The epic neo-noir sci-fi film Blade Runner 2049 is now available for free streaming, allowing fans to enjoy the 2017 hit from the comfort of their own homes. The movie can be viewed on BBC iPlayer, but will only be available on the platform for another 29 days. Serving as a sequel to the original…
Tourism Australia executive general manager of commercial business events Australia, Robin Mack, shares insights into the country’s growing appeal as a key destination for international business events.As a new calendar year begins, the momentum of Australia’s business events sector continues to surge. The findings of our 2024 Business Events Consumer Demand Project reaffirms what many of us in the Australian business events industry already know: Australia remains a top destination choice among incentive and association decision-makers from around the world.
The annual research project reveals a positive outlook for international business events both in Australia and globally. With almost two-thirds of event decision-makers anticipating budget increases, the opportunities for growth and innovation across our industry are boundless. With bigger budgets comes the potential for larger, more impactful events, a trend we’re already seeing in the growing scale of international business events set to take place in Australia. Perth will host close to a thousand delegates for major aviation conference Routes Asia in March 2025, while Melbourne is set to welcome more than 10,000 Amway China delegates for their Leadership Seminar incentive this year.
Our research also reiterates that sustainability remains a vital consideration, with two-thirds of decision-makers surveyed citing it as a key factor in destination choice. Australia’s commitment to sustainable practices continues to bolster our global reputation, ensuring that we remain not only a desirable destination but a responsible one.
Our efforts to showcase Australia’s exceptional event offerings and new developments have been amplified by the success of our signature incentive event, Australia Next. Following showcase events in 2023 and 2024, we are thrilled the event will return for a third consecutive year in Melbourne this December. From its globally renowned venues and diverse accommodation options, to its proximity to breathtaking landscapes like the Great Ocean Road and the Yarra Valley, we look forward to showcasing the best of Melbourne.
The leads generated from initiatives like Australia Next are translating into real business outcomes, reinforcing the critical role our business events sector plays in the growth of Australia’s international visitation and spend.
Australia’s big landscapes truly do inspire big thinking. Recent events such as Electric Mine in Perth, the ICA Conference on the Gold Coast and MAST 24 in Adelaide demonstrate Australia’s versatility in hosting large-scale association events across a range of industries. Check out the video Case Studies on the Business Events Australia website for an in-depth look at how some of these recent events came to life across Australia.
For the latest information on Australia’s event capabilities, including details of our unprecedented infrastructure development through new hotel and venue openings, or for a personal introduction to our industry, please reach out to our general manager business events, commercial & industry, Kelly Maynard, at [email protected].
I hope the stories and insights in this Australia Supplement spark your imagination on the endless possibilities that await and inspire you to bring your next unforgettable event Down Under – Australia is ready to welcome you!
Put these new releases on your 2025 reading this. Courtesy the publishers
If reading more was your New Year’s resolution, but you haven’t cracked open a single book, look no further than our must-read non-fiction picks for 2025. These are some of the best new releases—a list that includes a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer’s reimagining of contemporary criticism and a kaleidoscopic retelling of Princess Diana’s real life and enduring legacy.
We promise these non-fiction titles are anything but boring and will have you roused (as with the damning tell-all on the machinations of Spotify) and engrossed (as with the encyclopedic work traversing wild doomsday theories). Whether you escape into the golden age of magazines or get inspired by past feminist political movements, your reading time will be an edifying and restorative experience.
Just FYI, some of these books aren’t out yet, so it’s up to you whether to pre-order now—just get your bookmarks ready.
When the Going Was Good by Graydon Carter
When the Going Was Good by Graydon Carter. Penguin Press
There was a time when magazines gave writers handsome stipends to chase leads and promised readers enticingly glossy tell-alls. Famed Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter waxes lyrical in When the Going Was Good, recounting highlights from his illustrious career—working at the satirical monthly Spy and, yes, right here at Observer—and sharing what it was like to collect a stable of lauded writers and photographers under one roof. The dishy book promises revealing tales from a formerly decadent media era, in particular shaping Vanity Fair into the epicenter of Hollywood, power and celebrity it is today.
Wages for Housework by Emily Callaci
Wages for Housework by Emily Callaci. Seal Press
Some may not know, or even have heard, the story of “Wages for Housework,” a bold political campaign that first advanced during second-wave feminism. It was a global movement in which women demanded that homemaking and childcare be paid like production in industry. In the perceptive Wages for Housework, historian Emily Callaci digs into this seemingly far-reaching crusade, presenting new archival material and extensive interviews that show passionate everyday women arguing for equity and access under a capitalist system that only ever compensates one kind of labor.
