Premier Magazine PH Vol. 3 - Issue 4 April 2023 Vision

Premier SAPERE

ABOUT THECOVER

Dinner with the King and Queen of Sweden

Winning Photo byJonasBorg, Swedish/ Sweden

Category:Champagne TaittingerFood forCelebration,1st Place

Pink LadyFood Photography Of The Year2023

Photo Background Story: Sverigemiddagen(the Dinnerof

Sweden),anannual event held at the Royal Castle in Stockholm,celebrates individualswho have made extraordinarycontributionsto theirlocal communities.Invited guestsare honoured fortheirachievementsand are hosted bythe King and Queenof Sweden at a grand dinner.

IN THISISSUE

Photos are a huge part of the entertainment industry. Without them I wouldn't think my dream of one day creating a magazine could have happened. Reading from cover to cover meant an entire appreciation of the publishing business and photography as a whole. It brings to life the vision of the photographer.

Throughout our pages you will see some of the winning photos at the recently concluded Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year Awards 2023.Every photo has a story to tell and we've grown fond of the diversity and the theme they share with the rest of the world.

Alternately, a few stories have been included to pay homage to other brilliant photographers that captured some of the most memorable event and personalities in the past and the present; winning shots and a few updates on some pressing issues that demand our attention. This month's issue is all about vision and the visionaries who made an impact to humanity. "Photography records the gamut of feelings written on the human face, the beauty of the earth and skies that man has inherited, and the wealth and confusion man has created. It is a major force in explaining man to man."

- Edward Steichen The Publisher

© JohannesGiez, Mercedes-Benz Museum, Stuttgart, Germany

"Taking a picture islike giving a piece of yoursoul away.You allow other people to see the world through youreyes."

- Katja Michael

© AlexBramall

ALEX BRAMMAL

About the Photo

Catherine,Princessof Wales,just made a surprise musical appearance at Eurovision. The princess took part in an opening sequence filmed for the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 Grand Final, appearing alongside last year's champions, Kalush Orchestra, and a range of British contributors as the U.K. hosts the international competition on behalf of Ukraine.Herinvolvement in the performance waskept entirelysecret until the broadcast aired,marking the second time the princessshowed hermusical talent.

For her segment, filmed earlier this month in the Crimson Drawing Room of Windsor Castle, Kate sat at a grand piano for a ten-second instrumental performance, which Joe Price and Kojo Samuel created. She honored the Ukrainian flag while wearing a cobalt blue, one-shouldered gown by Jenny Packham and accessorized with a pair of silver pendant earrings.

May14,2023

Alex Bramall is a London-based photographer creating images that step effortlessly between fashion and portraiture.

Starting his career in the art department at British Vogue, he now works on projects worldwide. Over twelve years, Alex honed his craft while working with Mario Testino as an Art Director

His continued momentum and passion for beauty led Bramall to focus on his work and set up his studio.

Since then, his work has been published in international titles such as Vogue, Vanity Fair, Harper's Bazaar,L'Officiel, Grazia, Glass, and Porter Magazine. Commercial clients include The Outnet, Next, M&S Autograph, Harrods, Mac Cosmetics, John Lewis, Monsoon, The White Company, Ted Baker, Frescobol Carioca,Net A Porter,and Liberty.

PETERLINDBERGH

About the Photo

The work collaboration and friendship between Tina Turner and Lindbergh started right after the Queen's comeback in the '80s through the '90s and the Missing You clip until last year when one of his photos was used for the cover of Tina Turner's biography 'My Love Story.'

In 1989, Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell, Tatjana Patitz, Cindy Crawford, and Christy Turlington, all young, little-known models, were photographed together for the first time by Lindbergh for the January 1990 British Vogue cover. It's been said that this photoshoot launched the era of the supermodel The cover inspired singer George Michael to feature the models in the video for his song "Freedom! '90." Two years after Lindbergh's 1989 British Vogue cover shoot, Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace cast the same group of models? who by then was rapidly approaching supermodel status, if they hadn't already reached it? in Versace's Fall/ Winter 1991 fashion show

In a 2008 interview with art historian Charlotte Cotton,Lindbergh explained:

Using black-and-white photography was crucial in creating the supermodel

Whenever I tried to shoot them in color because their beauty was close to perfection, it looked like a bad cosmetics advert With black and white, you can see who they are. It toned down the commercial interpretation that color gives. What's so striking about black and white is how it helps a sense of reality to come through

Lindbergh's first book was 10 Women, which came out in 1996;as of 2008, more than 100,000 copies have sold Images of Women, released in 1997 as Lindbergh's first comprehensive monograph, presented a milestone survey of portrait-oriented photographs that Lindbergh had taken over the previous ten years

In 2015, the journalist Suzy Menkes wrote of Peter Lindbergh's work, "Refusing to bow to glossy perfection is Peter Lindbergh's trademark ? the essence of the images that look into each person's unvarnished soul, however familiar or famous the sitter." In 2016, in Artforum, Lindbergh stated, "A fashion photographer should contribute to defining the image of the contemporary woman or man in their time, to reflect a certain social or human reality How surrealistic is today's commercial agenda to retouch all signs of life, experience, and the personal truth of the face?"

© Peter Lindbergh

© Charli Ljung

CHARLI LJUNG

About the Photo

Loreen won the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest with her song 'Tattoo.' In 2012, she also won the Contest in Baku with the song 'Euphoria.'Loreen becomesonlythe second artist in history to have won the Eurovision Song Contest twice after Johnny Logan did the double forIreland in the '80s.

Since her first Eurovision win and the release of her breakthrough album Heal in 2012, Loreen has enchanted audiences with her voice, unique artistic expression, and captivating lyrics.

In the decade since the Baku Contest, Loreen has continued to develop artistically, exploring new ways to express her creativity, from releasing Swedish-language music forthe first time to making heracting debut in the film adaptationof Vinterviken.

Last year, the singer came full circle back to electrifying pop, releasing the track Neon Lights- a song about a modern-day Joan of Arc. Loreen wantsto continue using music to challenge heraudience withmessagesof inclusionand representation. What's Loreen's most used app, you might ask? Keynote, she tells us. So if you ever need a killerslide deck in a hurry.

Charli is a DoP (Director of photography) with long experience & expertise within the industry. He started as a photography assistant, learning the art of technical lighting and composition Since 2003, he has worked with several high-profile photographers and clients in the Fashion and Commercial Industry, where he also spent seven years working in Paris He is now a well-established DoP based in Stockholm who comfortably moves between the still and moving format.He prefers to be involved in everything from Pre to Post Production and often creates music for his films Charli has a broad technical knowledge with a unique artistic touch that he brings to all different stages of filmmaking.- cameralink.com

Christie?s International Real Estate Eyes Growth in Australia Behind Leading Luxury Brokers

CHICAGO, May 24, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Two of Australia?s top luxury real estate brokers, Darren Curtis and Sean Cussell, have renewed and extended their partnership with the Christie?s International Real Estate global luxury real estate brand in a bid to capitalize on the nation?s growing high-end property market and increased demand from foreign investors The two entrepreneurs own separate but strategically aligned brokerage firms, which have rebranded under the Christie?s International Real Estate name to better reflect their affiliation with the network. Previously, they were known as Prestige Homes of Australia.

Curtis owns Christie?s International Real Estate Sydney, which serves New South Wales He is also expanding his territory to introduce the Christie?s International Real Estate brand in the state of Queensland Meanwhile, Cussell runs Christie?s International Real Estate Victoria, based in South Yarra and primarily focused on greater Melbourne

Both gentlemen are responsible for selling some of Australia?s highest-priced homes and, between them, currently hold price records for the top residential sale in 26 separate neighborhoods.Cussell recently sold an AUD $30 million penthouse in one of Melbourne?s Bayside suburbs, as well as an AUD $8 2 million estate in the Melbourne suburb of Wonga Park, a record for that municipality Curtis recently sold a waterfront property for AUD $135 million that set the sales record in the Sydney suburb of Greenwich, as well as an AUD $115 million, 11-acre estate just outside of Sydney

As exclusive affiliates of Christie?s International Real Estate, the brokerages benefit from industry-leading marketing and technology, national and international exposure for listings, and a connection to the iconic Christie?s auction house, for the referral of art and luxury goods.

?Australia has really emerged as a luxury destination on the world stage, and the global brand recognition of Christie?s International Real Estate is very important for our clients in this environment We?re looking to build on the trust and familiarity with the brand as our high-end market grows broader and deeper,?said Curtis

?Christie?s International Real Estate's ability to align luxury sellers and purchasers, both in Australia and the world over, is unparalleled,? added Cussell ?I?m excited to continue my partnership with Christie?s International Real Estate and take advantage of the brand?s expanding network and marketing programs to deliver an even higher level of service for my clients?

© Christie'sInternational Real Estate

Like luxury real estate markets around the world, Australia is currently experiencing limited supply and strong demand from high-net-worth individuals seeking a safe harbor from inflation and stock-market volatility Additionally, the recent lifting of more stringent and longstanding pandemic restrictions in Asia-Pacific countries including Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, and China, has created a flood of new interest from international buyers

Curtis and Cussell note that many buyers from APAC first become acquainted with the Christie?s International Real Estate brand through Christie?s auction house, which has seen incredible growth in the region. According to Christie?s, APAC contributed 26% of total global auction sales in 2022band bought value in the region was at its highest level since 2015. Christie?s Hong Kong office set 71 auction records last year.

© Christie'sInternational Real Estate

Both Curtis and Cussell also note that luxury real estate in Australia is a relative bargain compared to Hong Kong and Singapore, as well as global centers in the West including London, Paris, New York, and Los Angeles. ?The top end of our market is perceived to be undervalued compared to many other countries, making Australia very attractive to outside buyers,?said Curtis.

Real estate developers are also looking to capitalize on foreign interest with luxury new-construction projects, particularly branded residences As new construction sales experts, Curtis and Cussell look to benefit from this growing segment of the market

?Sean and Darren are two of Australia?s most respected names in luxury real estate Their unparalleled expertise in their respective markets, along with the collaboration that comes from working together under the Christie?s International Real Estate umbrella, will strengthen the brand in Australia and set the stage for future growth,?said Helena de Forton, managing director of Christie?s International Real Estate in EMEA and APAC

Christie?s International Real Estate?s growth in Australia is the latest step for the global luxury network, which has been rapidly adding and expanding territory. Over the past year, Christie?s International Real Estate has signed on more than two dozen affiliates, including leading firms in the United Kingdom, France, Germany,Italy, Estonia, Malta,Japan, the United States, and the Caribbean.

About Christie?s International Real Estate

Christie?s International Real Estate has successfully marketed high-value real estate around the world for more than 30 years Through its invitation-only Affiliate network spanning nearly 50 countries and territories, Christie?s International Real Estate offers incomparable services to a global clientele at the luxury end of the residential property market For more information, please visit christiesrealestate com

Darren Curtis and Sean Cussell, who currently hold more than two dozen area price records between them, look to capture a larger share of Australia?s growing high-end market in New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria.

