logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2024
40m 11s

Episode 51: Can child stars escape the p...

THE NATIONAL NEWS
About this episode

On Culture Bites this week, Enas Refaei and Farah Andrews round up their favourite Halloween films to binge before October 31. From the classically frightening to the unsettling and gory, they share suggestions across several horror genres.

From Jordan Peele’s chilling alien mystery Nope to the grotesque body horror The Substance starring Demi Moore, there’s something for everyone. The hosts also compare the remakes of family-friendly spooky classics like Beetlejuice and Roald Dahl’s The Witches.

The ecology-focused Al Sidr Environmental Film Festival takes place this week at NYUAD’s Arts Centre under the theme All Living Beings. Enas and Farah highlight some of the most compelling features at the event, including two local short films developed by the UAE platform Climate Tribe. They discuss the festival’s mission for audiences to develop a greater appreciation for the interconnectedness of our worldly creatures.

After the tragic early death of former One Director star Liam Payne at the age of 31, fans around the world showed an overwhelming outpouring of emotions as they grieved. The singer was only 14 when he was thrust into the limelight, eventually spending more than half his life in the public eye. As his struggles with addiction and untimely death raise questions over the welfare of child stars, the hosts discuss the pressures of growing up within the entertainment industry.

Up next
Aug 21
Episode 87: What’s driving new generation of Arab musicians to greatness?
This week on Culture Bites, host Farah Andrews chats with her colleagues at The National about the UAE’s cultural representation in Japan, and the regional music scene. Gaming and Culture Reporter Faisal Al Zaabi joins Farah to talk about exploring the UAE pavilion at Expo 2025 O ... Show More
36m 20s
Aug 14
Episode 86: From public spaces to galleries, where to find street art in the UAE
In this episode of Culture Bites, host Farah Andrews explores the intersection of cities and street art through No Trespassing, an exhibition at the Ishara Art Foundation in Dubai’s Alserkal Avenue, running until August 30. Curated by Priyanka Mehra, the show presents six site-sp ... Show More
24m 4s
Jul 31
Episode 85: Culture Bites summer list - easy reads and flight-friendly flicks
On Culture Bites this week, Enas Refaei and Farah Andrews offer some inspiration for a richer summer with their recommendations of what to read, watch and see during the holidays. For long flights, the hosts suggest skipping cinematic spectacles and opting instead for breezy, ent ... Show More
31m 28s
Recommended Episodes
Aug 18
Last push to pause Gaza war, and Al Shara meets Syrian Christian leader
Mediators are making one last push to pause the fighting in Gaza. Syrian President Ahmad Al Shara has met one of the country’s senior Christian leaders. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to travel to Washington today. On today's episode of Trending Middle East: Media ... Show More
5m 39s
Aug 13
Ceasefire talks in Cairo, and US makes offer to Syria
A Hamas delegation attended ceasefire talks in Cairo. The US is offering incentives to Syria's government to curtail conflict with minorities. Libyan military leader Khalifa Haftar has appointed his son as his second-in-command. On today's episode of Trending Middle East: Hamas n ... Show More
6m 20s
Aug 11
Iraq dismisses PMF commanders, and on-board a Jordanian aid drop to Gaza
Iraq has dismissed two senior commanders of the paramilitary Popular Mobilisation Forces over a deadly attack on a government building last month. The National has boarded a Jordanian aid flight to Gaza. Hundreds were arrested in London for marching in support of the banned Pales ... Show More
4m 22s
Jul 24
Syria investigates Sweida violence, and Huckabee in Ramallah
Syria is investigating violence that erupted in Sweida this month. US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee visited the occupied West Bank on Wednesday. Saudi Arabia invests in Syria. On today's episode of Trending Middle East: US ambassador meets Palestinian official on first Ramal ... Show More
8m 2s
Aug 15
Trump and Putin to hold talks in Alaska, and attacks on aid in Syria
US President Donald Trump is to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin today in Alaska. Aid efforts in the southern Syrian province of Sweida are under attack. A security agreement between Iran and Iraq is getting backlash from Washington. On this episode of Trending Middle East: ... Show More
6m 52s
Sep 2024
Is All-Out War in the Mideast Imminent?
In Lebanon, the leader of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, has condemned the back-to-back attacks targeting the group's pagers and walkie-talkie communications system as "massacres." He also warned Israel that Hezbollah's forces on the border won't stop until the war in Gaza ends. At ... Show More
1h 1m
Mar 2025
Israel blocks aid to Gaza as it pushes new ceasefire terms
Israel has stopped humanitarian aid to Gaza as the first phase of the ceasefire deal expired this weekend. The Guardian's Julian Borger talks about why Israel has stopped that aid and ongoing negotiations with Hamas. Then, New York Rep. Gregory Meeks, the ranking Democrat on the ... Show More
27m 31s
Mar 2025
Hamas pursues ceasefire and Sheikh Tahnoon's White House visit
Hamas says it’s not giving up on negotiations, following renewed Israeli air strikes on Gaza. The UAE is a crucial partner in securing peace in the Middle East, US President Donald Trump said during a visit by Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed, Deputy Ruler of Abu Dhabi and National Secur ... Show More
7m 1s