Authority: Essays by Andrea Long Chu
Authority: Essays by Andrea Long Chu. Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Andrea Long Chu is a Pulitzer Prize-winning critic and an astute public intellectual, and Authority: Essays sees the formidable thinker share her long-form essays exploring the history of criticism and its current “crisis” of authority: pieces that offer a new playbook for understanding how our judgments can sometimes—and sometimes not—be correct. Paired alongside these title essays are infamous “takedowns,” including critical works on the likes of fellow writers Maggie Nelson and Zadie Smith that have galvanized Chu as a critic of rigor and erudition.
Everything Must Go by Dorian Lynskey
Everything Must Go by Dorian Lynskey. Pantheon
Every few years, even decades, a media frenzy emerges about the imminent end of the world. In Everything Must Go, journalist and podcaster Dorian Lynskey deftly catalogs the many panicked—and nowadays, sometimes real—Armageddon fantasies we hear about: Y2k, plagues, nuclear war, climate change. Interspersed are analyses of the movies, novels and TV shows that relish depicting humanity’s demise, which Lynskey argues have been used throughout history to understand worldwide tragedies and assuage our increasingly daily existential angst.
Mood Machine by Liz Pelly
Mood Machine by Liz Pelly. Atria/One Signal Publishers
Now that the afterglow of Spotify Wrapped has ended, it’s time to get serious about the corrosive and consequential music platform. That’s according to Liz Pelly, author of Mood Machine, a new riveting cultural exposé that argues Spotify rips off musicians and discourages the development of new music and artists. The book proves a rousing indictment of the Swedish streaming service, which Pelly reveals as selling users’ data and numbing listeners into the same sounds via algorithms behind their curated playlists.
SEE ALSO: 11 Short Books to Help You Jumpstart Your 2025 Reading Resolutions
Warhol’s Muses by Laurence Leamer
Warhol’s Muses by Laurence Leamer. G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Andy Warhol was so obsessed with celebrity that he not only telegraphed it in his art but also decided to create his own coterie of bespoke stars. In Warhol’s Muses, biographer Laurence Leamer tells the engrossing tale of the ten women known as the “Superstars” who Warhol sought to turn into major celebrities. With a rampant supply of drugs, casual sex and physical suffering, Warhol ultimately made them famous. Against the turbulent 1960s, the book contrasts Warhol’s exploitation of these naïve hangers-on against a time when women started imagining emancipation for themselves.
Lorne by Susan Morrison
Lorne by Susan Morrison. Random House
Saturday Night Live has been on TV for almost 50 years, and one man has largely lorded over the program: Lorne Michaels. New Yorker editor Susan Morrison gives a lively and spirited account of Michaels’ reign in Lorne—an incumbency that first started with a pitch in 1974 for a show that would satirize popular culture for a new generation. With Morrison following Lorne around for present-day SNL tapings, the comic mastermind is revealed—through his résumé and his hustle—as one enterprising and magnetizing leader.
How to be Avant-Garde by Morgan Falconer
How to be Avant-Garde by Morgan Falconer. Norton
In How to be Avant-Garde, art historian Morgan Falconer reexamines the story of the 20th-century art movements—dadaism, surrealism, futurism—grouped together under the banner “avant-garde.” Each may have had a different aesthetic approach, but all were dedicated to defying institutional artistic gatekeeping and challenging conservative societal views. Falconer delivers a forceful account of recalcitrant artists, inspired by anger and fueled by disillusion, remaking art outside a “mechanized world.”
On Air by Steve Oney
On Air by Steve Oney. Simon and Schuster
National Public Radio (NPR) might get plenty of loyalty and love but not much money. On Air sees journalist Steve Oney give a detailed history of the beloved but beleaguered public radio station, an institution that has had a liberal roster of hosts and journalists but a checked relationship with its sometimes conservative overlord, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Offering insights into not-for-profit media and the inner workings of the lauded outlet, On Air has been in the works for a decade, so prepare for some fearless and revealing reporting.
Y2k by Colette Shade
Y2K by Colette Shade. Dey Street Books
Y2K is a humorous look back at the turn of the last century, an era when technology was fun, and the economy was abundant. Retracing the period from 1997 to 2008, culture journalist Colette Shade provides an arch examination of the era beyond fashion trends and flip phones. Here, Shade covers everything from tabloid-fueled mistreatment of female celebrities to the 2008 housing crash, making daring and elevated connections (like between neoliberal economics and our past obsession with thinness in beauty standards).
