����ֱ��

RIYADH: The Ministry of Culture is organizing Saudi Cultural Week which will take place at the Palace of Congresses in Tirana, Albania, from Sept. 16-20.

The event will promote cultural exchange between the two countries, giving the Albanian public the chance to experience Saudi culture and strengthen shared ties, according to a Saudi Press Agency report.

The week will feature participation from ����ֱ��’s heritage, music, film, libraries, literature, culinary arts, fashion, and theater commissions.

Also participating are the Royal Institute of Traditional Arts, and the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Global Center for Arabic Calligraphy.

These entities will present a program reflecting the richness of Saudi culture, the SPA added.

The program will include musical and performing arts shows, an exhibition of rare Arabic manuscripts, screenings of Saudi films, and displays of traditional fashion.

It will also feature an Arabic calligraphy exhibition and presentations on UNESCO World Heritage Sites in ����ֱ��, along with offering authentic Saudi hospitality with traditional coffee.

Culinary arts presentations, workshops for practitioners and artists from both countries, and panel discussions with intellectuals and authors will also be featured.

The Year of Handicrafts 2025 initiative is participating with an informative pavilion highlighting the historic and cultural significance of handicrafts.

DUBAI: Egyptian Russian actress Nelly Karim is the face of Prada Beauty in Egypt, the brand revealed this week. 

The campaign highlights the Paradoxe Eau de Parfum Intense fragrance. 

The pictures show Karim in two contrasting looks. In one image, she appears in a voluminous pale pink gown while holding the perfume bottle, set against a soft backdrop. Another image presents Karim in a brown dress with flowing sleeves, posing with the perfume against a dark background highlighted by green light beams. 

Paradoxe Eau de Parfum Intense is a floral-amber fragrance that features notes of neroli and jasmine combined with amber accords and a vanilla base.

Prada first entered the Egyptian market in July with a summer pop-up activation, before announcing its official debut through the new campaign led by Karim.

Karim, born in Alexandria to an Egyptian father and Russian mother, began her acting career in 2000 with the TV series “Wageh El Amar.” She later appeared in Youssef Chahine’s “Alexandra … New York,” which screened at Cannes.

Since then, Karim has become one of Egypt’s most prominent actresses, with notable roles in “678,” “A Girl Named Zaat,” “Women’s Prison,” “Clash,” and the box office hit “The Blue Elephant 2.”

She also starred in “Voy! Voy! Voy!,” a satirical drama that premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2023 and went on to represent Egypt at the Academy Awards.

Her performances have brought her both regional and international recognition, cementing her status as a leading figure in Arab cinema and television.

Famously, and fittingly, Karim did not begin her career in the spotlight as an actress. From her childhood until her big break, dancing on “Fawazeer Ramadan,” she was a ballerina. She danced in Alexandria and then in the former Soviet Union, where she lived for a time as a child and was so moved by the work of famed Russian choreographer Boris Eifman at the tender age of 5 that she decided her life would be spent on the stage.