Culture

Hitchcock’s Heroine Honored: Kim Novak Receives Lifetime Award in Venice

This is Beirut 09/06 15:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Film Kim Novak Award Venice Festival Culture

Hollywood actress Kim Novak, 92, best known for portraying the double life of Alfred Hitchcock's heroine in Vertigo, has been awarded Venice's lifetime achievement award, the film festival said on Monday. Despite a short-lived career, Novak became "a living legend, earning her rightful place in history, with the respect and esteem of the film ...

'Maybe Happy Ending' Tops 2025 Tony Awards with Six Wins

This is Beirut 09/06 10:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Tony Awards NYC Cinema Awards Culture Art

Maybe Happy Ending, a South Korean musical adapted for Broadway about two robots who find connection, won big at Sunday’s Tony Awards, scooping up six prizes at the gala celebrating the best in American theater. Stars of the season Cole Escola and Nicole Scherzinger also won their first Tonys, on a night that celebrated Broadway’s revival ...

SpotlightWhat If We Could Archive Scents to Awaken Memories?

Bélinda Ibrahim 08/06 19:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Scent Archive Memories Perfume History

Today, researchers, perfumers and artists are trying to capture these invisible traces. Rather than merely describing smells, they are now trying to recreate them. Like restoring a painting or documenting a dying language, their goal is to preserve the world’s disappearing aromas — those of the past and those vanishing before our eyes. In an ...

A Dream Come True: Barcelona’s Miró Foundation Turns 50

This is Beirut 08/06 14:55 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Miró Spain Barcelona Museum Exhibition Culture

A major cultural institution, the Joan Miró Foundation in Barcelona is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a rich lineup of exhibitions, concerts, and special events paying tribute to the prolific Catalan artist. The festivities, taking place throughout the year under the slogan “For the People of Tomorrow,” begin Thursday with the opening ...

SpotlightEternal Jane B, Everlasting Birkin: The Story of an Icon at Auction

Marie-Christine Tayah 08/06 10:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Jane Birkin Fashion Culture Art Hermès Birkin bag

Created in 1984 by Hermès specifically for Jane Birkin, the very first Birkin bag will go up for auction in Paris on July 10 at Sotheby’s. This one-of-a-kind piece, crafted from black leather and engraved with the initials J.B., includes original features like a fixed shoulder strap, closed metal rings and even a built-in nail file. Born from a ...

ChronicleWes Anderson’s 'The Phoenician Scheme:' An Aesthetic Failure from a Master of Framing

Bélinda Ibrahim 07/06 18:30 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

The Phoenician Scheme Wes Anderson Cannes 2025 Cinema Film Chronicle

Some filmmakers develop a signature style, and Wes Anderson belongs to the rare group whose name has become shorthand for an entire world. His universe is instantly recognizable from a single frame: perfectly balanced compositions, pastel color palettes, characters as melancholic as they are poised, deadpan humor, precisely timed tracking shots ...

Spotlight'Bouquet Final': Vanessa Paradis’ Enchanting Voice Returns with Tender Melancholy

Marie-Christine Tayah 07/06 16:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Vanessa Paradis Lili-Rose Depp Music Culture Art France

Vanessa Paradis dropped Bouquet final this Friday, June 6 — a song co-written by Étienne Daho and featured on a new album rooted in a pop/soul universe, expected this fall. For this project, she collaborated with her two children from her relationship with Johnny Depp: Lily-Rose and Jack Depp. Bouquet final was composed by Jean-Louis Piérot ...

From Birmingham to the World: Black Sabbath’s Last Gig Streams Live

This is Beirut 07/06 10:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Music Black Sabbath Britain Ozzy Osbourne July Culture

Ozzy Osbourne's final ever gig as Black Sabbath's frontman will be streamed worldwide after fans snapped up tickets for the hometown show, starring the original line-up, in just 16 minutes, the band said Friday. Osbourne, who revealed in 2020 that he has Parkinson's disease, will join Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward for the all-day "Back ...

SpotlightThe Scars of Acting: 10 Actors Shattered by Their Performances

Bélinda Ibrahim 06/06 17:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Actors Cinema Mental Health Fiction Trauma

Cinema captivates by pushing the boundaries of fiction. Yet behind some of its most iconic works lies a steep human cost—borne by actors who lost themselves in the characters they brought to life. From isolation and depression to physical pain and lasting trauma, these ten performers discovered just how thin the line can be between playing a ...

Ancient Oualata Battles Time, Sand, Rain and Exodus

This is Beirut 06/06 14:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Desert Mauritania Manuscripts Culture Art Heritage

From his roof, Sidi Mohamed Lemine Sidiya scans the mediaeval town of Oualata, a treasure that is disappearing under the sands of the Mauritanian desert. "It's a magnificent, extraordinary town," said Sidiya, who is battling to preserve the place known as the "Shore of Eternity". Oualata is one of a UNESCO-listed quartet of ancient, fortified ...

Ghibli at 40: Beloved, Award-Winning, But Uncertain Future

This is Beirut 06/06 10:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Ghibli Japan Animation Culture Art Drawing

Japan's Studio Ghibli turns 40 this month with two Oscars and legions of fans, young and old, won over by its complex plots and fantastical hand-drawn animation. But the future is uncertain, with the latest hit, The Boy and the Heron, likely — but not certainly — the final feature from celebrated co-founder Hayao Miyazaki, now 84. The studio ...

First-Ever Hermès Birkin Bag Heads to Auction in Paris

This is Beirut 05/06 16:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Fashion Hermes Birkin bag Sotheby's France Culture

The first Birkin bag that was designed by French luxury brand Hermes for actress Jane Birkin in 1984, will be auctioned in Paris on July 10, auction house Sotheby's said Thursday. The large black leather tote, whose design went on to become one of the most famous and expensive bags in the world, will be the centerpiece of the "Fashion Icons" ...