Fail Better by Hal Foster
Fail Better by Hal Foster. MIT Press
Hal Foster, a prolific art critic and commentator, retraces the history of art criticism from the 1960s to the present in the punchy Fail Better. In this selection of essays, Foster pairs reflections on artists like Jasper Johns and Gerhard Richter with larger “reckonings” on the tensions between art criticism and politics over the last sixty years. With wit and scholarship, Foster advances new ways to transform our thinking and approach to contemporary art in this provocative essay collection.
Dianaworld by Edward White
Dianaworld by Edward White. W. W. Norton & Company
Almost thirty years after her death, Diana Princess of Wales continues to fascinate new generations of people and fuel our popular culture. In Dianaworld, writer Edward White explores how so many continue to project their politics and beliefs onto the dearly departed royal—from the Brexit movement to #MeToo. The book’s kaleidoscopic approach takes stories from Diana’s private world (via interviews with former confidantes) and pairs them with confessions offered up by present-day fans, from drag queens to Gen Z TikTokers, who continue worshiping the icon.
The Dominica Business Forum says it is pleased that the Government of Dominica has accepted an invitation to participate in a public discussion on the Electoral Reform Bills that are awaiting 2nd and 3rd Reading before parliament. The discussion will be held at the Public Service Union building on Wednesday January 22nd at 6 pm.…
MEDIA — Despite the bitter cold weather accompanied by snow over the weekend, a couple thousand people poured into Media Theatre from Jan. 17 through 20, to watch the first showings of “Delco: The Movie” on the big screen.“Delco: The Movie,” filmed in Delaware County in 2023-24, made its debut Friday night with an exciting and glitzy, invitation-only premiere, complete with a Red Carpet entrance, a reception catered by local county eateries and a question-and-answer session with cast and crew on stage following the film.Public screenings continued the next three days, with several shows on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. At least 2,000 people bought tickets for the weekend’s debut screenings.A coming-of-age dramedy set in 2004, the indie feature film, written, directed and produced by Delaware County native and Sun Valley graduate Chris Pierdomenico, stars up and coming local actors Steve Harding, Jenna Kuerzi and Jeff Pfeiffer with a supporting cast of film veterans, including Brian O’Halloran (“Clerks”), Brian Dunkleman (“American Idol”), Brian Anthony Wilson (“The Wire”), Leah Cevoli (“Robot Chicken”) and J.J. Cohen (“Back to The Future”).“Delco: The Movie” director/writer/creator Chris Pierdomenico is all smiles on the red carpet with his fellow Sun Valley alum Leah Cevoli, who was the main fundraiser/promoter of the film. (PEG DEGRASSA – DAILY TIMES)Although O’Halloran is a veteran actor with a long list of film credits to his name, including Kevin Smith’s “Clerks I,” “II” and “III,” “Mallrats” and many others, he said he still gets a little nervous before a film debut.“I’m not nervous about my performance, because I was in control of that,” he said. “Until I see the performance on screen, I get somewhat nervous how it will be perceived. Because in the end, how my performance comes off is out of my hands and in the hands of the director.”O’Halloran said it was not the first time that he was in an indie film.“I love these kinds of independent films,” he said. “When I first heard about the film, I thought, ‘Let me see what this Delco thing is all about.’ I quickly realized how much heart went into this project and what beautiful thing it is when a whole community gets behind a film.”Sean and Catt Garlick, owners of Roma Deli in Holmes, arrived at the “Delco: The Movie” premiere Friday night in coordinating outfits. The owners and their iconic Delaware County business are featured in the film. (PEG DEGRASSA – DAILY TIMES)The film was funded in part by generous local Delaware County business owners, community members and a unique crowdfunding campaign in the summer of 2023.Locals could pledge money to receive perks, such as being seen in the film as an extra, having their name listed in the film’s credits, getting a shoutout of their name or their business name in the film, receiving a digital copy of the film, receiving an invitation to the red carpet premiere, and even getting the chance to act as an associate producer, producer or director.A movie poster, depicting the three main characters — from left, Jeff Pfeiffer, Jenna Kuerzi and Steve Harding — was posted outside the Media Theatre with the screening dates of Jan. 17-19. The film crew added additional screenings for Monday, Jan. 20, after the first three days of screenings sold out. (PEG DEGRASSA – DAILY TIMES)The independent film was shot at locations around the county in late 2023 and early 2024.Moviegoers will recognize many favorite Delaware County shops and businesses, including Tom Jones Restaurant, Wawa, the Brookhaven police station, Delco Original Trading Company, Ro Lynn Deli, Marty Magee’s Irish Pub, Brad Fab Welding, Springfield Presbyterian Church and others.Pierdomenico wrote the original script for a school project while a student at Sun Valley High School in Aston.Now a film and journalism teacher at Oxford High School, Pierdomenico decided to re-write his script and turned to fellow Sun Valley alum Leah Cevoli to lead the fundraising campaign and help produce the film.