Category Archives: Culture
Sharjah Museums Authority wins ‘Best Cultural Collaboration’ award in Berlin
BERLIN, The Sharjah Museums Authority, SMA, won the Best Cultural Collaboration Award for its innovative SAWA Museums Academy programme during the Leading Cultural Destinations Awards, LCD, in Berlin.
Dubbed the Oscars for Museums by The New York Times, LCD Berlin, a unique partnership between Leading Culture Destinations and visitBerlin, recognises the exceptional contributions of leading culture destinations from across the globe to cultural life.
This year’s edition, held outside of London for the first time, featured 18 awards in five categories including Leading Culture Destinations of the Year, New Culture Destinations of the Year, Soft Power Destinations of the Year, Climate Smart Award and the Avis Travellers’ Awards, as well as a new award for 2020, Best Cultural Initiative: Bridging Borders.
The ceremony saw the participation of 50 top cultural destinations from 26 countries, including Austria, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, India, Italy, Lithuania, Mexico, Morocco, Norway, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Togo, the UAE, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Based on the multicultural approach in teaching museology at its SAWA Museums Academy, SMA won the award under the Soft Power Destination of the Year category, outrunning Sisters in Liberty – Opera di Santa Croce and Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration (Santa Croce, Italy/New York) and Ottawa Art Gallery, a visual arts institution in Canada.
Receiving the award, Manal Ataya, Director-General of SMA, attributed the success of their first ever transcultural programme in the region, SAWA (together in Arabic), to its uniqueness and to the great efforts of those behind it between Sharjah and Germany.
We are honoured to receive this award that recognises the commitment of SMA and our partners in Germany over the past few years to design and implement a programme that has a positive impact on future museum leaders to thrive in multicultural environments and prepares them to tackle global challenges, Ataya said.
She noted that SAWA Museums Academy is a running collaboration between SMA and the Goethe-Institut Gulf Region, the University of Applied Sciences (HTW Berlin), and the Staatliche Museen Berlin- Stiftung PreuBischer Kulturbesitz and with sponsorship from Volkswagen Stiftung.
This unique programme, which was launched in 2015, is dedicated to the exchange of ideas between young Arab and German professionals through hands-on experience in museology, and also to promote intercultural dialogue by allowing students to learn from and with each other, Ataya added.
Winners were announced by an international jury comprising high-profile figures including Matthew Anderson, European Culture Editor for The New York Times; Helena Egan, Tourism and Place-making Specialist; Dr. Martin Heller, Cultural Advocate and Arts Patron; Oliver Jahn, Editor-in-Chief, Architectural Digest; Dr. Thierry Morel, Director, Curator-at-Large and Board Member of the Hermitage Foundation; Artist, Ahmet Out; and Salma Tuqan, Deputy Director of the Delfina Foundation.
Source: Emirates News Agency
Embassy of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Austria participates in launching ceremony of the Arab-Austrian cultural year 2020
Vienna, The Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Austria participated in the launching ceremony of the Arab-Austrian cultural year 2020 AD, which was held in the capital Vienna on February 28, 2020, and organized by the League of Arab States, the Council of Arab Ambassadors and the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
On the opening day, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Algeria and Austria presented folkloric and musical performances, and many different activities, events and popular folk food, and the Kingdom pavilion includes presentations of Arabic calligraphy and henna, and popular Saudi food.
The cultural and artistic activities of the Arab countries will continue in Austria until the end of the year 2020 AD, and the Kingdom will participate in more than one event that includes musical performances, fine art and folklore shows.
Source: Saudi Press Agency
Dubai Culture to launch ‘Films In A Box’ at ‘Al Marmoom:Film in The Desert’
DUBAI, Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, Dubai Culture, has partnered with the region’s first pop-up cinema concept Films In A Box to bring films to a wider audience at the forthcoming Al Marmoom: Film In The Desert.
The event, which is a platform to support and showcase emerging and established filmmakers both locally and regionally will take place between March 4th and 7th in Al Marmoom desert as part of the seventh edition of Dubai Art Season.
