The countdown to the 2022 Emirates Airline Festival of Literature has started! This Festival being one of the world’s leading international literary festivals, will be spread across two weekends from 3rd – 13th February 2022, with talks and sessions taking place at Al Habtoor City, Dubai.
The exciting young talent of Pakistan, Mira Sethi will be participating in three different panels at the international Festival of Literature on the 5th and 6th of February 2022, taking place in Dubai. She will be sharing one of the panels with some of the well-known and award-winning writers.
The three panels where Mira Sethi will be speaking are ‘The Strongly Worded Letters’ alongside Annabel Kantaria, Ben Miller, and Marina Wheeler, ‘Peeling the Onion’ with Avni Doshi, Farah Ali, and Selma Dabbagh and one panel is called ‘Are You Enjoying?’ where Mira Sethi will be the only one speaking.
These renowned writers will be talking about their literary journey and discussing the craft and inspiration behind their stories.
Mira Sethi was the former books editor at The Wall Street Journal with op-ed pieces in The New York Times, a well-known actress with regular appearances on Pakistani television and is now the author of a debut short story collection ‘Are You Enjoying’.
Jaffer Business Systems (JBS), one of the topmost information technology companies in Pakistan honored with the prestigious award for its unparalleled contribution to Huawei Ecosystem for the year 2020-21.
The enthralling ceremony was organized by Huawei on cruise during Gulf Information Technology Exhibition (GITEX) week, 2021 recently held in Dubai, where JBS received an award for its incomparable performance and aiding towards maximum effectiveness of Huawei’s Ecosystem.
Jaffer Business Systems (JBS) and Huawei Technologies shares a strong technological affiliation aimed at effectively collaborating its resources in the domains of: enterprise network solutions and enterprise communications products and solutions.
Expressing his views on achieving this award, Syed Adil Wadood, Head of Sales at JBS said “it’s an honour to get recognized by Huawei as their valued business partner. We thank them to acknowledge our commitment of keeping the customers delighted by providing best-in-class technology and innovative solutions that solve their business challenges.”
Moreover, JBS consistently focuses on fostering a robust growth in the ecosystems of Huawei by developing a comprehensive network connection between enterprise accesses.
This implausible commendation by a global leader “Huawei” is indeed a moment of great pride for Jaffer Business Systems (JBS), which is surely an indication to the fact that with every passing day, JBS is achieving a landmark position in the world of Information Technology through its unmatched services in diversified domains.
About Jaffer Business Systems (JBS): JBS is one of the most reputable IT companies in Pakistan, with the motto to solve people’s business challenges with IT Solutions in a creative manner. It promotes the culture of excellence, innovation and vitality in its business processes and services.
Dubai’s newest comfort food boutique, ‘TWICE’, launches its first breakfast menu with uniquely curated dishes to start the day right. Food lovers will experience modern-day, upscale, never-done-before dishes, crafting the ultimate menu, packed with ‘double the flavor’ and ‘double the punch’, capable of satisfying every customer every bite of the way.
‘TWICE’ is a newly opened passion project that marries high-quality comfort food with a fine casual dining experience that goes beyond the norms of a traditional restaurant. Located in the heart of one of Dubai’s hidden gems, Safa Complex, the restaurant’s mouth-watering breakfast delicacies were curated for diners who are looking for something light or want to gear up for an action-packed day.
The all-new breakfast spot where family and friends can come together to enjoy their most important meal of the day in a happy, positive and welcoming atmosphere, offers a must-try selection of breakfast dishes including favorites such as Avo Mash on a bed of sourdough with poached eggs, Deep Fried Halloumi, and Portobello Scrambled Eggs with swiss cheese.
For American-inspired favourites, ‘TWICE’ offers its unique twist on Wings & Waffles, and Nona’s Frittata. The urban eatery has also created specialty breakfast dishes exclusive to ‘TWICE’, such as Sausage & Pepper Hash, Eggs in Purgatory, Huevos Rancheros, Twice Benny, and Eggs A L’Americana. For diners that desire a sweet start to their day, they can opt for Cereal French Toast, or Classic Pancakes.
‘TWICE’ offers a unique service, which is tailored for a personal experience. Embodying the uniqueness of this modern-day bistro, ‘TWICE’ allows its customers to dive deep into the freshening world of vibrant interior with bright lights and loud art pieces. Guests are guaranteed to find themselves returning to enjoy twice the flavour, twice as nice. Abdalla Juma commented, “by popular demand, we are so thrilled to announce our brand new breakfast menu after spending hours bringing together the perfect combination of flavours”.