“It’s been truly amazing to witness the support that Chris and his movie have received,” Cevoli commented. “I’m back in the area after many years working in Los Angeles, and I’ve never seen anything like this. Delco residents and local small businesses have really gone above and beyond to help bring this film to life. It truly takes a team.”The line wraps around the block outside the Media Theatre on State Street on Friday night for the premiere of “Delco: The Movie.” (PEG DEGRASSA – DAILY TIMES)Red Carpet attendees showed up, wearing tuxedos, gowns, fur coats, their best “Delco” T-shirts, sweats and hoodies.After having the opportunity to pose on the red carpet for photos snapped by photographers and news outlets gathered outside, guests were treated to a pre-film reception with food supplied by iconic area businesses like Roma Deli, Ariano, Bernie’s Pretzels, Tastykake and others.Tim Habich, Brookhaven’s acting police chief, was at the film’s premiere.He drove a police car in one of the scenes filmed at the Brookhaven police station, but he was unsure before the screening if his scene would be in the film, or if it ended up on the cutting room floor.Habich said, with a laugh, that he was a TV veteran, appearing in a commercial for a two-for-one pillow sale for Strawbridge and Clothier when he was 5 years old.“I’m excited and looking forward to seeing the film,” Habich said, smiling, as he stood in line to enter the theater.On the “Delco: The Movie” red carpet are, from left, Cristina and Matt Wallach and Sebastien and Brittany LeToux. Sebastien LeToux was the all-time leading scorer for The Philadelphia Union. Matt Wallach, an executive producer for “Delco: The Movie,” grew up in Wallingford, played soccer for Nether Soccer Club, Strath Haven, and the original Delco all-star team, and went on to become co-owner of the Philadelphia Union. (PEG DEGRASSA – DAILY TIMES)Diane Shannon, center, of Tinicum Township, on the red carpet outside of Media Theatre Friday night with her son Rob Shannon, left, and her boyfriend Frank Baginsky. Diane played the role of the church secretary in the film. (PEG DEGRASSA – DAILY TIMES)Kellyann Barberi, of Oxford, Conn., and her friend Carla Lombardo, of Derby, Conn., were cast as extras in the film.The Connecticut residents saw the film’s crowdfunding notice on O’Halloran’s Instagram page and thought it sounded like a fun adventure to be in a film, so they hopped in their car for a road trip.“We’ve never been in a movie before,” Lombardo shared as she and Barberi, with no other affiliation to Delaware County, waited their turn to pose on the red carpet. “We’ve also never had a chance to walk the red carpet so this has been worth the trip!”Not everyone who attended the premiere had a part or connection to the film. Some guests were friends and relatives of the cast and crew.Kira and Dave Debusschere, of Wallingford, with their sons Jackson, left, and Tyler, wait in the long line for a chance to pose on the “Delco: The Movie” red carpet outside Media Theatre at the film’s premiere on Friday night. (PEG DEGRASSA – DAILY TIMES)The Debusschere family of Wallingford are friends of Matt Wallach, one of the film’s executive producers. Dave and Kira Debusschere waited patiently in line with their sons Jackson and Tyler, graduates of Strath Haven High School who are now students at Cornell University.Anxious to see the new film, the family voiced their Delco pride.“Now that I’m away at college, I really appreciate Delco when I come home on breaks,” Tyler said, as he proudly sported a “Delco” T-shirt.“When I’m away at college, I am always proud to tell people I’m from Delco and try to explain what makes this a special place to live,” added his brother Jackson, in a matching Delco shirt.Others in line included Lara Lewis and Erik Schmidt of Media, owners of Delco Original Trading Co., who are featured in the film, and Annette Johnson, of Chester, who plays an angry lunch lady in the movie.All three Friday night guests said they were excited to see the new film, in which they had bit parts.Seasoned actor Brian Dunkleman, who served as co-host of the first season of “American Idol” alongside Ryan Seacrest, and who plays the father of Jeff Pfeiffer in “Delco: The Movie,” on the red carpet outside of Media Theatre with his son Jackson. (PEG DEGRASSA – DAILY TIMES)Singer/songwriter Paul Marturano entertained the crowd with a live rendition of his song “Delco Girl,” which was produced by multiple Grammy winner, Joe Nicolo.The song is a heartfelt tribute to Marturano’s own high school days at Monsignor Bonner.As the movie takes audiences on a nostalgic journey through high school experiences, “Delco Girl” added a poignant and memorable section to the film’s soundtrack. Marturano came to opening night with his girlfriend Sue Szabo, both dressed in matching piano-themed apparel.Singer/songwriter Paul Marturano, a Drexel Hill