Review: ‘Black Snow’ unearths dark secrets in small-town Australia
Review: ‘Black Snow’ unearths dark secrets in small-town Australia/node/2587910/lifestyle
Review: ‘Black Snow’ unearths dark secrets in small-town Australia
Short Url
https://arab.news/zsb5x
Updated 27 January 2025
Ghadi Joudah
Review: ‘Black Snow’ unearths dark secrets in small-town Australia
The series provides insight into the South Sea Islander community, highlighting its rich history and struggles in a way that feels both authentic and respectful
Updated 27 January 2025
Ghadi Joudah
“Black Snow” is a captivating Australian mystery-drama series that combines crime, culture, and community.
The show's season one is set in a small, tight-knit town in Northern Queensland, where the murder of a 17-year-old girl shocks the residents.
Decades later, the case remains cold — until a piece of startling new evidence is unearthed from a 25-year-old time capsule, reopening the investigation and forcing the town to confront buried secrets.
As the story unfolds, viewers are taken on a journey through shifting timelines, uncovering hidden truths about the victim, her family, and the community she left behind.
What truly sets “Black Snow” apart is its focus on cultural depth.
The series provides insight into the South Sea Islander community, highlighting its rich history and struggles in a way that feels both authentic and respectful.
The show not only explores the devastating impact of the murder on this community but also sheds light on their historical marginalization, making it much more than a typical mystery.
Travis Fimmel delivers a standout performance as Det. James Cormack, the investigator tasked with solving the decades-old case.
Cormack’s dogged determination, combined with his personal flaws, makes him an intriguing and relatable character.
The ensemble cast also shines, with heartfelt performances that bring depth to the town's residents, each harboring their own secrets and motivations.
Visually, “Black Snow” is stunning, with breathtaking cinematography that captures the beauty of Queensland’s sugarcane fields and coastal landscapes, while emphasizing the isolation and tension of the small town.
The show’s eerie atmosphere is heightened by a deliberate, slow-burn pacing that meticulously unravels the mystery, though it may feel overly drawn out to viewers who prefer faster narratives.
However, the series does have minor shortcomings.
Some secondary characters are underdeveloped, and while the mystery is compelling, it occasionally leans on familiar crime drama tropes that risk feeling predictable.
Princess Rajwa Al-Hussein steps out in black coat dress in Paris
Updated 08 October 2025
Arab News
DUBAI: Princess Rajwa Al-Hussein of Jordan showcased elegant royal style on Wednesday during her visit to France with her husband, Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah.
The couple are in Paris, where they met with French President Emmanuel Macron and first lady Brigitte Macron at the Elysee Palace.
The princess, who is of Saudi origins, stepped out wearing a long black tailored coat dress featuring a structured collar and button-down front. She styled the look with black heels, a woven cream clutch bag, and gold jewelry, including drop earrings and stacked rings.
Following the crown prince’s visit to France, he is scheduled to travel to the UK, where he will hold meetings in London. He will meet with Prince William and British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
DUBAI: Part-Arab model Shanina Shaik turned heads in Paris this week when she appeared in new images shared by Victoria Beckham Beauty.
The Australia-born model — who is of Saudi, Pakistani, and Lithuanian descent — was featured in photos from a collaboration post on Instagram between her and the beauty brand, seen applying products such as the satin kajal liner and eye wear palette to create a soft, bronzed makeup look.
Shaik also attended the Victoria Beckham show during Paris Fashion Week, where the British designer presented her Spring/Summer 2026 collection at 17th century Val-de-Grace Abbey. For the occasion, Shaik wore a chocolate-brown satin halter-neck gown with a high neckline and open back, styled with minimal accessories and glossy waves for a sleek finish.
Before the show, Shaik shared a behind-the-scenes video of her getting ready for the event.
“I am so excited for this show. I am obviously a huge fan,” she said in the video before breaking down the products she uses on her hair before styling.
She gave her followers a glimpse of her pre-show routine, sharing what she ate, followed by clips of her hair and makeup session. Shaik included shots from a photoshoot taken before the event, along with a short look at the show itself.