‘TWICE’ visitors will enjoy an unforgettable, fun atmosphere seated amongst funky interiors, a colourful punch of retro and postmodern palettes with its colorful booths, pops of bright blue and pink detailing, streams of bulb lights across the ceiling, and all-around customized art pieces only to be seen at ‘TWICE’.
As exciting as the unique decor, their one-of-a-kind breakfast menu items will leave customers’ taste buds wanting more.
About ‘TWICE’: ‘TWICE’, @twicedubai on Instagram, is a hip-hop inspired eatery that combines its passions for music, urban flair, and Dubai’s never-ending burger and pizza love affair. Joining forces with Emirati food connoisseur, Abdalla Juma, to curate the vibrant, quirky menu, ‘TWICE’ redefines traditional burgers and pizzas with its extraordinary flavour combos, cooking techniques, and never-done-before dishes. The interiors of ‘TWICE’ draw on 90s hip-hop culture with its unique, vibrant interior. This modern-day bistro packs a colourful punch of retro and postmodern palettes throughout the interior with its colorful booths, pops of bright blue and pink detailing, streams of bulb lights across the ceiling, and contemporary eye-catching art featured on the walls. From the food to the music and funky interiors, ‘TWICE’ offers a dining experience that is welcoming, friendly, and hip for every customer.
His Excellency Hamad Buamim, President and Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry congratulated China on the occasion of its 71st National Day. He expressed his views in his statement released to press.
Commenting on the occasion of China’s 71st National Day H.E Hamad Buamim, President and Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI), said that; “UAE-China relations continue to develop and flourish after the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries ushered in a golden era for bilateral economic cooperation”.
His Excellency Hamad Buamim said; “China is a market of strategic importance to Dubai and Dubai Chamber is playing an active role in building bridges between the UAE and Chinese business communities”.
President & Chief Executive Officer of (DCCI), further said; “bilateral non-oil trade has expanded following the opening of Dubai Chamber’s representative offices in Shanghai and Shenzhen in 2016 and 2019, respectively. With the opening of these offices the number of Chinese companies registered with Dubai Chamber has risen steadily to reach 3,019 today”.
H.E. Buamim revealed that; “Dubai Chamber members’ exports and re-exports to China reached AED 2.4 billion (US$ 653.4 million) during the January-August 2020 period, marking 50% growth compared to the same period in 2019. These figures reflects growing demand among Chinese consumers for UAE products and underline Dubai’s position as a preferred trade hub”.
He added that; “the Chamber’s international offices are focusing their efforts on facilitating Dubai-China trade and investment by capitalising on bilateral business opportunities, attracting Chinese companies to Dubai and identifying opportunities in the Chinese market that offer potential to member companies”.
His Excellency Hamad Buamim, President and Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The team of the first Pakistan International Screen Awards 2020 would like to thank all celebrities and artists who attended the event on 07th February 2020 at Coca Cola Arena in Dubai UAE.
Overall, this inaugural event was a huge success in creating the buzz around Pakistan and its artist community. The event was successfully able to create the perception of Pakistan film and TV industry being recognized on a global platform.
Without doubt that the event encountered many challenges to say the least, an event of this magnitude is a huge undertaking and consequently if anyone during this process has been let down or have been mis-communicated then PISA team takes full responsibility of it. We by no means intended to disrespect any of our prestigious guests.
Our intention was to host the first independent awards ceremony internationally to help elevate Pakistani talent. We hope that we have achieved some momentum with our partners and supporters and the team that worked tirelessly for months to bring this to fruition. We also hope to make PISA an annual event for years to come and improve from the learning’s from this year’s event.
The countdown to the inaugural Pakistan International Screen Awards (PISA), taking place on 7th February, 2020 at the magnificent Coca Cola Arena has begun. For the first time ever, Pakistan’s TV, Film, Music, Fashion and Social Media stars will be celebrated at this gala event. As we await the glamorous stars walk down the red carpet and perform on stage on the night, here’s a list of awards that will be chosen by an esteemed jury.