native, entertained the crowd Friday night with a rendition of his song “Delco Girl,” during the pre-screening reception for “Delco: The Movie” at Media Theatre. (PEG DEGRASSA – DAILY TIMES)“My suit was specially made for tonight by Armani. Um, I meant to say by Amazon,” the musician/songwriter joked. “But seriously, I am excited about tonight because it’s the very first time my “Delco” song will appear in a movie on the big screen, so it will be very emotional for me.”During the premiere screening, parts of the audience would break out in applause or screams as their friend or family member appeared in the film or the credits. When the film was over, the main cast and crew took seats on the stage to talk about “Delco: The Movie” and its two-year journey, from funding and publicity to production and screening.Some family members of director Chris Pierdomenico outside Media Theatre before the screening, including, from left, sister Priscilla Dunning, stepmother Joann Pierdomenico, father Vincent James and sister Anastasia Pierdomenico. (PEG DEGRASSA – DAILY TIMES)The cast and crew of “Delco: The Movie” on the stage in front of a full audience at Media Theatre following the film’s first screening on Friday evening to discuss the film and its creation. (PEG DEGRASSA – DAILY TIMES)“I’m thrilled with what we’ve created here and the support shown” Pierdomenico said. “It has been such a full-circle moment for me. I’ve gotten to cast my former (retired) teachers to play themselves in my movie, and on the flip side I’ve gotten to involve my current and former students as crew and background.”The film was executive produced by Matt Wallach, Jonathan Hartline, Joe Magee and Steve Bradley. All shows over the weekend were sold out and the cast and crew hinted that a “Delco: The Movie” sequel, or even series, could very well be on the horizon.After the inaugural screening, Cindi Hyatt of Berwyn, who was Pierdomenico’s teacher at Sun Valley and had a part in the film playing herself as a teacher in younger years, gushed at what a great job her former student did with the film.“This was truly a labor of love,” she smiled.For more information about “Delco: The Movie,” and to keep track of future screenings, go to www.delcothemovie.com.Outside the Media Theatre, on the Red Carpet, Chris Pierdomenico, left, the writer, director, producer and editor of “Delco: The Movie,” poses for a selfie taken by J.J. Cohen, right, an actor in the film, who also had parts in the “Back To The Future” trilogy. (PEG DEGRASSA – DAILY TIMES)Guests Mike Bradley, center, and his wife Linda, right, of Springfield, and their friend Rosaleen Rotondi of northeast Philadelphia enjoying the festivities at the Crystal Room reception prior to the screening of “Delco: The Movie.” (PEG DEGRASSA – DAILY TIMES)The debut screening of the much-anticipated “Delco: The Movie” drew thousands to the iconic Media Theatre on State Street Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday for multiple screenings of the indie flick that was crowdsourced and then filmed at locations around the county in 2023-24. (PEG DEGRASSA – DAILY TIMES)Originally Published: January 22, 2025 at 7:42 AM EST
For liberal travellers, a trip to the United States might now feel out of the question (Picture: Getty Images) Donald Trump has officially started his second term as President of The United States, after victory in the polls in November. His divisive leadership has led some Americans who disagree with his politics to emigrate, with…
Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565Visit Shots! nowA new ‘first of its kind’ two-year degree equipping students with the skills needed for a career in international business and artificial intelligence (AI) has been developed by the University of Derby and global industry giant Rolls-Royce.The accelerated BSc (Hons) International Business and AI programme has been created in response to demand from industry leaders and aims to fast-track students; equipping them with the skills required for work of both today, and the future.It will be available to study from September 2025 and focuses on the real-world application of AI – and the realities of business in an AI-enabled world.As part of the new degree, students will have the opportunity to develop technical skills with an emphasis on intellectual growth and, by integrating AI with international business, they will develop skills needed to thrive in global markets where traditional practices are no longer sufficient. The University of Derby and Rolls-Royce have launched a new degree.Dr Mustabsar Awais, Course Leader and Senior Lecturer in Financial Economics at the University of Derby, said: “As artificial intelligence reshapes industries and disrupts traditional business models, there is a need for graduates with the skills and ambition to design the world of the future. “This exciting, accelerated learning degree will equip students with the skills to apply advanced technological solutions to today’s business problems, drive forward innovation and gain valuable experience for their CVs. We are delighted to be working with world-leading brand Rolls-Royce to power the next generation and future workforce.”Throughout the two