NEOM and Rajasthan Royals cricket team announce new community sports program

© Neom

NEOM, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, May 22, 2023 ? NEOM has partnered with one of India's premier T20 cricket league teams, Rajasthan Royals, to deliver NEOM?s first ever cricket program. The landmark pilot program aims to facilitate an active and healthy lifestyle within the growing workforce, forecast to reach 60,000 people by the end of the year.

Founded in 2008 and hailing from Jaipur, Rajasthan, Rajasthan Royals is one of the world?s most renowned cricket teams and recognized internationally for its academies and community foundation work To mark the partnership, Rajasthan Royals lead owner, Manoj Badale, today visited NEOM to meet CEO, Nadhmi Al-Nasr, community members and take part in a selection of cricket sessions

The cricket program will focus on inclusivity and reflects the Royals? commitment to promoting the development and innovation of cricket internationally. With a workforce of thousands already based at NEOM, cricket has become one of the project?s most popular sports, attracting more participation and a growing number of spectators from those working on site

NEOM aspires to be an innovative destination for sport, partnering with global sports brands, championing livability for its residents and contributing to NEOM's dynamic economy. The new partnership will be another element of NEOM?s commitment to supporting an active and healthy community.

HRH Prince Saud bin Mishal Al Saud, Chairman of the Saudi Arabian Cricket Federation added: ?It?s important that we develop a thriving cricket ecosystem that can be enjoyed by everyone We are excited to see NEOM?s cricket program partnered by Rajasthan Royals offer that, while also contributing to the growth of the sport in the Kingdom.?

Jan Paterson, Managing Director of NEOM Sport, added: ?NEOM is committed to nurturing the most physically active society globally and our partnership with the Royals is the latest step in making that vision a reality Cricket is already a hugely popular sport in NEOM and we want to capture and nurture that enthusiasm and make sure it is being felt throughout the region. Working with the Saudi Arabian Cricket Federation and the Royals will enable us to provide cricket for men and women, girls and boys alike, in the community at NEOM.?

Manoj Badale, lead owner of Rajasthan Royals, said: ?We are thrilled to partner with NEOM and launch this grassroots cricket program This partnership allows us to contribute to NEOM's vision of fostering an inclusive, active and healthy community We look forward to witnessing the growth of cricket within NEOM and creating a lasting impact for the workforce, residents and society.?

Bombardier Challenger 3500 Business Jet Makes European Debut at EBACE2023

- The Challenger 3500 business jet, which will be on display at the European airshow, offers customers in the region a preview of Bombardier?s eco-design vision

- The Challenger 3500 aircraft boasts the first eco app* solution available in business aviation, optimizing flight plans for a reduced environmental footprint

- Passengers benefit from the ultimate cabin experience, with striking interior design, the widest cabin in its class, the renowned Nuage seat and the highly reliable Iridium Certus connectivity GENEVA, May 22, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bombardier will debut the award-winning Challenger 3500 business jet to the European market, as all gather at the 2023 European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (EBACE) in Geneva, Switzerland. The Challenger 3500 aircraft, which entered service in September 2022, is showcased in grand style alongside the industry?s flagship, the Global 7500 aircraft, and a stunning Certified Pre-Owned Challenger 605 aircraft also making its debut

The latest evolution in the Challenger lineage is a tangible gateway to Bombardier?s eco-design vision. In the cabin, the Challenger 3500 aircraft boasts a high-end product design by proposing a selection of innovative, sustainable materials that minimize the impact on the environment. The Challenger 3500 also joins the Global 5500, Global 6500 and Global 7500 aircraft in standing alone as the only business jets in the industry to carry an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD), offering trustworthy, thorough and transparent views of their environmental footprint.

©Bombardier

?European customers will be able to feel for themselves the high quality that is standard for our aircraft ? such as in experiencing Bombardier?s illustrious Nuage seat ? all while finding unique design options that are genuinely more sustainable,??said Jean-Christopher Gallagher, Executive Vice President, Aircraft Sales & Bombardier Defense, Bombardier ?We are very proud to open the door of the Challenger 3500 aircraft to our European customers for the very first time This top-of-the-line aircraft demonstrates that exceptional comfort, ultimate performance and lower environmental footprint can go hand in hand??

The stunning aircraft interior offers a host of new technologies, including the recently announced Iridium Certus connectivity, the industry?s first voice-controlled cabin, wireless chargers throughout the cabin, and the only 24-inch, 4K displays in its class. Thanks to its perfectly crafted cabin experience, the Challenger 3500 aircraft has received multiple accolades, including the Best of the Best honor at the prestigious Red Dot Awards for Product Design in 2022

In the flight deck, the Challenger 3500 aircraft has more baseline features than any of its competitors, with a standard auto-throttle system to further enhance the experience for Challenger pilots. The introduction of the first eco app* solution in business aviation also enables optimized flight plans, which help operators save fuel and reduces the aircraft?s environmental footprint.

Beyond its exceptional features, reliability remains the Challenger family?s landmark With over 890 business jets of the Challenger 300 series in service worldwide, totaling more than 36 million flight hours and more than 21million landings, this iconic aircraft family is known for its proven reliability and excellent safety record

The 2023

Pink Lady Food Photographer Of The Year Exhibition

© HenryKenyon

Stunning capturesof the private view at the Royal Photographic Society,London,UK

For any organisation to have been around for more than a century it must have met the needs of those it wasdesigned to serve.The Royal Photographic Societyisno different and itsoriginal aimsof 'promoting the art and science of photography' are as relevant today asthey were back when it was formed.

The Society has evolved as the interests and needs of its members have changed and, particularly, as photography itself has changed ? not least since the mid-1980s. As The Society enters its 167th year it is an opportunity to look back to 1853 and how the Society was formed and what it achieved during itsfirst year.

Origins

The Photographic Society, as The RPS was originally known, was not the first photographic society but it was the first to be formally organised to have been in continuous existence in the same form since its foundation. It took only a few years from the announcement of photography in 1839 for the first loose gathering of amateurphotographersto come together.

The Edinburgh Calotype Club consisted of 'keen experimentalists' and was formed in 1843. Its dozen members met to look at calotypes, to discuss photographic art and to socialise. With such a small number of members, it had no need for rules or officers to run it. In London, the publisher Joseph Cundall, along with Robert Hunt, started the Calotype Society ? later known as the Photographic Club - in 1847. This, again, was a gathering of around a dozen photographers or 'gentlemen amateurs' who met regularly to discuss their experiments in photography and to exchange photographs. Among its members were Frederick Scott Archer, Hugh Welch Diamond, Edward Kater and SirWilliam Newtonwho would laterbecome foundermembersof the Photographic Society.

In mid-1852 the United Kingdom's first properlyorganised photographic society wasformed in Leeds by J W Ramsden, who later become a Society member. The Leeds Photographic Society operated under properly constituted rules and as early as July 1852 it circulated the work of its members. In 1878 it became a section of the Leeds Field Naturalist Club and was re-established as an independent societyin 1881.

Towardsa LondonPhotographic Society

By the late 1840s and early 1850s photography was beginning to move on technically from the daguerreotype and Henry Talbot's calotype processes. In March 1851 Frederick Scott Archer published in The Chemist detailsof hiscollodion processwhich represented a significant advance on the calotype. It used collodion on glass to carry the light-sensitive chemicals and although it would take furtherwork to refine it forcommercial use amateursand commercial studioswere able to use it freely as it was not protected by patent. Talbot claimed that his 1843 calotype patent applied to Archer'sprocessbut the courtseventuallydismissed thisin1854.

This uncertainty held back photography's progress in the meantime. The Great Exhibition was also important. Opening on 1May1851it brought together 700 exhibitorsand over 6 million visitorsbythe time it closed on 15 October 1851. Photography was exhibited as both fine art and as a branch of science and over 700 photographs were shown as well as cameras, lenses and associated photographic apparatus. The Exhibition was important in raising awareness of photography as an art form and by late 1851, as Roger Taylor has noted, there was a campaign underway to establish a photographic society in London. A detailed prospectus held by the National Media Museum for a photographic society, possibly written by Roger Fenton, appears to date from January1851-June 1852.

The main difficulty a new society faced was to convince Talbot to release members from any restriction imposed by his calotype patent. Robert Hunt met with Talbot but despite him amending the restrictions on practicing photography no agreement was reached. In April 1852 a committee planning for a London society published a 'Proposal for the formation of a Photographical Society' in the national press directly challenging Talbot over his right to limit photography by amateurs 'for their own amusement' and to bounce Talbot into relaxing his conditions. Talbot was understandably upset but he agreed to meet a group of five consisting of Frederick Berger, Roger Fenton, Peter Wickens Fry, Peter Le Neve Foster, Thomas Goodeve, Robert Hunt and SirWilliam Newton.

Reconciling Talbot'sinterpretation of the patent laws with those of the committee proved impossible and their efforts were adjourned indefinitely. Despite this setback discussions continued under the auspices of the Society of Arts with Sir Charles Eastlake, director of the National Gallery, and Lord Rosse, president of the Royal Society, taking the lead as official representatives of art and science in the UK. After two months an agreement with Talbot was reached.In a formal letter dated 30 July 1852 Talbot acknowledged the impact of the Great Exhibition as heralding a new era for photography and he presented his invention to the country.

Later that year the Society of Arts held the first exhibition devoted to the art and science of photography. It opened on22December1852 and wasorganised byJosephCundall and Philip Delamotte.

Nearly four hundred photographs were shown and such was its success it was extended to meet the public demand.

OurVision:

We envisiona world where everyone isinspired,empowered and educated in the art and science of photography.

OurMission:

We will bring inspiration,creativityand connection,throughphotography,to people of all agesand backgrounds.

The three pillarsof ournew strategyare ?Inspire?,?Create?and ?Connect?.Beneath eachpillarwe will deliversevenseparate programmes,a total of 21.Underpinning eachprogramme are five aims:

Inclusion

Environmental and Social Responsibility

MemberParticipation

Financial Sustainability

Profile Raising

© HenryKenyon

© Jon Enoch

Anintenselypowerful portrait,The CandyMan,byUK photographerJonEnoch,haswonthe overall prize of Pink Lady® Food Photographerof the Year2023,the world?s leading celebrationof the art of food photographyand film.

World?s Best Food Photographs Served Up

The Candy Man, by Jon Enoch, UK has been crowned Overall Winner of Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year 2023.The portrait capturesPappu Jaiswal, one of a number of candy floss sellersinMumbai,India.

?Thisisa magnificent picture,?says Caroline Kenyon, Founder, Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year. ?For me, it evokes the great late 18th and early 19th century portraits of Reynolds and Gainsborough - the gaze, the full-length figure, the subject?s position in the frame. The man in the picture may have a humble way of life, touting his wares of toxically-coloured candy floss, but he himself issplendid.Dignified,confident,direct,he isanyone?sequal ina societyriven withdivision and caste differences.Thisimage showsusbeautifullythe universal truth,we are all the same.?

