Arab Celebrities Shine at the 80th Venice Film Festival Opening Ceremony
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Salma Hossein
- . August 31, 2023
- . Update: August 31, 2023 6:33 pm
Mohammed Al-Turki, the CEO of the Red Sea Film Festival in Saudi Arabia, attended Wednesday’s opening ceremony of the 80th Venice Film Festival. Al-Turki strolled the red carpet in a chic black tuxedo by Giorgio Armani, joined by presenter Raya Abirached from Lebanon. Rami Al-Ali, a Syrian designer, created an off-white guipure mermaid gown for Abirached that included exquisite crystal and leaf tassels from his Fall/Winter 2023 collection. The elegance of the Arab celebrities’ outfits caught the audience’s attention at the event.
Adding to the Arab presence on the red carpet, renowned Lebanese celebrity designer Zuhair Murad showcased his creativity through Italian model Paola Turani. She wore a slim-fitting, white halter dress with delicate, magnificent workmanship from the Resort 2024 collection of Murad. The combination of worldwide splendour and Arab fashion was accentuated by the ensemble.
Notable members of the Arab film community also took part in the opening ceremony, including Moroccan director Faouzi Bensadi, Palestinian actor Saleh Bakri, and Tunisian director Kaouther ben Hania. The anticipation increased as Nadine Labaki, a Lebanese actress and filmmaker who served on this year’s jury, was ready to walk the red carpet. Elsa Zylberstein, a French Cesar Award-winning actor and producer, Mexican actor Yalitza Aparicio, British-Nigerian playwright Misan Sagay, and renowned Italian filmmaker Stefano Savona were among the jury members that followed Labaki.
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The festival’s scheduled opening film, “Challengers,” a tennis-themed love story starring Zendaya, was changed at the last minute due to ongoing Hollywood writers’ and actors’ strikes. The strikes, which were mostly motivated by financial issues and worries that AI may eventually replace them in publicity work, forced the replacement of the movie with the Italian war epic “Comandante.” The festival’s schedule was largely unaffected by this alteration. Attendees may expect to watch a number of Oscar hopefuls, including Bradley Cooper as renowned conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein in “Maestro,” Emma Stone as a figure resembling Frankenstein in “Poor Things,” and many other actors.
The festival may be followed on Instagram at @arabnews.lifestyle for the most recent developments. The notable appearance of Arab superstars at the Venice Film Festival’s opening ceremony further demonstrates the significance and influence of Arab talent in the entertainment sector on a global scale.