years, students will cover topics such as managing big data, the global economy and the fundamentals of business analytics and AI, giving them an applied, real-world learning experience. They will also have the chance to take part in immersive activities and live briefs with Rolls-Royce to gain valuable insight into the world of business.The new degree builds on an existing strong relationship the University has with Rolls-Royce. The two organisations already work together on several world-class projects including the Nuclear Skills Academy in Derby.Dr Nicola Lynch, Head of Derby Business School at the University of Derby, said: “We are delighted to be further strengthening our partnership with Rolls-Royce, working collaboratively to understand what our country and world needs to grow, and to develop the practical skills and future talent to help us meet those requirements.“Industry engagement is critical to the University of Derby, providing solutions to social and industrial challenges by delivering academic expertise, innovation and knowledge.“We believe in the transformational power of education and our mission is to develop a pipeline of student and graduate talent with the skills to improve business services and communities all around the world.“We are delighted to be partnering on such a unique and exciting programme, which we hope will provide students with a range of practical business and thought leadership skills, making them well placed for a range of high-quality graduate roles.”Stuart Evans, People Director – Future of Work, Capability & Learning at Rolls-Royce, said: “I am excited that we’ve been able to extend our partnership with the University of Derby.“Combining a fresh approach to traditional learning with the practical skills needed to succeed in the modern world of work will deliver meaningful value for students, employers and the University alike. It’s an absolute privilege to be revolutionising education in this space.”The University is set to open The Cavendish Building, which will be home to Derby Business School in the city centre, in 2025 – helping to create a blueprint for the business school of the future. Providing an outstanding learning environment designed for the highest quality collaboration, students are set to graduate with a wealth of demonstrable business experience and industry contacts ready to launch their career.The new course in partnership with Rolls-Royce is one of several business-related degrees offered by the University of Derby for undergraduate students, which will be available from September 2025.Others include Business Management and Sustainable Practice, Marketing Management, FinTech, and International Hospitality Management.It also offers courses for Postgraduate students – including MSc Digital Marketing – and opportunities for CPD, for business leaders.To find out more about the new BSc (Hons) International Business and AI degree at the University of Derby, and to apply, visit: https://www.derby.ac.uk/undergraduate/business-management-courses/international-business-ai-bsc-hons/Find out more about studying Business at the University of Derby.If you are a graduate of Derby Business School and would like to reconnect with the University’s alumni community, email [email protected]Continue Reading
Opening Ceremony for UNESCO 2025 International Year of Quantum Science and Technology (IYQ) Set for Paris Feb. 4-5 – Science News Today – EIN Presswire
Palestinian-American multi-hyphenate Cherien Dabis will soon be back in Sundance for the third time – after “May in the Summer” and “Amreeka” – with “All That’s Left of You,” a sweeping epic featuring three generations of Palestinians that provides an origin story of their plight at a very timely moment.
The drama, which takes its cue from a Palestinian teen confronting Israeli soldiers at a West Bank protest – after which his mother recounts the events that led him to that fateful moment – was in pre-production in Palestine when the Israel-Hamas war broke out, forcing Dabis and the crew to relocate.
Below, Dabis speaks to Variety about her personal connection to this ambitious labor of love and what drives her hope for the Palestinian people despite the fact that “the politicians have failed us.”
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You clearly have a personal connection to the film. Talk to me about your desire to bring this intergenerational epic to the screen.
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Well, it’s something I had been thinking about for many years. I just felt that our origin story was missing in a way. Really, the very beginnings of Palestinian suffering, how Palestinians became refugees, that was completely missing from the landscape. And in many ways, I lived aspects of the story through my dad, who’s a Palestinian refugee. He lived most of his life in forced exile and had to get foreign citizenship in order to return to just visit his family in the West Bank, the only home he’d ever known. There are aspects of the story that I lived and then there are aspects of the story that lived with me. And I would say those are really the two reasons that ultimately inspired the film.
Tell me more about the personal aspect.