?I?m ecstatic to receive this award, it's a real honour to get this recognition in such a prestigious competition laden with wonderful imagery,?says Enoch. ?The winning image was part of a personal project - a huge amount of time and thought went into capturing it so it's great to be recognised by such an esteemed panel of judges. Ever since I first saw the candy floss sellers I was drawn to the shapes,coloursand juxtapositionof the candyand the urbanenvironment.?

The winnersof the 36 categorieswere announced byacclaimed chef,authorand televisionpresenter, Nadiya Hussain MBE, in an exciting Awards ceremony at BAFTA, London on Tuesday 16 May 2023. The announcement was also streamed on the competition?s YouTube channel and was watched by anaudience acrossthe globe.

?Ramadan Meals Among the Ruins in Idlib, Syria?by Syrian photographer, Mouneb Taim, won the Politics of Food category. The image captures a group holding breakfast during Ramadan amongst the rubble left after the Syrianregime'scampaignonIdlib.

"Pink Lady® Food Photographerof the Year continuesto tell the world's most important food stories as we adjust again to a new normal. War in Europe, climate change, soaring inflation all to be grappled with,? says Phil Turnbull, CEO of APAL, owner of Pink Lady® and headline sponsor of the Awards since 2011. "But at the same time, we continue to grow, forage, cook, eat, celebrate, gather together, feast. Every year, the incredible winning images act as witness to the centrality of food in every culture and every people acrossthe globe."

This year?s global judging panel, tasked with assessing the thousands of entries submitted from over 65 countries across the world, was chaired by legendary food photographer, David Loftus, and included: Fiona Shields, Head of Photography, Guardian News & Media, Chef Ian Kittichai, Restaurateur, Author & TV Host, Ella Ravilious, Curator, The V&A Museum, Nik Sharma, Cookbook author, Photographer, Columnist and Rein Skullerud, Senior Photographer, Photo Editor at the United NationsWorld Food Programme.

The exhibition of the 2023 Finalists will be premiering at The Royal Photographic Society, one of the world?s oldest photographic societies, in Bristol. The exhibition runs from Saturday 20th May - Sunday 11th June and forms part of Bristol?s ?World Photography in Focus? during which a number of top international photography competitions, including Wildlife Photographer of the Year and Travel Photographer of the Year, will be exhibiting inthe city.

To view the online gallery of all the 2023 finalists, visit www.pinkladyfoodphotographeroftheyear.com

© Mouneb Taim

© FrankieTurner

KeironGeorge won the Food Stylist Award for?Let them Eat Cake...?,which is part of the ?Beauty in Destruction? collectionshot by Frankie Turner.

MAKINGPEACEWITH NATURE

How To Manage Oil Spills

© Yousef Espanioly

How do oil spillshappen?

There are many types of oil spills and most are minor, for example when oil spills from a ship when it is being refuelled. But serious incidents, like the 2020 oil spill in Mauritius, bring consequences that can be felt for decades. Most of the major oil spills happen when a pipeline breaks, a tanker sinks or runs aground or when a drilling operationgoeswrong.

Are some oil spillsworse thanothers?

Yes, not all oil spills are the same. Aside from the size of the spill, the type of oil or refined oil product will impact the severity of the spill. For example, gasoline is worse than crude oil as it is lighter and more toxic.In the Sri Lankan spill, the environmental issue was compounded as the ship was also carrying nurdles, small plastic pellets,that take thousandsof yearsto degrade, aswell asover80 containers of various hazardous chemicals. The nurdles flooded beaches and turned up in the stomachs of fish, causing further environmental damage The risk of bunker oil leaking remains and will onlybe put to rest once the shipwreck isremoved from the sea.

How canwe prepare forfuture oil spills?

Governmentsand the oil industrymust have preparednessplansin place and understand what to do when an oil spill happens. Equally important is conducting regular spill response training exercises The quickerand better prepared the reaction the lessthe environmental impact.Oil spill response can be tiered so that small spills are handled at a local level, larger spills are handled on a national level and major spills call on an international response The Sri Lanka case also demonstratesthe growing risksof growing global container shipping, and the need to prepare for complex incidents involving oil, hazardous chemical spills and other products.

How do you cleanup anoil spill?

It all depends on the time it takes for the clean-up crew to get to the site of the spill, the weather conditions, type of oil, shoreline type and environmental sensitivity amongst other factors. If a crew can reach a spill in a few hours, they can aim to contain and skim the oil. Containment and skimming is done by mechanical means such as using booms and skimmers. Booms are floating physical barriers, that stop the oil spreading, and skimmers, modified boats, skim the oil off the top of the water

Once the oil reaches the shoreline or spreads out it becomes harder to clean up. When oil gets close to the shoreline, manual clean-up campaigns are typically deployed, while trying to get wildlife away from the impacted area using floating dummies and balloonsasa deterrent.

However, no solution completely removes the oil, in the best case scenario, only 40 per cent of oil from a spill can be cleaned up by mechanical means. The ability of natural recovery to restore the environment can playan important role, and actionsto enhance its effectivenessneedsto be considered.

How do oil spillsharm oceanand animal life?

If an oil spill happens in an area with wildlife the damage can be significant. Oil destroys the insulating ability of fur on mammals and impacts the water repelling qualities of a bird?s feathers, without the insulation or water repelling qualities mammals and birds can die from hypothermia. Dolphins and whales can inhale oil, which has an impact on their immune system and can impact reproduction. While fish and shellfish aren? t immediately impacted, because oil floats on water, as the oil mixes and sinks, fish can experience impacted growth, enlarged livers, fin erosion and a reduction in reproductive capabilities. In fishand shellfish,the impact canalso be lethal,when it is not lethal, they are often no longer safe for human consumption.

How important isrestorationafteran oil spill?

Restoring an area impacted by an oil spill is crucial to recovery. Before restoration can begin an understanding of the damage done by the spill needs to be undertaken, this is done through continued ecological, biological and chemical studies and analysis.

Once the damage is understood steps can be taken to accelerate the recovery, particularly those enhancing natural processes. Restoration can include the reintroduction of species affected by the spill, erosion control, if damage from the spill has sped up erosion, and a change in management practices, such as controlling fishing and hunting,in impacted areas.

Do oil spillshave a financial impact?

Answer:In short, yes. Not only does the clean-up have to be paid for, and in the casesof big spillsthiscan run into billions of dollars, but the long-term impact of a spill also has an economic consequence. If, for example, like in Sri Lanka, the spill is in an area of outstanding natural beauty tourist numbers often decline, if the area is reliant on fishing, this often must be halted while the area recovers. Legal action to obtain compensation for economic and environmental damage is often a long and burdensome affair, especially for countries with limited experience and lacking the legislative framework to deal with such incidents

For further information, contact Hassan Partow, Hassanpartow@unorg; Mark Radka, Mark.radka@un.org

© Matteo Catanese

May December is a 2023 American romantic drama film directed by Todd Haynes, with a screenplay by Samy Burch from a story by Burch and Alex Mechanik. It follows an actress (Natalie Portman) who travels to Georgia to meet and study the life of the woman (Julianne Moore) she is set to play in a film.

May December premiered at the 76th Cannes Film Festival on May 20, 2023.

Source::Natalieportmancom

Foster +Partners Breaks Ground on the BENCH Headquarters in Manila

"Ten thousand years from now: can you imagine that day?Okay, but do you? Do you believe ?the Future? is going to happen? If The Clock worksthe waythat it?s supposed to do ? if it lasts? do you believe there will be a human being around to witness, let alone mourn its passing, to appreciate its accomplishment, its faithfulness, its immense antiquity? What about five thousand years from now, or evenfive hundred?

Can you extend the horizon of your expectations for our world, for our complex of civilizations and cultures, beyond the lifetime of your own children, of the next two orthree generations?"

? Michael Chabon from The Future WIll Have to

Wait

© Foster + Partners

Source:Maria-Cristina Florian

Published on May 30,2023

Foster + Partners?project for BENCH, one of the Philippines?leading clothing and lifestyle brands, has started construction in Manila The 24-storey headquarters building offers offices, design studios, event spaces, and the necessary amenities to create an enjoyable environment for the company?s employees

Located on the east-west axis in the Bonifacio Global City, the building opens up the ground floor to create a visual connection to the surrounding green space

As an adaptation to the brand's character, the ground floor atrium is designed to double as an event space to accommodate large-scale fashion shows A secondary four-storey atrium is located at the top of the building, providing natural light to the studios around it Driven by the brand?s desire to create a collaborative working environment, naturally lit lobbies and cores are placed laterally to increase the flexibility of the office spaces above Additionally, the flexible furniture system designed by Foster + Partners?Industrial Design team will create an adaptable environment responsive to the company?s changing requirements. The system also creates divisions in the space for more intimate working conditions

"The new BENCH HQ building is tailor-made for the company and driven by its desire to create an interconnected, flexible workspace.It isdesigned for its location with passive design strategies and optimized solutions, aided by our in-house tools for reduced embodied and operational carbon."- Luke Fox, Head of Studio,Foster+Partners

© Foster + Partners

The façade of the building has been calibrated to allow sufficient light into the floorplate without creating glare and thus reducing the cooling loads A novel awning system with deep overhangs on the eastern and western facades protects the building from the highest levels of solar exposure The interior design features a minimal palette of materials, featuring exposed concrete columns and precast concrete soffits paired with terrazzo floors with recycled stone aggregates

The rooftop of the building is accessible for its users, providing them with a green amenity space with views of the surrounding city The area is designed to host smaller events or team gatherings and offers small urban farming opportunities It is shaded by an array of photovoltaic elements that generate 10 percent of the building's total energy demand on site. To minimize the embodied carbon in the structure of the building, the design team has built carbon calculators to track all the materials used in the construction and measure their associated carbon emissions. According to the architects, this allowed the team to make informed decisions about the design to mitigate the building's carbon profile actively.

Recently Foster + Partners has announced a collaboration with Arup to design four new stations for the California High-Speed Rail in the Central Valley During the 2023 Architectural Biennale in Venice, Holcim and the Norman Foster Foundation have also announced the Essential Houses Research Project created to provide necessary housing to displaced communities.

© Tabadul

Honing Tabadul?sPersonnel Leadership Skills:

Tabadul to graduate 49 leadersfrom the Harvard Leadership Development Program

The Saudi Company for Electronic Information Exchange (Tabadul) announced the graduation of 49 leaders of its personnel who have successfully completed the "Harvard Leadership Development Program"which washeld in collaboration with the prestigiousHarvard University.Over the course of six months, the employees took part in intensive training programs to bolster their transformational leadership skills and enhance their personal capabilities while excelling in the workplace and championing leadership.

Commenting on this milestone, Tabadul CEO, Mr.Majed bin Faleh Al-Otaibi stated, ?We are proud to graduate Tabadul?s future leaders who have gained valuable insights and acquired significant experience, as pursuing training programs has become highly strategic for any entity aspiring to boost the capacity of its personnel to meet the needs of an advanced work environment and keep up withfast-paced developmentsand changes.?

Al Otaibi added, "Throughout their training journey, our personnel have experienced effective learning and undergone remarkable development. Aswe invest in their capabilities and unlock their full potential, we achieve our vision of driving the digital transformation of the logisticssector across the Kingdom,inline withthe Kingdom'sVision2030."

