” follows a French ex-pro boxer released from prison who escapes to Thailand after his past catches up with him.

The third annual Red Sea Film Festival handed out its Yusr Awards on Thursday night, with Zarrar Kahn’s In Flames taking Best Feature and Farah Nabulsi’s The Teacher scoring a pair of wins including Best Actor for Saleh Bakri. See the full list below.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Egyptian-Austrian director Abu Bakr Shawky, who in 2018 made a splash when his first feature “Yomeddine” had the rare distinction of making the competition cut for Cannes, is back on the festival circuit with Saudi-set adventure movie “Hajjan.” Shawky’s big-budget epic follow-up, which launched from Toronto’s Discovery section, is now premiering regionally at Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Festival in Jeddah, where it screened Monday to roaring applause as an out-of-competition gala. Somewhat similarly to “Yomeddine” – which involved the desert voyage of a leper, a donkey and a child – “Hajjan” also involves a journey across the desert.