My first memory of traveling to Palestine was when I was 8 years old and we were held at the Allenby Bridge border crossing between Jordan and the West Bank for around 12 hours. We were interrogated, the contents of our suitcase was kind of picked through and things were confiscated. The soldiers ordered us all to be strip-searched, including my baby sisters, aged 3 and 1. My dad, utterly humiliated, confronted them and they began to scream at him. I was convinced they were going to kill him. This is one of my earliest memories of really understanding what it meant to be Palestinian, let’s just say.
I heard you were prepping to shoot when the Oct. 7 attacks took place, and had to relocate to Cyprus and Greece. How did you manage that?
Yeah, it was pretty incredible. We had planned to shoot in Palestine and Cyprus, but we were only going to shoot about 10% of the movie in Cyprus. We had prepped the entire film in Palestine. We’d begun construction on our refugee camp location, which we were going to shoot in Jericho. We had a lot of momentum, and suddenly, we had to come to a screeching halt. There’s so much story to tell there. I think the gist of it is that, within a few days, we realized that we were going to have to evacuate. My foreign crew, obviously, didn’t want to stay. Their families were pressuring them to leave, and I felt responsible for everyone that I had brought there. So I had to find a way to get them out. That was the beginning of a massive, not just logistical, but financial crisis for the film. I realized at that point that I was not only helming a movie, but I was running a sinking corporation or a corporation in total crisis. The logistical nightmare included things like embassies closing and having to get our Palestinian crew out of the West Bank. It was challenging. It was really like we were making a movie about what was happening as it was happening, and in some way, living a surreal parallel experience, within the world of art, of course.
In terms of the film’s relevance, the narrative sets up a symbolic situation that offers a glimmer of hope. With the Israel-Hamas ceasefire now underway, what are your hopes and thoughts about the prospects for the Palestinian people?
I wrote this film years ago, and I always hope for hope. I think that the Palestinian people really do as well. There’s a line in the movie where my character actually says: “We never lose hope.” It’s particularly poignant now that there is a ceasefire, and hopefully, it’s just the beginning of something. First and foremost, I hope that it can be the beginning of a period of grieving and healing. And that is something that I think the film helps to inspire. My intention in making it was always: “Let’s recognize the pain, let’s recognize what happened.” Because there can be no hope for a way forward without the recognition of what people suffered, of the injustice that people suffered. If we can recognize that, then maybe there’s something we can do to right the wrong and to make people feel seen and to create something that we can base something real upon.
I hope that it can create a sense of recognition, I hope that it can create a conversation, that it can create a cathartic healing, certainly for my own people. I hope that it comes at the right time for what is happening in the world, so that, again, these parallel tracks that the movie and that art and life seem to be on, in this particular moment for this particular project, that maybe there’s something that can be done. Maybe there is something this movie can inspire.
I recently interviewed the Palestinian and Israeli directors of doc “No Other Land” and they were very skeptical that with Netanyahu in power anything good for the Palestinians could ever happen. What are your thoughts?
I’m not at all surprised by the response. I think that the hope that the movie offers is not political hope. I think the politicians have failed us, that’s very clear. I don’t have faith in political systems. I’m talking more about hope in humanity; hope that people can see the injustice. Hope that people can hold onto their humanity, lead with their humanity. I think that’s what the film inspires. We all individually have to do the work. I don’t think that we can pin our hopes on politicians, I really don’t. We’re living in a harrowing time with what we’re seeing in so many places, and it’s hard for me to sit here, as a Palestinian, and try to sell you hope when we’ve just gone through one of the darkest, most harrowing periods in our entire history. So I’m not going to do that. But what I am going to say is that I have hope in people. I have hope in humanity. Over the last however many months it’s been, we have seen people wake up and really start to understand what’s happening, and that’s what gives any of us hope, I think. That’s what gives Palestinians hope at this moment.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Courtesy The Match Factory
Palestinian-American multi-hyphenate Cherien Dabis will soon be back in Sundance for the third time – after “May in the Summer” and “Amreeka” – with “All That’s Left of You,” a sweeping epic featuring three generations of Palestinians that provides an origin story of their plight at a very timely moment.
The drama, which takes its cue from a Palestinian teen confronting Israeli soldiers at a West Bank protest – after which his mother recounts the events that led him to that fateful moment – was in pre-production in Palestine when the Israel-Hamas war broke out, forcing Dabis and the crew to relocate.
Below, Dabis speaks to Variety about her personal connection to this ambitious labor of love and what drives her hope for the Palestinian people despite the fact that “the politicians have failed us.”