Tabadul?s CPO Eng. Abdulaziz Al-Shehri said, ?The graduation of 49 leaders through the Harvard program is part of Tabadul?s strategy to invest in its human capital by enabling talents by honing their skills and qualifying them to lead and bring about change. The program highlighted four core pillars: developing leadership styles, customer service skills, studying business acumen, and team leadership skills.

Al-Shehri added, ?The program achieved its objectives by linking personal values with practical goals through emotional intelligence skills besides training employees to understand the financial tools to analyze the performance of Tabadul's business and know-how to convey the company's financial performance to the work team, teaching them the art of customer relationship management while building a network of relationshipsacrossthe organizationand beyond.?

In addition to investing in its employees, Tabadul thrives to create a stimulating environment for digital innovators by providing services and consultations to IT workers, supporting startups and all pioneering projects that promote digital transformation within an innovative environment and leveraging state-of-the-art digital solutions,inline with the Kingdom?sVision2030.

The Saudi Company for Electronic Information Exchange (Tabadul) is one of the Public Investment Fund?s subsidiaries facilitating business transactions by connecting stakeholders, improving communication and providing innovative digital solutions that enable the effective exchange of information,goodsand servicesacrossthe government and businesssectors.

?? ? ? ???? ??? ? ?? ? ? ????? ????? ????? ? ? ??? ? ???? ???? ?? ??? ??? ?? ??. ?? ?? ???? ? ? ? : " ?? ?????? ? ? ?????? ? ? ?? ??? ??? ? ? ???? ??? ?? ? ??? ? ?? ? ???? ?????? ?? ??????????? ? ??? ? ? ???? ?? ??? ? ? ???? ?? ?? ?? ? ??? ??? ??? ? ?? ??? ????? ???? ?? ? ??? ? ??? ? ?? ?? ? ? ??????? ????? ??? ???? ?? ??? ? ?? ?????? ? ? ????? ? ??? ? ??? ??? ? ?????? ? 2030" ? ? ????? ? ?????? ? ??? ?? ? ?? ?????????? ? ?? ? ? ? "? ? ???" ??????? ?? ?????? ? ??? ??? ??? ? ??? ? 49 ? ????? ?? ? ????? ???? ???? ?? ? ?? ? ?? ?? ?? ? ??? ? ?? ? ? ? ??? ???? ? ? ???? ? ??? ? ? ???? ? ?? ? ? ?? ? ? ????? ?? ?? ? ? ?????? ?? ?? ??? ??? ?? ? ??? ??? ?? ? ????? ???? ??? ????? ?? ???? ??? ?? ???????? ? ? ? ?? : ? ? ?? ??? ??? ? ??? ? ???? ??????? ??? ?? ? ???? ????????????? ? ? ? ?? ??????????????? ? ? ??? ??? ?? ? ?? ? ? "??? ??? " ?? ??? ????? ??? ??? ? ?? ? ? ????? ? ?? ???? ???? ? ? ? ? ??? ? ? ??? ?? ? ? ???????? ?????? ? ? ?? ? ???? ?????? ???? ??????? ? ? ?? ???? ?? ? ??? ? ??? ? ????? ? ? ? ? ?? ??????? ?????? ? ?? ??? ? ????????? "? ? ???" ?? ? ? ? ? ?? ? ?? ???????????? ??? ?? ? ??? ? ?? ? ???????? ??? ??? ? ? ????? ????? ???? ???? ? ? ? ???? ?? ?? ? ????? ? ? ???????

???? ???? ?? ??? "? ? ???" ???? ? ? ???? ? ??? ? ? ???? ?? ??? ?? ? ? ??? ??? ??? ? ? ?? ??? ?? ???? ? ? ?? ? ???? ?? ? ???? ???? ? ? ?? ??????????? ????? ? ? ???? ??????? ? ? ? ? ? ?????? ?????????? ????? ??? ?? ?? ????? ?????? ???? ? ? ???? ??? ? ??????? ??? ? ? ??? ?? ??? ??? ???? ?? ? ?? ? ? ?? ????? ???? ? ? ??? ??? ? ?? ?? ??? ? 2030??? ??? ? ? ?? ? ?????? ????? ? ???? ? ???? ? ? ?? ??? ? ? ?? ? ??? ? ??? ??? ??? ????????? ???? ??

???????? ?? ???? ? ?? ???? ??? ?? ? ?? ???????

????? ?? ???? ??? ??? ?? ? ??? ???? ? ?? ? ??? ????????? ??? ? ???? ?? (? ? ???) ?? ???? ??? ?? ?? ??? ?? ?? ?? ???? ???? ? ? ????? ????????? ??? ? ? ? ?? ? ??? ?????? ??? ???? ? ?? ???? ???? ? ? ? ? ?? ??? ???? ?????? ?? ? ? ??? ??? ???? ?? ?? ??? ? ? ?? ? ??????

????? ? ???? ? ???? ? ? ?? ??? ? ? ?? ? ??? ? ??? ??? ??? ????????? ???? ?? ???????? ?? ? ??? ? ?? ???? ??? ?? ? ?? ???????

#??? ?? #

Source:Maria-Cristina Florian

Published onMay31,2023

Herzog & de Meuron has been honored as the 36th Louis I. Kahn Award winner by the Philadelphia Center for Architecture and Design. The annual award, founded in 1983 in memory of Philadelphia architect Louis Kahn, celebratesindividualswho have made significant contributionsto the field of architecture.JaquesHerzog, one of the two founders of the Swiss-based architecture firm, will present a talk on behalf of this office during the official award ceremony, to be held at the University of Pennsylvania?s Museum of Anthropology and Archeologyat 6:30 pm onMay31,2023.

© Iwan Baan

Herzog & de Meuron Receives the 2023 Louis I.Kahn Award

VitraHaus

Founded by Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron in 1978, Herzog & de Meuron have completed numerous high-profile projects, including the iconic Tate Modern in London, the Beijing National Stadium (commonly known as the Bird's Nest) for the 2008 Olympics, and the stunning Elbphilharmonie concert hall in Hamburg. Many of their designs incorporate specific elements in response to the site and the cultural context in which the project is located. The office is also recognized for its attention to detail, innovative materials, and constructiontechniquesto explore and expand the designfield.

© Herzog& deMeuron

Pierre de Meuron

In 2001, Herzog & de Meuron were awarded the Pritzker Prize, the first time the prestigiousprize wasawarded forthe work of a partnership ratherthan a single architect.At the time of the award, theywere praised fortheir facades' intricate and innovative nature.In recent years, their style has shifted, focusing more on the structure and depth of their buildings. In 2006, the firm also received the Royal Gold Medal, and in 2015, they were recognized withthe RIBAJenksAward.

JacquesHerzog

Besides honoring the memory of Estonian-born Philadelphia architect Louis Kahn, widely considered one of the most influential Modernist American architects, the event also raises funds to provide free design education to Philadelphia through the Architecture and Design Education (ADE) program of the Center for Architecture and Design. The initiative brings architects and designers into public school classrooms to introduce children to architecture and design. It empowers them to use this knowledge to shape and improve theirhomes,neighborhoods,and cities.

© Maxim Schultz

Now in its 36th edition, the Louis I. Kahn Award is sponsored by Gattuso Development Partners. Previous memorial award winners include British architect Sir David Adjaye, Jeanne Gang, Bjarke Ingels, Norman Foster,PeterBohlin,Daniel Libeskind,Robert A.M.Stern,Rafael Viñoly,and CésarPelli.

Elbphilharmonie,Hamburg

Source:Maria-Cristina Florian

Published on May 26, 2023

BIGhas partnered with experimental clothing brand Vollebak to create the vision for a self-sufficient off-grid island in Nova Scotia,Canada.The 11-acre Vollebak Island will receive several pavilions built of natural and innovative materials such as seaweed, hempcrete, and 3D-printed concrete,all powered by carbon-neutral energy.The island in Jeddore Harbor,one quarter off the Nova Scotia mainland, will be auctioned via Sotheby?s

Concierge Auctions beginning June 8.Bidders will vie for the chance to own the island and to be granted exclusive rights to the design vision, including the planning permission for those designs.

© Vollebak

The Vollebak Island will include the Earth House, a 597-square-meters structure comprised of nine interconnected buildings, and the Wood House, an 88-square-meters facility with a standalone garden suite on the island shoreline.A combination of offshore wind, geothermal and solar-generated energy will power the islands' structures, with excess energy to be stored in Tesla power walls.This ensures that all energetic needs of the island can be met in a carbon-neutral manner.

© Vollebak

© Sotheby's

The Earth House is envisioned as a village-like cluster of buildings rising gently from the ground in the middle of the island.The permeable layout encourages socialization and allows nature to intertwine with architecture.Each building represents a different fragment of nature reflected in the dominant material used.The living and dining areas, the main gathering spaces for eating and relaxing on the island,are made of weather-resistant and insulating thatch.The four bedrooms are created with fire-retardant hempcrete, 3D-printed concrete, and natural boulders.A series of additional facilities complete the program of the Earth House, including a Japanese-style bath, a stargazing room, and meditation spaces.

© Vollebak

"I like to be surrounded by splendid things.I want to lead a Victorian life, surrounded by exquisite clutter." FREDDIEMERCURY

A greenhouse made of glass bricks will provide a local food source on the island, while the boat house will take inspiration from the local tradition of using seaweed as an insulation material.Complementing the Earth House, the Wood House will feature a standalone two-bedroom,two-bathroom residence made entirely of wood from the island.The monolithic façade opens towards the seaside via an eight-meter triangular window.

Recently, BIGannounced a collaboration with ICON, the office that pioneered large-scale 3D printing, to design an experimental 3D-printed campground hotel in Marfa, Texas.BIGhas also been selected as one of the five finalists for the design of the new United States Navy Museum With William Rawn Associates and EOA Architects,the internationally renowned office has also been selected to design a new performance house for the Tennessee Performing Arts Center.

© Vollebak

"Vollebak is using technology and material innovation to create clothes that are as sustainable and resilient as they are beautiful.In other words, the fashion equivalent of BIG's architectural philosophy of Hedonistic Sustainability.For Vollebak Island, we have imagined the rooms as a manmade mount of individual volumes rising out of the ground and a separate outpost at the edge of the breaking waves.Each room in the village is made from its own unique material ? stacked seaweed, compacted earth, hemp, glass brick or locally sourced stone ? tailored for the specific use and experience of that particular room.For Vollebak Island,we incorporate local tradition elevated by global innovation in a self-sustained manmade ecosystem off the coast of Canada."-

Bjarke Ingels, founder and creative director of BIG

AcademyAward-winning screenwriterand directorTerryGeorge

© NEOM

Academy Award-winning filmmaker Terry George?s action thriller ?Riverman?set to shoot in NEOM and the UK

Cannes, France, May 18, 2023 - ?Riverman? , the upcoming high-impact action feature written and directed by Academy Award-winning screenwriter and director Terry George (?In the Name of The Father? , ?Hotel Rwanda? , ?The Shore? ) is gearing up to shoot in the epic landscape of NEOM in northwest Saudi Arabia and the UK

Inspired by the war diaries, and true events of the war in Afghanistan over the course of 2001-2008, ?Riverman?tells the story of Max - a highly decorated Royal Marine who is tempted into the corrupt forces at work behind warfare After a series of devastating events in Afghanistan, Max is plunged into a world more dangerous than the battlefield itself. Disillusioned with the politics of war, Max is recruited by a private arms dealer to supply weapons to private armies around the world; a company with the power to manipulate wars and sway the outcomes of global conflicts Despite being trained to cope with the deadliest situations on Earth, nothing can prepare Max for the high-stakes world of arms dealing.