Beckham showed a collection of slip dresses, roomy suits and soft, leather jackets with crinkled edges for her namesake label’s show.
Models marched under the arched corridors in sharp-toed shoes, parading dresses cut in asymmetric shapes and uneven hems, the fabric bunched together in places, some covered with a dusting of spray paint.
Trousers were low-waisted, cinched with thin belts and paired with tops that were slit open in front, while suit jackets came in boxy shapes, without lapels. Handbags included a roomy duffle bag, a structured camera bag and one that resembled an accordion.
In written show notes, the brand described the collection as an “abstract adaptation of the coming-of-age wardrobe,” noting that Beckham had spent time reviewing photos of herself as a young adult.
Beckham has also been making headlines with her upcoming “Victoria Beckham” documentary, scheduled to premiere on Netflix on Oct. 9. In the three-part docuseries the former pop star-turned-fashion designer shares her story.
Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale announces theme, artists for 2026 edition
Artistic directors Nora Razian and Sabih Ahmed discuss ‘In Interludes and Transitions’
Updated 08 October 2025
Jasmine Bager
RIYADH: The 2026 edition of the Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale — “In Interludes and Transitions,” which opens Jan. 30 — will bring together more than 70 artists, and include more than 20 new commissions at JAX, Diriyah’s creative district.
The title comes from a colloquial Arabic phrase that refers to the cycles of encampments and journeys in nomadic communities across the Arabian Peninsula, reflecting the movements, migrations, and transformations that continue to connect the Gulf region with the world.
Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale Artistic Director Nora Razian. (Courtesy of the Diriyah Biennale Foundation)
“There’s also this very contemporary conversation we’re presenting to complement that sentiment,” artistic director Nora Razian tells Arab News. “I think COVID changed the way people work, but I also think the whole ‘everything going digital and online’ has kind of faded away now and people are already craving the intimate conviviality of sharing an experience together.
“Of course, if you are Saudi you kind of know Diriyah, but it was always a little bit outside of the city. Now it’s very much integrated into the city, and the way that people think about the city. It’s become its own kind of place,” she continues.
The biennale will explore movement, processions, and cultural transmission. Sound-based works will be presented along with visual art, music, and performance, offering audiences a full-bodied, cross-disciplinary experience, according to the organizers.
Artistic Director Sabih Ahmed. (Courtesy of the Diriyah Biennale Foundation)
While acknowledging that “some people may have been a little fatigued (by the number of biennales in the region, including the Islamic Arts Biennale in Jeddah, also run by the Diriyah Biennale Foundation),” Razian’s fellow artistic director, Sabih Ahmed, tells Arab News that this edition feels “a little bit like an edited anthology of many voices that come through together.”
Both artistic directors were drawn to the idea of processions as a curatorial thread. In a joint statement, they wrote: “Processions have produced relations and forms in this region. The movement of winds and the flow of trade, migration, and exile are carriers of stories, songs, and languages, producing rhythms and poetic meters such as the rajaz. Thinking of the world in procession — a braiding of movements that commemorate and celebrate — allows an understanding of cultural forms through exchange and transmissions; itineraries of travel, intersections, and mutations; and the retelling of fragments of exiled stories that have persisted through bodies, materials, rhythms, and cadences.”
Saudi artist Ahaad Alamoudi. (Photo by Zaynab Odunsi)
The biennale will unfold across multiple venues and outdoor spaces in Diriyah, with scenography by design studio Formafantasma and contributions from a team of international curators including Maan Abu Taleb, May Makki, Kabelo Malatsie, and Lantian Xie. Milan-based architect Sammy Zarka joins as associate architect and exhibition designer.
The preliminary list of participating artists features Saudi artist Ahaad Alamoudi alongside international figures including Pio Abad, Rand Abdul Jabbar, Yussef Agbo-Ola (Olaniyi Studio), Afra Al Dhaheri, Mohammed Alhamdan (7amdan), Ruba Al-Sweel, Taysir Batniji, Raven Chacon, Rohini Devasher, Merve Ertufan, Ivana Franke, Rahima Gambo, Petrit Halilaj, Aziz Hazara, Alana Hunt, Yazan Khalili, George Mahashe, Théo Mercier, Nour Mobarak, Nancy Mounir, Hussein Nassereddine, Daniel Otero Torres, Thảo Nguyên Phan, Gala Porras-Kim, Sarker Protick, Raqs Media Collective, Oscar Santillán, Trương Công Tùng, Wolff Architects, Agustina Woodgate, and Yu Ji.