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You clearly have a personal connection to the film. Talk to me about your desire to bring this intergenerational epic to the screen.
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Well, it’s something I had been thinking about for many years. I just felt that our origin story was missing in a way. Really, the very beginnings of Palestinian suffering, how Palestinians became refugees, that was completely missing from the landscape. And in many ways, I lived aspects of the story through my dad, who’s a Palestinian refugee. He lived most of his life in forced exile and had to get foreign citizenship in order to return to just visit his family in the West Bank, the only home he’d ever known. There are aspects of the story that I lived and then there are aspects of the story that lived with me. And I would say those are really the two reasons that ultimately inspired the film.
Tell me more about the personal aspect.
My first memory of traveling to Palestine was when I was 8 years old and we were held at the Allenby Bridge border crossing between Jordan and the West Bank for around 12 hours. We were interrogated, the contents of our suitcase was kind of picked through and things were confiscated. The soldiers ordered us all to be strip-searched, including my baby sisters, aged 3 and 1. My dad, utterly humiliated, confronted them and they began to scream at him. I was convinced they were going to kill him. This is one of my earliest memories of really understanding what it meant to be Palestinian, let’s just say.
I heard you were prepping to shoot when the Oct. 7 attacks took place, and had to relocate to Cyprus and Greece. How did you manage that?
Yeah, it was pretty incredible. We had planned to shoot in Palestine and Cyprus, but we were only going to shoot about 10% of the movie in Cyprus. We had prepped the entire film in Palestine. We’d begun construction on our refugee camp location, which we were going to shoot in Jericho. We had a lot of momentum, and suddenly, we had to come to a screeching halt. There’s so much story to tell there. I think the gist of it is that, within a few days, we realized that we were going to have to evacuate. My foreign crew, obviously, didn’t want to stay. Their families were pressuring them to leave, and I felt responsible for everyone that I had brought there. So I had to find a way to get them out. That was the beginning of a massive, not just logistical, but financial crisis for the film. I realized at that point that I was not only helming a movie, but I was running a sinking corporation or a corporation in total crisis. The logistical nightmare included things like embassies closing and having to get our Palestinian crew out of the West Bank. It was challenging. It was really like we were making a movie about what was happening as it was happening, and in some way, living a surreal parallel experience, within the world of art, of course.
In terms of the film’s relevance, the narrative sets up a symbolic situation that offers a glimmer of hope. With the Israel-Hamas ceasefire now underway, what are your hopes and thoughts about the prospects for the Palestinian people?
I wrote this film years ago, and I always hope for hope. I think that the Palestinian people really do as well. There’s a line in the movie where my character actually says: “We never lose hope.” It’s particularly poignant now that there is a ceasefire, and hopefully, it’s just the beginning of something. First and foremost, I hope that it can be the beginning of a period of grieving and healing. And that is something that I think the film helps to inspire. My intention in making it was always: “Let’s recognize the pain, let’s recognize what happened.” Because there can be no hope for a way forward without the recognition of what people suffered, of the injustice that people suffered. If we can recognize that, then maybe there’s something we can do to right the wrong and to make people feel seen and to create something that we can base something real upon.
I hope that it can create a sense of recognition, I hope that it can create a conversation, that it can create a cathartic healing, certainly for my own people. I hope that it comes at the right time for what is happening in the world, so that, again, these parallel tracks that the movie and that art and life seem to be on, in this particular moment for this particular project, that maybe there’s something that can be done. Maybe there is something this movie can inspire.
I recently interviewed the Palestinian and Israeli directors of doc “No Other Land” and they were very skeptical that with Netanyahu in power anything good for the Palestinians could ever happen. What are your thoughts?
I’m not at all surprised by the response. I think that the hope that the movie offers is not political hope. I think the politicians have failed us, that’s very clear. I don’t have faith in political systems. I’m talking more about hope in humanity; hope that people can see the injustice. Hope that people can hold onto their humanity, lead with their humanity. I think that’s what the film inspires. We all individually have to do the work. I don’t think that we can pin our hopes on politicians, I really don’t. We’re living in a harrowing time with what we’re seeing in so many places, and it’s hard for me to sit here, as a Palestinian, and try to sell you hope when we’ve just gone through one of the darkest, most harrowing periods in our entire history. So I’m not going to do that. But what I am going to say is that I have hope in people. I have hope in humanity. Over the last however many months it’s been, we have seen people wake up and really start to understand what’s happening, and that’s what gives any of us hope, I think. That’s what gives Palestinians hope at this moment.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Courtesy The Match Factory