The production will be led by Future Artists Entertainment under Matt Williams (?Bank of Dave? , ?Poker Face? ) - with Camilla Storey (?Bitter Harvest? ) of TMS Productions and acclaimed producer Mark Foligno of Limelight CTL (?Moon?,?The King?s Speech?).

Matt Williams said, ?From the incredible mind of Terry George, ?Riverman?is an action-packed movie that explores ideas of heroism, corruption, and temptation within the dark and dangerous world of arms dealing and warfare.This is a powerful film and with George at the helm, we?re very excited to bring it to life.?

?Riverman?comes off the back of Terry George?s three-and-a-half-decade-long career which includes an Academy Award win and multiple Oscar nominations and will showcase his renowned talent for telling powerful character-driven stories on a political stage.

Terry George said: ?Riverman is a powerful, highly dramatic war story. I am excited to be directing this great project in NEOM.?

Wayne Borg, Managing Director of Media Industries, Entertainment, and Culture at NEOM, said, ?We are thrilled to welcome acclaimed writer and director Terry George to NEOM to shoot his upcoming action feature ?Riverman? . The production team?s confidence in NEOM is a real testament to our world-class offering of state-of-the-art facilities, great crews, the sheer breadth of diverse locations, and our globally competitive 40%++production cash rebate incentive These are exciting times as high-end TV and film productions head to shoot in NEOM for the big studios and streamers to meet the unprecedented demand for high-quality content. NEOM?s offering, is compelling, and securing productions like ?Riverman?reinforces our position as the region?s leading full-service production hub?

Casting has begun with principal photography set for January 2024. NEOM, the leading production destination and industry hub for the Middle East and North Africa region will facilitate the production with world-class sound stages, production support facilities,talent and crews

NEOM has provided the backdrop for 30 productions in the last 18 months including; Rupert Wyatt?s ?Desert Warrior? , starring Anthony Mackie and Sir Ben Kingsley, ?Dunki?directed by Rajkumar Hirani and starring Shahrukh Khan, the first regional reality TV show ?Million Dollar Island?and ?Rise of The Witches? , the region?s biggest-ever budget TV show MBC?s ?Exceptional? , a 200-episode-a-year TV drama series is set to begin shooting in July.

?? ? ? ?? ? ? ?? ??? ????? ?? ? ????? ? ??? ???? ? ??? ? ?????? ???? ?? ????? ? ??? ???? ???? ??? ?????? .???? ?? ??????? ?? ??????? ?? ???? ? ? ???????? ?????". ?? ? ? ? ? ?????? ? ? ???????? ? ??? ? ? ??? ?? ? ??? ?? ?? ? ? ? ????? ? ? ??? ?? ? ??? ? ? ??? ????? ?? ? ?? ??? ???? ?? ??? ? ?? ? ?? ???? ? ?? ??? ?? ?? ??? ? ?? ?? ??? ? ??? ??? ??? ?? ? ???????? ?? ? ??? ????? ????? ? ???? ? ? ??? "The Shore"?????? ? ??? ? ? ??? ? ????? ? ???? ? ? ??? ? "In the Name of the Father"?"Hotel Rwanda". ?? ?? ?????? ? ? ?? ????:"?? ? ????"? ? ? ??? ? ?? ? ??? ? ?? ????? ?.?????? ??? ?????? ??? ????? ? ? ?? ?? " . ?? ?? ??? ?? ? ?? ??? ????? ???????? ? ???? ?? ? ? ???? ? ?? ? ? ? ?? ?????? ? ? ???:"? ? ???? ??? ??? ? ? ??? ?? ? ??????? ??? ?? ?? ? ?? ???? ? ? ?? ?? ?? ? ?? ?? ? ??? ??? ? ????? ??? ??? (?? ? ????)????? ? ?? ? ? ? ?? ? ????? ?? ? ? ?? ?? ? ???? ??? ???? ? ?? ??????? ?????? ????? ? ? ? ??? ? ? ? ???? ? ????? ? ???? ??? ? ?? ?? ??? ??? ? ??? ?? ??????? ? ? ? ?? ?? ? ? ?? ? ??? ??"??? ? ??? ??? ?? ?? ?? ? ? ?? ???? ?? ??? ? ? ? ???? ? ?????????? ????? ?? ??? ?? ? ?? ???????? ? ? ??? ?? ? ??? 40?. ??? ?? ? ???:"?? ??? ??? ? ???? ? ?? ???? ???? ?? ? ?? ????? ?? ??? ?? ?? ??? ???? ? ????? ??????? ??? ??? ? ?? ?? ? ?? ? ?? ???? ?? ?????? ? ? ??? ? ???? ?? ? ??? ? ?? ? ????? ? ???? ??? ? ? ?? ????? ???? ? ????? ?? ??? ?? ???? ??????.? ???? ? ??? ? ??? ?? ? ? ?? ?? ? (?? ? ????)? ????? ??? ??? ??? ???? ?? ? ? ????? ?? ? ??? ??????? ?????? ? ??? ? ? ??? ?? ????? ? ?? ??? ?? ?? ? ? ?". ?? ? ??? ??? ?? ??? ? ?? ? ? ??:??? ?? ?? ????? ? ?? ? "Future Artists Entertainment"???? ? ? ? ??? "Bank of Dave"??"Poker Face"?? ??? ??? ? ??? ?? ? ?? ? "TMS Productions"?? ???? ?? ? ??? ? ?? ? "??? ???? ? ? ? ? ? ??"???? ? ??? ?? ????? ?? ???? ??? ??? ?? ????? ?:"Bitter Harvest"??"House Red"??"Tomorrow"?????? ? ??? ?? ????? ? ?? ??? "Moon"??"The King?s Speech"??"Wasteland"??"Legacy of Lies" ????? ?? ???? ??? ?? ?????? ???????? ?????18 ????? ? ??? ??? ????? ??30 ??? ???? ? ? ????? ?? ?????? ? ?? ?? ??? ???? ??? ? ??? :? ? ?? "Desert Warrior"???? ?? ??? ? ? ? ? ??? ??? ??? ??? ? ???? ? ?? ? ? ? ??? ?? ??? ? ?? "??? ? "?? ????? ???? ?????? ???? ?? ? ??? ? ????????? ????? ? ?? ?? ?? ????? ? "Million Dollar Island"?? ???? ?? ? ??? ????? ??? ?? ?? ??? ?????? ???? ? ???? ? ?? ? ????? ? ? "Rise of The Witches".? ???? ???? ???? ? ? ??? ? ?? ?"Exceptional"??? ?? ? ?? ??? MBC ? ? ? ??? ????? ? ??????? ?? ? ???? ?? 200 ??? ? ???? ? ??

Great E xpectations

? I like to be surrounded by splendid things I want to lead the Victorian life, surrounded by exquisite clutter.?

At Home gives us a glimpse into the remarkable world Freddie created at Garden Lodge.Behind that famous green door, visitors were met with an unrivaled collection of fine and decorative arts, porcelain and glass, all lovingly assembled over the years through his careful selection of works.With his intimate knowledge of the objects he acquired,the curation and display of these objects were of great importance to Freddie.His ability to seamlessly pair styles and movements, from 19th Century European Furniture to Japanese ceramics, demonstrates his sophistication,talent, and vision as a collector.Guests to the house witnessed this celebration of craftsmanship,with many pieces being the finest examples of their kind.

The last work of art Mercurybought wasthisportrait byJamesJacquesTissot (estimate £400,000-600,000)

Wayne Borg,Managing Directorof Media Industries,Entertainment,and Culture at NEOM © NEOM

TELFAZ11commits to 9 productions at NEOM over the next 3 years

NEOM, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, June 1, 2023 - NEOM and TELFAZ11 have announced a pivotal partnership that will see the creation of up to 9 TV and film productions over the next 3 years.The collaboration between NEOM and TELFAZ11 will accelerate the growth of NEOM?s media industries ecosystem, ensuring a rich pipeline of productions, including 2 feature films and 1 series currently in development under the new arrangement Today?s announcement follows a recent drumbeat of high profile TELFAZ11 successes, including the debut of its latest theatrical feature film ?Sattar,?which has become the highest grossing Saudi film of all time.

In addition to productions, TELFAZ11 also plans to establish a physical presence at NEOM by opening offices this year in NEOM?s media hub. This new office will complement the TELFAZ11?s existing offices in Riyadh and Dubai. NEOM will also leverage TELFAZ11?s new NEOM offices to diversify its industry learning activities and multi-disciplinary talent development programs, creating a vibrant talent pool across the value chain and strong career pathways for graduates

Wayne Borg, Managing Director of Media Industries, Entertainment, and Culture at NEOM, said: ?Our mission is to create a new world-class media hub at NEOM, one that supports the region?s industry to compete and succeed globally. This partnership with TELFAZ11 complements and accelerates. This partnership, coupled with our evolving infrastructure, crew depth, industry learning programs, and highly competitive incentive scheme shows we are well on our way to achieving these goals?

Alaa Faden, CEO and Co-Founder of TELFAZ11added, ?We couldn? t be more honored to be at the center of NEOM?s next-generation media and entertainment ecosystem. TELFAZ11 has consistently operated on the leading edge of innovation, from launching the first Netflix partnership in the region to leveraging our powerful social media presence And this new partnership with NEOM is yet another milestone in that effort.?

NEOM has provided the backdrop for 30 productions in the last 18 months, including Rupert Wyatt?s ?Desert Warrior? , starring Anthony Mackie and Sir Ben Kingsley; ?Dunki?directed by Rajkumar Hirani and starring Shahrukh Khan; local acclaimed Saudi feature ?Within Sand?directed by Moe Alatawi; the first regional reality TV show ?Million Dollar Island;?and ?Rise of The Witches? , the region?s biggest-ever budget TV show MBC?s ?Exceptional,?a 200-episode-per-year TV drama series, is set to begin shooting in July

ABOUT TELFAZ11

Telfaz11 is a creative media studio with offices in Saudi Arabia and the UAE specializing in locally-relevant entertainment content from the Middle East. Led by a passionate team of storytellers and social influencers, the company specializes in digital content creation (Digital Originals) and client led commercial productions (Creative House), as well as a unique offering of premium long-form series, movies and feature films (Premium Content)

Combining narratives drawn from local culture with elements of comedy that resonate strongly with both regional and global audiences, Telfaz11?s innovative approach has attracted a devoted and growing fan base in the region and beyond

Drawing from more than a decade of being a creative culture catalyst, the company is now leveraging its distinctive brand of influential and engaging storytelling to unlock the potential of Saudi Arabia?s creative economy.