1) Best Actor in a Leading Role – Critics’ Choice
2) Best Actress in a Leading Role – Critics’ Choice
3) Best Actor – Critics’ Choice Best Actress – Critics’ Choice
4) Song of the year – Critics’ Choice
Experts from various industries comprise the curated jury for the upcoming PISA. From fashion to film critic to entrepreneurs and ardent promoters of talent, PISA jury members are stars in their own right. In a secret ballot, which will be revealed on the awards night, the jury will vote for the five Critics’ Choice categories. Meanwhile votes are pouring in on the public nomination categories on the PISA website; www.pisa.com.pk.
The inaugural star-studded event will see around 17,000 audiences at the Coca Cola Arena. Glamorous red carpet, outstanding performances and showcasing the best of the best talent from the Pakistan television, film, fashion and music industries as well as social media stars. The event will be attended by icons of the film industry and the young, talented and dynamic artists who have created a huge following in the sub-continent in such a short time.
FRIEHA ALTAF – as the CEO and creative head of Catwalk Events and Productions, Frieha Altaf has executed more than 3000 events, ranging from intimate to enormous, over a span of 30 years. Her forte extends to directing, producing shows, celebrity and model management. Recently, she has ventured back into acting as well. With a degree in arts from The William Smith College, US and a diploma in fashion design from International Academy of Design, Canada, Frieha Altaf has conceptualized mega events such as Lux Style Awards, Engro Excellence Awards, Veet Supermodel and has also been at the forefront to fashion weeks and Pakistan Film Festival. Besides an illustrious career for which she has received several awards, Frieha’s proud accomplishment is the ‘Woman of The Year’ award presented to her by the Governor of Sindh for her work on child sexual abuse.
Frieha Altaf
JAVED SHEIKH – first made his debut in 1974 with Dhamaka and over the last three decades he has acted in more than 100 films and television serials in Pakistan and in India. As an actor and director, Javed Sheikh has won numerous awards and accolades and is hugely respected versatile star on both sides of the sub-continent border. In 2018, Sheikh directed and acted in the film Wujood and appeared as a ghost named Dwarka Prasad in successful comedy film Saat Din Mohabbat In. Most recently, Javed’s latest film, action-comedy, Teefa In Trouble, has been a box office hit.
Javed Sheikh
SAHER SHAIKH – founder and director of ‘The Adopt-a-Camp’ foundation, NGO Consultant, former investment banker, cordon bleu chef and mother of four, Saher Shaikh is a famed pillar of the Pakistani community. Saher Shaikh’s drum-roll of accomplishments include being awarded by Dubai Government for services to the community, being profiled by CNN Heroes, BBC World and Al-Jazeera; being named Most Inspirational Woman in the GCC, Dubai’s Personality of the Year, Hello magazine’s ‘Top 40 Women Changing the World’ alongside Queen Rania and Malala Yousuf Zai.
Saher Shaikh
ALINA TALHA – fashion, film-making and aesthetics are the driving force for the young and talented Alina Talha. Her creative input combined with her analytical outlook allows Alina to identify the up and coming artists in the field of performing arts. Alina has played a critical role in developing the format of PISA and fine tuning one of the biggest award ceremonies to be held outside Pakistan.
Alina Talha
FARAZ HAMIDI – an ad-man by day and a poet by night, Faraz Hamidi is the former creative chief of IAL / Saatchi & Saatchi and co-founder and chief creative officer of The D’Hamidi Partnership. Faraz Hamidi’s passion for advertising and the communication arts has seen him as a front-runner in Pakistan’s advertising industry for almost 30 years. A global citizen, Faraz Hamidi has attended a number of creative institutions including TASIS, Royal Academy of Music, Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Sorbonne, and Boston University’s College of Communication from where he graduated with BSC in Mass Communication and Advertising in 1991.
Faraz Hamidi
SENATOR FAISAL JAVED KHAN – a Pakistani politician who has been a member of the Senate of Pakistan, since March 2018. Faisal Javed Khan began his political career in 1996 with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). He has hosted more than 500 PTI political rallies across Pakistan and was named as the ‘voice of PTI’. Since February 2018, he has been serving as a member of the core and central executive committees of the PTI and its central additional secretary information.
Senator Faisal Javed Khan
SUHAIL ABDUL LATIF IBRAHIM GALADARI – is the eldest son of late Abdul Latif Ibrahim Galadari and is the director and executive committee member of Galadari Brothers & Co since 2006. Being in a leadership position, Suhail Galadari has successfully led teams of thousands in the multi-industries from media to automotive to hospitality to F&B. Galadari Brothers, based in the UAE for over 50 years has become an expert in introducing global businesses to the UAE including JCB, Mazda, Baskin Robbins, Komatsu, Khaleej Times among others.