By blending visual art, music, and poetry — a hallmark of cultural expression across the Arab world — the biennale is intended to amplify continuity and resilience in times of uncertainty. Through song, stories, dance and collaborative processes, it highlights how art preserves memory, asserts the power of the collective, and sparks hope.
The Diriyah Biennale Foundation, chaired by Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan Al-Saud, continues to champion creativity and the transformative potential of culture. With the upcoming edition of the Contemporary Art Biennale, the foundation hopes that Diriyah can solidify its place as a generator of culture.
‘Window on Palestine’ returns toEl-GounaFilm Festival
Updated 08 October 2025
Arab News
DUBAI: Egypt’s El-Gouna Film Festival is bringing back its “Window on Palestine” program for the third year.
Set to run from Oct. 16 to 24, the festival’s eighth edition will play host to a roster of Palestinian films in the special section.
This year will feature seven short documentaries from the “From Ground Zero+” initiative, offering portrayals of life in Gaza.
The documentaries were created through the Masharawi Fund for Films & Filmmakers in Gaza, in collaboration with Coorigine Production in France. All the films are in Arabic with English subtitles.
The selected works include “Colors Under the Sky” by Reema Mahmoud, which follows a displaced artist struggling to create music amidst destruction; and “Dreams of Farah and Zahra” by Mostafa Al-Nabeeh about two young girls who hold on to creativity as an act of defiance.
In addition, “Gaza to Oscar” by Alaa Damo follows filmmakers who risk their lives to tell their stories; “The Wish” by Aws Al-Banna in which theater becomes a tool for recovery; and “Hassan” by Muhammad Al-Sharif about how a Palestinian teenager’s attempt to get a sack of flour leads to detention.
Also showing is “Unfinished Stories” by Nidal Damo in which a filmmaker drifts from one unfinished story to another; and “Very Small Dreams” by I’timad Wishah about women in Gaza’s refugee camps as they struggle to maintain their dignity and health.
Marianne Khoury, artistic director of the festival, said: “Our commitment to the ‘Window on Palestine’ program is not just a curatorial choice; it is a fundamental part of our mission as a festival in the region.
“Cinema has a profound power to document and to heal, and it is our duty to provide a space where the world can witness the incredible resilience and artistry of the Palestinian people.”
DUBAI: US comedian Andrew Schulz brought the house down during his Dubai debut at the Coca-Cola Arena on Tuesday night, delivering a high-energy set that left the crowd roaring with laughter from start to finish.
Following a successful show in Abu Dhabi in 2024, the comedian returned to the UAE accompanied by the co-hosts of his hit podcast Flagrant.
Opening for Schulz were Mark Gagnon, Akaash Singh, and Emirati comedian Abz Ali.
As part of the Dubai Comedy Festival, Schulz performed a classic American-style standup routine infused with his trademark self-deprecating humor.
And, to the audience’s delight, provided plenty of region-specific jokes about life in the UAE.
Unlike his Abu Dhabi show, this set leaned more toward sharp, quick-fire standup and crowd interaction rather than an overarching narrative, which had characterized his previous Life Tour performances.
From poking fun at Dubai’s traffic to riffing on the city’s obsession with Emaar buildings, Schulz showcased an impressive grasp of local culture and humor.
Throughout the night, his quick wit and spontaneous comebacks during audience interactions had the crowd in stitches.
To close the show, Schulz invited the rest of the lineup back on stage for a lighthearted Q&A segment, where they offered tongue-in-cheek advice.
With laughter, tears, and plenty of surprises, Schulz’s Dubai debut was a memorable addition to his growing list of UAE performances.
The comedian is set to perform in Riyadh as a part of the comedy festival on Oct. 8.