??? ?? ??????????????? ???????? ? ?? ? ?? ?? ???? ????? ?? ???????? ? ? ????? ? ???????? ? ?????? ? ?? ?? ????? ?? ?? ????? ? ?? ? ? ?? ? ? ?? ? ??? ?? ??? ? ??? ?? ? ? ?? ? ? ?? ? ?? ??? ?? ???? ???????? ?? ??? ? ? ???? ???? ? ??? ? ? ? ?? ? ?? ???????? ? ? ? ? ??? ? ???" ?? ???? ??? ?? ????? ? ??? ?? ? ?? ???? ?? ? ????? ? ??"? ?? ??11"?????? ???:"??? ? ????? ? ?? ?? ?? ????? ?? ??? ??? ????? ?? ???????? ???? ?? ? ? ???? ? ??? ? ? ?? ????????? ?????? ??? ??? ??? ???? ??? ? ?? ?? ???? ? ? ?? ??? ? ???????? ?? ?? ??? ??? ? ??? ? ????? (?? ? ?? ? Netflix)? ? ????? ? ???????? ? ?? ??????? ?? ?? ???? ?? ?? ??? ??? ??? ? ????? ???? ?? ?? ? ? ??? ? ??????? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ? ? ? ????? ? ??? ? ??? ?? ? ? ?? ? ?? ??" ???? ????18 ? ???? ?? ? ?? ???? ?? ?? ????? ??30 ??? ???? ? ? ????? ?? ?????? ? ?? ?? ??? ???? ?? ? ? ??? :? ? ?? (Desert Warrior)???? ?? ?? ?? ?? ? ??? ??? ??? ??? ? ???? ? ?? ? ? ? ??? ?? ? ?? ? ?? (Dunki)?? ????? ???? ?????? ???? ?? ? ??? ? ??????????? ? ?? ??? ???? ??? ?? ?"? ? ? ??????" ?????? ???????? ??? ??? ????? ? ?? ?? ?? ????? ?? ????? ?? ???? (Million Dollar Island)?? ???? ?? ? ??? ????? ??? ?? ?? ??? ?? ???? ???? ? ???? ? ?? ? ????? ? ? (Rise of The Witches)?? ???? ???? ???? ? ? ??? ? ?? ??? ?? ? (Exceptional)??? ?? ? ?? ??? MBC ? ? ? ??? ????? ? ???? ? ???? ?? ?200 ??? ? ? ??? ?? -??? ????? ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ??? ??? ? ??? ? ? ?? ? ?? ??? ? ?? ? ?? ?? ? ????? ? ? ??? ?? ??? ? ? ????? ? ???? ? ? ? ? ????? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ??? ??? ? ?????? ? ????? ? ? ??? ???? ? ??? ??? ?????????? ? ? ? ?? ?? ??? ? ??? ? ?? ??? ??? ? ?? ? ? ???? ?? ??? ???? ? ??????? ? ? ?? ??? ??????? ?? ????????? ? ? ? ? ????? ?.? ? ? ?? ?? ?? ?? ? ??? ????? ?? ???? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ???? ? ? ? ??? ???? ???? ? ? ? ???????? ??? ????? ? ? ?? ? ? ???? ? ???? ??????? ?????? ?? ? ? ? ? ??? ???? ??? ? ? ??? ? ???? ???? ?? ??? ??? ? ?? ?? ? ? ? ?? ?? ?? ??? ??? ?? ? ? ???? ?? ???? ? ?????? ?? ? ? ? ????? ?? ????? ??????????????? ? ??? ???? ? ????? ???? ??? ??????? ? ???? ?? ? ? ???? ?? ? ?? ? ???????? ??? ? ??? ? ?? ?? ? ????? ??? ???? ? ? ???? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?? ?? ??????? ??? ??????? ???? ?? ?? ?? ??? ? ????? ?????? ??? ?? ? ? ??? ? ?? ?? ????? ??? ? ????? ?? ???? ? ?????? ? ?? ? ??? ?? ??? ? ?? ? ? ??. ?? ? ?? ??? ? ?? ?? ?? ? ? ??? ? ?? ? ??? ????????? ??? ? ?? ???? ? ? ?? ? ? ? ? ?? ???? ? ? ? ?? ????????? ???? ???

JOURNEY OF REDEMPTION

We are sharing an article by ZOE MUTTER lifted from the British Cinematographer special feature on Filipino cinematographer, Mathhew Libatique, ASC on his brilliant capture on the critically acclaimed film, The Whale. For more features on cinematography, visit the British Cinematographer website where cinematographers unite around the world.

The Whale introduces Charlie ? played by a barely recognisable Brendan Fraser whose performance earned him a Best Actor Critics?Choice Award and further nominations ? a reclusive and morbidly obese English teacher who, following heartbreak and loss, hides from the world and is slowly eating himself to an early death Seeking a final chance at redemption, Charlie is desperate to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter,Ellie (Sadie Sink).

?I connected with the themes and ideas, and the way it found beauty in things our prejudices too often make inhuman,?Aronofsky says of his reaction to the Broadway play ?It made my heart ache, it made me laugh, and I felt inspired by the bravery and grace each character finds?

Mesmerised by the play The Whale, director Darren Aronofsky set his sights on translating the story of regret, transformation, and salvation from stage to screen. Friend and valued collaborator Matthew Libatique ASC was trusted with lensing an intimate tale that unfolds in a one-bedroom apartment in a way that would not feel static while conveying a powerful message

Like most of cinematographer Matthew Libatique ASC and director Darren Aronofsky?s joint creations, once Aronofsky shares an idea it may take around 10 years for the film to be made. When they were wrapping Requiem for a Dream, the director mentioned a script called The Understudy which a decade later became Black Swan

Similarly, Aronofsky had been interested in making The Whale after seeing Samuel D. Hunter?s stage play in New York in 2012 Fast forward to 2021 when the world was emerging from the pandemic lockdown, and Libatique, like many filmmakers, ?was itching for something to do and trying to figure out what their place was going to be.? Thankfully for Libatique, Aronofsky was as eager to be back on the set, so, along with friend and producer, Jeremy Dawson, they began developing the idea for a screen adaptation, working closely with writer Hunter

When translating from stage to screen, the ambition was to keep the production small and COVID-friendly, so it was contained in one place. ?Darren?s main concern was what we should do with the camera to ensure shooting was COVID safe,? says Libatique ?I had some ideas because I?d been talking to different productions and was involved in Union discussions in the early days of the pandemic around the methods we could use when having to be on set and operate cameras.?

Aronofsky and Hunter were excited by the challenge of keeping the story in a single space where the characters are trying to save one another ?But it had to not feel claustrophobic,?adds Hunter. ?The atmosphere needed to feel inviting enough that audiences could lose themselves inside it.?

When translatingthe storyform stage to screen, Aronofsky(left) and Libatique?s(right) ambition wasto keep the production small and COVID friendly(Credit:Niko Tavernise)

Libatique(left) and Aronofsky(right) (Credit:Niko Tavernise)

Aronofsky views The Whale as a story that asks a simple but essential question: can we save each other? ?That feels important in the world right now, especially when people seem more than ever to be turning their backs on one another,?he says ?For me, this is what cinema is all about Through the power of emotion, a story like this can put us into the shoes of a man we might otherwise never even wonder about and remind us that all the promise of love and redemption is there in every human existence?

The beauty of simplicity

Aside from extensive planning and logistics to ensure the shoot was compliant with COVID guidelines within the small space of Charlie?s one-bedroom apartment within where almost all the narrative plays out over five days,Libatique found watching footage of the play helpful when determining the visual approach ?I saw we would need to strip away all the theatricality because it was essentially a couch with no walls. It was all about dialogue and performance,?says the cinematographer ?And while there was also room for us to paint the picture in cinematic form, the simplicity was part of its charm?

As logistical conversations became creative discussions, Aronofksy and Libatique spent an extensive period exploring how to avoid the film feeling static Libatique compiled stills and references from films that in some way resembled a naturalism he thought The Whale could adopt.

Although he never quite found what he was looking for, he was on the right path: ?Everything was almost too beautiful Even though it was naturalistic, it still looked like a stylistic choice I wanted to go a little further and see how banal I could make it But banal images were too banal and stylistic ones were too stylistic, so we landed somewhere in between.?

During this process, when trying to hold the audience?s interest the camera was more important than the light which Libatique blended and ensured adhered to the language of the narrative.In addition, Aronofsky devised a novel method to break up scenes ?In the screenplay, there are scene breaks, but in the script, they just follow along in real time In the film, they happen in real time too, but Darren marks them with a wide shot,?explains Libatique.?Something happens with a character, and then Darren resets to a wide shot and introduces the next sequence That clever technique gave us a baseline to work from?

Having worked with the Sony Venice on previous productions, including a short film with Olivia Wilde, Libatique was impressed by the camera?s performance in low light Knowing he was going to work at lower light levels on The Whale, specifically because he ?didn? t want the ambience to start to overtake the film? , he opted for the camera again.

With a focus on camera movement, and working in a COVID safe manner, Libatique chose to shoot the entire film using a DJI Ronin stabilisation system on a jib arm, pairing the Sony Venice with Angenieux Optimo Primes as it was the lens that best balanced the Venice while on the Ronin as well as Libatique being a fan of the lens?s performance.

?We worked at 6K, so we needed some large format glass TCS in New York, showed me a few options but the Angenieux offered that soft fall off I like and performed well in terms of highlights in the windows so I didn? t get any flaring,?says Libatique ?They reminded me of the Cooke S4s when I shot on film, and I had the same feeling as the first time I saw those This wasn? t a movie where I needed aberration and flares ? I needed the lens to just capture it and give me the most beautiful image possible.

?Aurelia Winborn my first AC was a fantastic collaborator while working with that lens. She was often at T2 and pretty wide open and she doesn? t use a monitor, she stands by the camera I don? t know how she does it that way in this day and age ? it?s very impressive?

Breaking up the rhythm

After wrapping Don? t Worry Darling Libatique went straight to New York to begin three weeks of prep on The Whale ahead of rehearsals ?We had a couch and the set taped off and Darren would walk around with his iPhone and frame up, with all scenes meticulously blocked,?says Libatique. ?All the actors were there, and Darren loves when he is working with his actors and seeing how they perform.?

Aronofksy ? who also enjoys using the over the shoulder shot as a connective piece ? soon realised that the main character Charlie was like the sun everything revolved around ?Ultimately, the script outlined that we were going to be over Charlie?s shoulder, and he?d always be sitting while everyone else is standing,? says Libatique. ?So, Darren came up with the brilliant idea of framing for 1.33 rather than 1.85 or 2.40 as there?s nothing to see peripherally anyway and it helped us accommodate the over the shoulder when Charlie was sitting?