Suhail Galadari
MARIA FAISAL – owner of Mesmerise Promotions and co-founder of PISA, grew up watching her father play a critical role in the establishment of Pakistan Television network. Maria Faisal’s innate passion for art and culture prompted her to establish the Pakistan International Screen Awards 2020 with an objective to highlight the talented artists of the country on an international level.
Maria Faisal
OMAIR ALAVI – senior journalist with over 20 years’ experience in writing about films, television dramas and theatre. Omar Alavi’s known for his in-depth interview style with celebrities. From interviewing global stars such as Chris Hemsworth, Tom Holland to regional stalwarts like Nadeem Baig, Subhash Ghai among others, Omar’s knowledge of films is un-matched.
The much awaited nominees list for the first Pakistan International Screen Awards 2020 (PISA2020) has been announced and there are some awfully talented contestants in each category. To find out about who has been selected for the different categories visit www.pisa.com.pk.
Please vote for your favorite stars from film, television to social media personalities, fashion designers and top models here http://voting.pisa.com.pk/
An honorable panel of jury members will pick the winners in the critics’ choice categories whilst other categories will be open to the public for voting with all winners being presented their awards at the grand Coca Cola Arena.
On 07th February 2020 in Dubai at the Coca Cola Arena, the star-studded Pakistan International Screen Awards will also present not only one but eight Life-time Achievement Awards for film and television icons to show gratitude towards them. This includes Barbra Sharif, Anjuman, Shabnum, Nadeem Baig, Mustafa Qureshi, Bushra Ansari and legendary singers Abida Parveen, Ghulam Ali and Ataullah Esa-kehlvi.
From the likes of film, television to social media personalities, fashion designers and top models, PISA will be a grand celebration of contemporary arts and culture awarding the best of talent in all domains including script-writers, sound-tracks, direction, fashion and cinematography in addition to the glamorous and unforgivably talented actors and actresses.
An astonishing figure of 10,000 is expected in the audience from UAE and GCC. This event is being organized by ‘Mesmerise Events’, which is turning out to be the most awaited award ceremony with performances by the top divas and their un-matched performances. This will include, Urwa Hocane, Hareem Farooq, Momina Mustehsan, Emaan Ali, Aima Baig, Mustafa Khan, Farhan Saeed plus many more.
Flashy red carpet moments to this much awaited awards ceremony is packed with entertainment and with series of celebration, the three-and-half-hour packed extravaganza will also feature Javed Sheikh, Adnan Siddiqi and Pakistani mega band Strings.
You don’t want to miss this night. So book your tickets right away for this glorious extravaganza and come down to see your favorite stars up close in all their glory!
Coca-Cola Arena will play host to the first ever Pakistan International Screen Awards(PISA 2020) on 07th February, 2020. This star-studded event will not only include awards for film and television screen artists but social media personalities will be present to receive their accolades on stage. It is in light of bringing forth and exhibiting the endless talent that prevails in Pakistan including both established and emerging individuals.
Executive Producer, Faisal Khan shared his thoughts and said, “over the last few years Pakistan has been lucky and grateful to have come across such diversity in talent from both men and women. It gives me great pleasure to have a platform to showcase the progress of our film fraternity and in a time and age of a digital world it is time to stand up for what one believes in. Patriotism is at an all-time high and we all can’t wait to showcase our best”.
He further added; “this event is like none other and will bring forward not just outstanding performances but also the experience it has to offer with the best of the best, showcasing electronic and social talent“.
We are expected to see new and old stars from the likes of Ushna Shah, Hareem Farooq, Sarwat Gilani, Imran Abbas, Javed Sheikh, UmairJaswal, Mustafa Khan, Junaid khan, Sara Loren, WaqarZaka, Shehryar Munawar, Affan Waheed, Ayesha Omer, Muneeb Butt, Wasay Choudary, Faiza Saleem, Mooro, Alyzeh Gabol, Bilal Saeed, Mawra Hocane, Urwa Hocane, Farhan Saeed and Strings.
In addition, the eccentric hosts for the evening would include Javed Sheikh, Adnan Siddqui, Wasay Choudhry, Hareem Farooq, Ayesha Omer and Ushna Shah.
We’re looking forward to witness glitz and glamour in the heart of the metropolitan city in the world.
Kamran Hashim's Blog 