During the four-day event, Dubai Culture will present Films In A Box pop-up cinema concept where transportable, 28-seat box-shaped movie theatres will be constructed on site to show non-dialogue short films running at between 10 and 15 minutes. This creative collaboration is an example of the cross-pollination between the public and private sector, which underlines Dubai Culture’s mandate to work together with all creative entities to enhance synergies and explore new opportunities for productive cooperation.
Films In A Box will present a series of non-dialogue films across genres, which encourage cross-cultural understanding without a need for translation or subtitles. The medium of non-dialogue films allows filmmakers, cinematographers and actors to focus on creativity and diverse storytelling whilst being freed from language boundaries. The presence of such an accessible art form in the region underlines Dubai Culture’s community-focused drive and emphasis on inclusivity. A full programme of workshops talks and interactive discussions has also been designed for young people, children, enthusiasts and all in the family.
The partnership provides the hearing impaired and deaf community with the opportunity to participate in the event and to enjoy the storytelling experience of the event.
Shaima Al Suwaidi, Director of Marketing and Corporate Communication at Dubai Culture, said, The partnership with Films in A Box for Al Marmoom: Film in The Desert is a vital part of the overall philosophy of the event: to be accessible and suitable for everyone. It allows audiences to get beyond language and therefore overcome cultural barriers, which will ultimately result in people uniting and coming together through the medium of film.
Terry Miranda, Managing Director of LHP Lighthouse Productions, said, Films In A Box is inspired by the UAE’s and Dubai’s diverse cultural landscape and is aimed at bringing films to wider audiences and to increase participation in films in general. We want to bring the magic of film to the full spectrum of society in the UAE and the region.
Source: Emirates News Agency
Dubai Culture to launch ‘Films In A Box’ at ‘Al Marmoom:Film in The Desert’
DUBAI, Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, Dubai Culture, has partnered with the region’s first pop-up cinema concept Films In A Box to bring films to a wider audience at the forthcoming Al Marmoom: Film In The Desert.
The event, which is a platform to support and showcase emerging and established filmmakers both locally and regionally will take place between March 4th and 7th in Al Marmoom desert as part of the seventh edition of Dubai Art Season.
During the four-day event, Dubai Culture will present Films In A Box pop-up cinema concept where transportable, 28-seat box-shaped movie theatres will be constructed on site to show non-dialogue short films running at between 10 and 15 minutes. This creative collaboration is an example of the cross-pollination between the public and private sector, which underlines Dubai Culture’s mandate to work together with all creative entities to enhance synergies and explore new opportunities for productive cooperation.
Films In A Box will present a series of non-dialogue films across genres, which encourage cross-cultural understanding without a need for translation or subtitles. The medium of non-dialogue films allows filmmakers, cinematographers and actors to focus on creativity and diverse storytelling whilst being freed from language boundaries. The presence of such an accessible art form in the region underlines Dubai Culture’s community-focused drive and emphasis on inclusivity. A full programme of workshops talks and interactive discussions has also been designed for young people, children, enthusiasts and all in the family.
The partnership provides the hearing impaired and deaf community with the opportunity to participate in the event and to enjoy the storytelling experience of the event.
Shaima Al Suwaidi, Director of Marketing and Corporate Communication at Dubai Culture, said, The partnership with Films in A Box for Al Marmoom: Film in The Desert is a vital part of the overall philosophy of the event: to be accessible and suitable for everyone. It allows audiences to get beyond language and therefore overcome cultural barriers, which will ultimately result in people uniting and coming together through the medium of film.
Terry Miranda, Managing Director of LHP Lighthouse Productions, said, Films In A Box is inspired by the UAE’s and Dubai’s diverse cultural landscape and is aimed at bringing films to wider audiences and to increase participation in films in general. We want to bring the magic of film to the full spectrum of society in the UAE and the region.
Source: Emirates News Agency