Once Aronofsky builds the language of the camera, he doesn? t deviate from it ?So, everyone involved in the circle around the camera knows what they?re going to do for a scene and after a few days, everybody knew the rhythm,?adds Libatique. ?It was going to take a little while because Darren gives actors as much opportunity to perform in the way they want?

As expected from a stage to screen translation, the film was dialogue heavy And as the narrative unfolds in one space Aronofsky and Libatique were concerned the audience?s attention may not be held by a story with little physical movement or location change. ?But this movie taught me that you can tell a story like this within this space and not make it feel static,?adds Libatique. ?The moments of rest from the interior of his apartment living room are sequences taking place in his bedroom, bathroom, and porch And when shooting those elements,less is more,and they broke up the rhythm a little?

Although Charlie?s apartment was a set built in upstate New York, its look was motivated by existing apartments including some in Moscow, Idaho, where the film is set and where writer Samuel D. Hunter grew up During the 26-day shoot, a location day was required ? also in New Paltz, New York ? to shoot the exterior of the apartment building

Production designers Mark Friedberg and Robert Pyzocha brought Charlie?s apartment to life as a modest, cosy, professorial space packed with books and framed photos which doubled up as a space for him to hide.

?It required clever brilliance from the production designers to bring so much life to this single room.One of the biggest breakthroughs was the placement of Charlie?s couch,?says Aronofsky ?Most apartments have the couch against a wall, but they found a way to float his couch in the middle of the room while keeping it organic. It seems simple, but it perfectly opened everything up and afforded us many more opportunities for movement.?

? I saw we would need to strip away all the theatricality because it was essentially a couch with no walls. It was all about dialogue and performance,?says the cinematographer. ?And while there was also room for us to paint the picture in cinematic form, the simplicity waspart of itscharm.?- Matthew Libatique ASC

Prior to Libatique arriving in New York, every week he discussed the set with the design team and examined diagrams ?When I walked on set, there was a sense of realism to it,? says Libatique. ?We made some augmentations for framing once we?d decided on 1.33 framing, creating a drop ceiling in the kitchen so we had something to look at when we were framing in that direction We also decided where our potential wild walls would be because by that point we knew where were great places for a wide shot, and when we would need to take walls out

?The crew was small, and we didn? t have a construction team on the set, so our grips had to move all the wild walls which I know is common internationally, but in America another crew is normally responsible for that. So, I can? t praise key grip Mitch Lillian and dolly grip Brendan Lowry enough, who were both working the jib arm and creating all the wild walls?

Digital exploration

The Whale saw Aronofsky venture into digital territory for the first time, partly motivated by the pandemic challenges experienced by filmmakers. ?We thought about what we could do to eliminate most activity around the actors who weren? t wearing masks, and one solution was using a digital camera,?says Libatique ?Continuing to roll without having to reload when shooting digitally was also interesting to Darren and he fell in love with the idea he could see a clean image and evaluate the frame more accurately?

As one of the qualities Aronofksy adores most when shooting on film is the grain produced, Libatique brought the team behind the LiveGrain real-time texturing tool on board which ? combined with the Sony Venice at the base 2500 ISO and soft fall of the Angenieux Primes ? produced the desired grain effect when using digital capture.

During rehearsals the filmmakers worked with a couch and taped off set. Aronofsky (left) used his iPhone to frameup, meticulouslyblockingsceneswith thecast, includingBrendan Fraser (centre) (Credit:Niko Tavernise)

?I also flashed the file a little to lift into the shadows It?s like when, shooting on film, you?d have one shot that was underexposed Well, I wanted the whole movie to feel that way,?he says. ?And then the final layer of The Whale?s look was the LUT created by DIT Jeff Flohr and I. We revisited some settings I?d previously created with Sony and Jeff and I came up with our own settings after shooting tests, and then we really didn? t settle on our grain until three days into the production

?Jeff was also instrumental in keeping me on track throughout when I was operating the movie from my Samsung Odyssey ? a little a monitor I use as a reflective light metre and for false colour, dialled in. I would rely on Jeff, and we would constantly talk about exposure, so he was another set of eyes for me.?

In the grade, Libatique worked with a collaborator he has team up with since Black Swan ? Company 3 colourist, Tim Stipan. ?I?m not one to reinvent the wheel when I get into the DI ? everything I prepare for is to capture the film as much as intended in camera. I spend more time trying to get to my original intention than trying to create something new,? says the cinematographer. ?But obviously there?s magic that happens in the DI and I like to spend time matching a scene as cleanly as possible with Tim?

Accentuated moments

One of the most powerful scenes in The Whale sees Charlie, following an emotional experience, binge on any food he can find in his apartment. ?Darren wanted to shoot as much in sequence as possible, so by the time we got to that scene, Brendan had been through all these machinations of performance, and he?d basically become Charlie, but the part that was Brendan still must have found that scene very hard to shoot,?says Libatique

Libatique: ?We often went for a medium because there?s a physicality to the characters, especially Ellie ? you want to see her shoulders and how she moves as an angry teenager?

?Aronofsky wanted to accentuate that scene with camera movement in a similar way he used the camera at the beginning of the film to take the audience in from wide to tight or from one part of the room to another ?Darren used camera movement more dynamically in the bingeing scene and made the blocking as complicated as possible because it was a culmination of tension and emotion that had been building,?says Libatique, who finds it fascinating to observe Aronofsky at work and the rules he follows when constructing a scene.

?He?ll push his blocking to the limit of his rules, so actors move around as much as they can because he doesn? t want it to feel stagnant. There will be four lines standing and then two sitting down He just wanted to make it realistic, but then he pushes his blocking to the point where his language doesn? t work anymore?

Using cranes and dollies and inspired by other Hollywood theatrical adaptations including Mike Nichols? Who?s Afraid of Virginia Woolf and Elia Kazan?s A Streetcar Named Desire, the pair adopted classical camera movements to enhance the intimacy and tension within the single location

?Ultimately you need to return to the text The story always tells you where the camera should be,? highlights Aronofsky ?Stylistically, this was a real departure for us from our last movie together, mother!, which was fully handheld, but Matty came in full of ideas that helped me to figure out how to move the camera around this room in interesting ways.?

In one shot Aronofsky wanted the camera behind Charlie, so the audience could barely see over his shoulder, meaning the shot favoured the POV of Ellie as she walked from the dining room to the kitchen. ?You see Charlie trying to turn and move his body Just through the simple placement of the camera and a little movement left to right conveys a lot about the character?s physical state,? adds Libatique. ?When Charlie stands up for the first time our initial camera position didn? t make him look big enough, so we boomed down. Every placement of the camera was precisely thought out and Darren?s always trying to use the camera to accentuate the moment in the shot that?s important?

Writer Samuel D. Hunter (left) and producer Ari Handel (Credit:Niko Tavernise)

While Aronofsky enjoys being in close-up, they were not used as extensively in The Whale as his previous work ?We often went for a medium because there?s a physicality to the characters, especially with Ellie ? you want to see her shoulders and how she moves as an angry teenager which goes back to what Darren does in terms of how high or low the camera is and what our proximity to the performer is,?says Libatique ?It?s about what we want to see and what?s going to communicate the moment best That?s developed over time ? as collaborators we?ve looked for ways to maximise the performance by having the camera a little further away or really close.?

Language of light

Aronofsky refers to Libatique as his ?brother-in-arms? and ?brilliant in the way he uses light to paint?while Fraser also commends the cinematographer as being a ?master of using light to shift the mood and match the weather? and praises him for lighting the apartment ?like it was a cathedral.?

When creating the lighting scheme, accommodating camera movement was at the forefront.?I always have to expect Darren will want to do a 360-degree shot unless we?re in coverage. But even then, once I established something, like in the very first scene, when we?re introduced to Charlie and we shoot 270 degrees,after that, the light has been established, so I can? t deviate from it too much when we get to coverage,?says Libatique.

?Darren?s also a fan of subjectivity and the camera placement has a lot to do with who the main character is looking at, or who is looking at the main character So, in that respect, some of the language from our previous productions flowed through into this.?

The cinematographer needed to give Aronofsky and the actors ?as big a playground as possible within the restricted space,?so he did not want to use a lot of light ?as the more you put onto a set, the more bounces back onto the set and then you?re adding negative to try to minimise that.?

The Whale introduces Charlie ? played by Brendan Fraser ? a reclusive and morbidly obese English teacher (Credit:A24)

While the stage version ends on a hard cut to black, in the film, Charlie takes a step towards the light.Early on, Aronofksy and Libatique had the idea that the weather would evolve over the course of the film ?Rain comes, but on the last day, the sun is out,so when the door opens, the light is shooting down onto Charlie,? says the director.?When you make a big choice like that, you?ve just got to throw everything you have at it and hope you?ve done enough that the audience comes with you?

When the audience first meet Charlie, Aronofsky wanted it to feel like a dark, overcast, and rainy day Most of the light would come from the interior but inside would still feel quite dank. Discussions around the language of light then dictated the second day would be overcast but not raining

?So, it?s a bit brighter, but the lights are off,?adds Libatique. ?The third day is similarly overcast, but brighter and then on the fourth day it becomes rainy again because it was building to the climactic nighttime scene in a rainstorm featuring Charlie and Thomas, who claims to be a New Life Church missionary and wants to save Charlie The next day it?s almost like the earth has been cleansed and it?s a sunny day for the first time in the movie and that?s where Charlie?s redemption lies.?

Keeping light fixtures at a great enough distance and spread out within the small space was important so the camera could be as free to move as possible.Two chief practicals were heavily relied on to the sides of the couch ? outfitted with NYX Bulbs from Astera that could be controlled and then augmented with small boxes made by gaffer, John Velez.

?We could put one or two of the NYX Globes inside them,?elaborates Libatique, who could accurately and remotely control their colour ?I was also working with a fantastic lighting programmer Alex Joans which is something I?ve become used to?

Astera Titan Tubes were strategically placed in the ceiling with diffusion underneath from Magic Cloth or light grid. ?So, we had a little top ambience in places we couldn? t get any kind of level. But then I used lighting cues to bring the light level up and then down over the course of a camera move, bringing down the practical when needed. We also worked with a lot of LiteGear LiteMat Spectrums because I love the colour and Hudson Spider Mozzie when we were in coverage to augment the key light?

A shoot with significance

A sizeable transformation and team effort morphed Fraser into Charlie with the help of a talented team including prosthetic makeup designer Adrian Morot, who Libatique and Aronofsky have collaborated with on multiple projects. ?In unison with Judy Chin, our makeup department head, and another collaborator we?ve worked with since Requiem for a Dream, Adrian and I have many conversations about skin tone, looking at what the actor?s natural skin tone is and what happens to them when they get hot,? says Libatique ?Adrian creates a cocktail that means I?ve never struggled with skin tone, which is so important, especially when working with prosthetics?

Libatique also commends Fraser, not only for an outstanding performance, but his dedication and patience when working with such extensive prosthetics.?It was difficult for him because the makeup required touch ups and parts of the prosthetic needed to be pulled down as he moved, and sometimes we?d continue to roll while the team came in to reset. There was also an opening in the suit in which a hose could be inserted to blow cold air as he was roasting inside?

