Abadi al-Johar, Oumaima Taleb Create Great Eid Ambiance in Riyadh

The date of the concert coincided with the birthday of crooner Abadi al-Johar (Rotana).
The date of the concert coincided with the birthday of crooner Abadi al-Johar (Rotana).
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Abadi al-Johar, Oumaima Taleb Create Great Eid Ambiance in Riyadh

The date of the concert coincided with the birthday of crooner Abadi al-Johar (Rotana).
The date of the concert coincided with the birthday of crooner Abadi al-Johar (Rotana).

Tunisian singer Oumaima Taleb, and oud player and crooner Abadi al-Johar brought people celebrating Eid al-Fitr in Saudi Arabia more joy in an exceptional concert in Riyadh.

With his usual appearance accompanied by his oud, Abadi al-Johar celebrated both Eid al-Fitr and his 70th birthday with his fans. The Saudi crooner spent most of these years performing and became one of the most esteemed Arabic singers.

Johar started the evening with his Eid-inspired, timeless song “Ya Allah Bou’dah”, followed by “Weshfik”, and “Taakhart”. Then, he expressed his nostalgia with “Fini Hanin”, in which he recalls a lover who left.

The Saudi crooner spent the night singing and playing his best works, and by the end of the concert, the music band surprised him with a special piece that celebrates his 70th birthday. Johar didn’t try to hide his joy for celebrating this occasion for the first time with his “big family”.

After Johar, Oumaima Taleb appeared on stage with an astounding look inspired by the Eid she came to celebrate. She sat before the audience and sang “Khatam al-Ahbab”, “Beterjaa”, and “Ma Daret”, and shared many other songs with her audience until the end of the night.

By the end of the concert, the Tunisian singer said she was happy to share a concert with a legend like Abadi al-Johar, noting that the Saudi audience is dear to her heart and she’s proud to sing for them.

The concert was part of the Eid calendar launched by the Saudi General Entertainment Authority including many concerts in several Saudi cities and regions, in addition to diverse activities that run for a whole week.



Italy's Paolo Sorrentino, US Star Dafoe Honored at Sarajevo Film Fest

A pedestrian walks across a bridge over the Miljacka River, nearly dried up and covered with algae, amid a heatwave and drought in Sarajevo, Bosnia, Aug. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
A pedestrian walks across a bridge over the Miljacka River, nearly dried up and covered with algae, amid a heatwave and drought in Sarajevo, Bosnia, Aug. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
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Italy's Paolo Sorrentino, US Star Dafoe Honored at Sarajevo Film Fest

A pedestrian walks across a bridge over the Miljacka River, nearly dried up and covered with algae, amid a heatwave and drought in Sarajevo, Bosnia, Aug. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
A pedestrian walks across a bridge over the Miljacka River, nearly dried up and covered with algae, amid a heatwave and drought in Sarajevo, Bosnia, Aug. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)

Oscar-winning Italian director Paolo Sorrentino will be honored at the 31st Sarajevo Film Festival, which kicks off on Friday, alongside star actors Willem Dafoe, Ray Winstone and Stellan Skarsgard.

Sorrentino - known for "Il Divo", "The Hand of God" and "The Great Beauty", which was recognized as best foreign language film at the 2014 Academy Awards - will get the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo at the event which will show a retrospective of his films.

"Paolo Sorrentino managed to do what every filmmaker dreams of – he left a global impact through local, personal stories, festival director Jovan Reuters quoted Marjanovic as saying in a statement.

US actor Dafoe - who turned 70 last month and has starred in everything from "Poor Things" to "Spider-Man" - will also get an Honorary Heart, as will Britain's Winstone and Sweden's Skarsgard.

More than 250 films will be shown at the festival, which was founded by a group of movie enthusiasts towards the end of Bosnia's 1992-95 war.

Black comedy "Pavilion" by Bosnian film and theater director Dino Mustafic will open the program. It is the only Bosnian film made this year, reflecting the parlous state of the Balkan country's industry and a lack of government support, the association of Bosnia's film directors said this week.

Ukrainian film director Sergei Loznitsa will chair the festival jury. Nine co-productions from southern, central and eastern Europe will compete for the best feature film award, selector Elma Tataragic said.

The festival will show a selection of Arab cinematography in cooperation with the Doha Film Institute, including one showing footage of life in Gaza in the early 2000s.