One of Libatique?s lasting and treasured memories of his time on set occurred at the end of the shoot. ?The cast were all so incredible but at one point I lost sight of Brendan?s performance and was concentrating on the work I was doing,?says Libatique ?But then at the end, everybody realised what he had just done.There was also this relief that he could finally take off the prosthetics I remember it being a celebration of him, and of the writer Sam Hunter. It was like being part of someone else?s journey and helping them along and it felt like a victory at the end.?

While The Whale is the most pared-down film Aronofsky has made, it was a significant production for the director and Libatique as filmmakers partly due to the pandemic struggles society and the industry had just gone through and continued to encounter. ?There were a lot of doubts, fears, and insecurities, so it wasn? t lost on me how special it was to be back doing something that felt so normal,?says Libatique ?That, in combination with an opportunity to work with Darren again, which are just too few and far between He?s like Terry Gilliam at this point Everyone?s asking, ?When are you going to make another movie??So, every time I get a chance to work with him, it?s incredibly special?

The film isanadaptationof Samuel D. Hunter?sstage playwhich DarenAronofsky saw inNew York (Credit:A24)

© ROLLS-ROYCEMOTORCARS

THEEXTRAORDINARYUNDERTAKING IS COMPLETE: ROLLS-ROYCESPECTRECONCLUDES

GLOBAL TESTING PROGRAMMEWITH METICULOUS LIFESTYLEANALYSIS

?Spectre is the Rolls-Royce that changes everything It symbolises not only the marque?s technological leadership of the super-luxury sector, but that a bold electric future, first prophesised in 1900 by our founder, Charles Rolls, is now upon us. To attain its final, perfect form, Spectre has passed through our engineers??finishing school?? and in so doing, completed the most demanding testing regime in our brand?s history, spanning 2.5 million kilometres and every conceivable extreme of temperature, weather, road type and surface condition Equally importantly, it has also undergone our extensive Lifestyle Analysis testing Applying our detailed knowledge of our clients' tastes, habits and requirements, this unique evaluation process ensures Spectre delivers an authentic, personal and effortless super-luxury experience, as well as true engineering substance, specific to the most demanding consumer group in the world ? the Rolls-Royce client.?

Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive Officer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

?It is a highlight of my professional life to have developed Rolls-Royce Spectre, the car which propels Rolls-Royce into its bold, electric future Such a remarkable car requires a remarkable testing programme and I am enormously proud that Spectre has now completed what has been the most arduous schedule ever conceived for a Rolls-Royce motor car Indeed, it is where automotive manufacturers finish testing that so much of our work begins in fulfilling the requirements of the super-luxury consumer. This has been an extraordinary undertaking from a team of dedicated and highly skilled engineers that span both traditional technical disciplines and exciting emerging technologies. Rolls-Royce Spectre brings the future of this great marque into the present.?

Dr. Mihiar Ayoubi, Director of Engineering, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

© ROLLS-ROYCEMOTORCARS

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars?

genre-defining all-electric super coupé, Spectre, has now concluded an historic and unique undertaking: a 2.5-million-kilometre testing programme simulating more than 400 years of use.

- Rolls-Royce concludes

2.5-million-kilometre testing programme of all-electric Spectre

- Motor car has been exposed to temperature extremes of -40°C to +50°C

- More than 50,000 total driven hours expended testing the motor car

- Test programme concludes with Lifestyle Analysis testing in marque?s home market

- Programme created to respond directly to Rolls-Royce client lifestyles

© scottandzelda com © Lush UK

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars?genre-defining all-electric super coupé, Spectre, has now concluded an historic and unique undertaking:a 25-million-kilometre testing programme simulating more than 400 years of use In the most demanding development process in the marque?s 119-year history, Spectre has endured temperatures ranging from -40°C to +50°C, and in conditions spanning from Arctic snow and ice to deserts,high mountain passes and the world?s megacities.

En route,every one of Spectre?s 141,200 digital sender-receiver relations and 25,000 performance-related functions has been minutely observed, analysed and tuned by Rolls-Royce engineers, a process representing over 50,000 collective driven hours of highly skilled work.This has resulted in thousands of iterative improvements in everything from Spectre?s acoustic performance,composure under cornering and steering precision to its charge time, electric range and torque delivery;each small in itself, but with an immense overall cumulative effect on the client experience.

© ROLLS-ROYCEMOTORCARS

LIFESTYLEANALYSIS

As a Rolls-Royce, Spectre must be more than just an engineering tour de force ? it must also offer clients an authentic super-luxury experience It has therefore also been subjected to the marque's unique Lifestyle Analysis process, which has informed the development of every new product emanating from the marque?s home in its Goodwood era.This additional testing programme goes far beyond standard automotive assessments to encompass how clients will use the motor car in their daily lives.

Lifestyle Analysis is based on the marque's detailed knowledge and understanding of the super-luxury consumer, and continuous intelligence-gathering across the luxury sector.It enables engineers to anticipate the very particular demands likely to be placed on a new Rolls-Royce and ensure that final engineered and fashioned experience incorporates appropriate features and responses

Using this knowledge, engineers have considered a range of variables of particular relevance to Rolls-Royce clients For example, they have examined how Spectre?s drivetrain performs on specific roads in and around the world?s most exclusive enclaves, including: Sanya on Hainan Island, China; Dubai in the United Arab Emirates; Napa Valley in California; and London, in the marque?s home market.

This testing is not limited to performance under highway speeds. Specific city centre destinations are also used to ensure that features such as four-wheel steering offer the requisite manoeuvrability benefits to access areas roads and property approaches with limited space. Indeed, testing in and around the boroughs of Mayfair and Kensington and Chelsea, London, ensured the appropriate rear axle steering to approach key residential streets and luxury retail locations.

Similarly, given the environments Spectre will be placed in worldwide, a large number of static testing procedures are undertaken that address key client concerns.These include if it is possible to hold a normal telephone conversation inside the motor car while it is parked alongside a waiting helicopter, the strength of the motor car?s in-car internet connection between specific skyscrapers, and ease of access when placing specific objects inside the motor car ? the long garment bags used to protect formal evening suiting and gowns

As with the technical road testing, the Lifestyle Analysis phase of testing is in place to highlight necessary adjustments to the motor car's specification or performance For example, after testing the power-assisted doors on an exceptionally steep hill ? replicating the steep driveways common to the hills of Los Angeles, California ? engineers added gyroscopic and G-force sensors to ensure that doors open and close at the same effortless speed, regardless of longitudinal or transverse parking angles

Additionally, one corner was used so frequently to test the steering precision of Spectre, which the marque?s engineers believe is the most exact in Rolls-Royce history, they have named a switchback within the environs of Rolls-Royce?s home in Goodwood, West Sussex, ?Spectre Corner?

Fittingly, it was during Lifestyle Analysis testing in London, the capital of Rolls-Royce?s home market, that Spectre completed its 25-million-kilometre odyssey in preparation for client deliveries, which will commence in the fourth quarter of this year

© VogueArabia

© ROLLS-ROYCEMOTORCARS

Guardrails Urgently Needed to Contain ?Clear and Present Global Threat? of Online Mis-and Disinformation and Hate Speech, says UN Secretary-General

United Nations, New York, 12 June 2023 ? The world must address the ?grave global harm?caused by the proliferation of hate and lies in the digital space,United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said at the launch of his report into information integrity on digital platforms

Alarm over the potential threat posed by the rapid development of generative artificial intelligence must not obscure the damage already being done by digital technologies that enable the spread of online hate speech, mis-and disinformation,stressed the UN chief

Digital platforms have brought many benefits,supporting communities in times of crisis and struggle,elevating marginalized voices and helping to mobilize global movements for racial justice and gender equality They help the UN to engage people around the world in pursuit of peace,dignity and human rights on a healthy planet

Yet these same digital platforms are being misused to subvert science and spread disinformation and hate to billions of people,fueling conflict,threatening democracy and human rights,and undermining public health and climate action.

This clear and present global threat demands coordinated international action to make the digital space safer and more inclusive while vigorously protecting human rights.

Existing responses have,to a large extent,been lacking. Some tech companies have done far too little,too late to prevent their platforms from contributing to the spread of violence and hatred, while Governments have sometimes resorted to drastic measures ? including blanket internet shutdowns and bans ? that lack any legal basis and infringe on human rights

The policy brief puts forward the framework for a concerted global response though a Code of Conduct for information integrity on digital platforms, outlining potential guardrails to contain this runaway threat while safeguarding freedom of expression and information.

It includes the following proposals to be built on in a Code of Conduct:

Governments, tech companies and other stakeholders should refrain from using, supporting, or amplifying disinformation and hate speech for any purpose

Source:UN -SDG

Governments should guarantee a free,viable,independent,and plural media landscape,with strong protections for journalists

Digital platforms should ensure safety and privacy by design in all products, alongside consistent application of policies and resources across countries and languages

All stakeholders should take urgent and immediate measures to ensure that all AI applications are safe,secure, responsible and ethical,and comply with human rights obligations.

Tech companies should move away from business models that prioritize engagement above human rights, privacy,and safety.

Advertisers and digital platforms should ensure that ads are not placed next to online mis- or disinformation or hate speech,and that ads containing disinformation are not promoted.

Digital platforms should ensure meaningful transparency and allow researchers and academics access to data,while respecting user privacy

The policy brief is the latest in a series based on proposals contained in Our Common Agenda, the Secretary-General?s 2021 report that outlines a vision for future global cooperation and multilateral action

Together, the briefs are intended to inform discussions ahead of the SDG Summit in September, marking the midpoint towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, and the related Summit of the Future next year

https://www un org/en/common-agenda/policy-briefs

Copyright © 2023 UN Department of Global Communications,All rights reserved

Errazuriz Wine

Photographer of the Year Winner- Produce

Title:THEEYE Country:USA

Photographer:Adrian Chitty Nationality:British

About the Photo: Chardonnay lees forming a striking pattern at the bottom of a stainless steel fermentation tank.

Champagne Taittinger

Wedding Food Photographer Winner

Title:Stories During Dinner Country:Netherlands

Photographer:Isabelle Hattink

Nationality:Dutch

About the Photo: Kids playing around the family table at a huge wedding.

Bring Home the Harvest Winner

Title:InThe Storm

Country:Viet Nam

Photographer:Khanh Phan Thi

Nationality:Vietnamese

About the Photo:

Lap An Lagoon in Hue province in the dry season.When the water recedes, the fish are stuck in puddles and when the tide is low,people often go fishing here.When I arrived at Lap An Lagoon,the storm came. The people who were with me were very afraid of lightning, but I stayed to witness the change of the storm when Heaven and Earth seemed to be connected by wind and water.I tried to stay calm, to forget my fear and shoot this moment.I think things that survive in harsh conditions are always great.- Khanh Phan Ti

© Home - Handsof Peace- Severine Desmarest

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PinkLady® Food Photographer of theYear (South East Asia),Khanh Phan Thi, Viet Nam