The life of Dhafer L'Abidine can read like a boys’ own adventure. He’s had it all and lost it, picked himself up and worked right back to the top. Footballer, actor, director… the secret to his success? Don't panic! BY NASRI ATALLAH March 2, 2022…

Between a Netflix anthology, millions of followers on YouTube and just a little Oscar buzz, Meshal Al Jaser is not only making big moves for himself, but he’s also taking Saudi Arabia with him for the ride. As part of GQ's Men of the Year 2021, in…

Legendary Egyptian artist Youssef Nabil has spent the last 30 years depicting a cinematic journey through life starring iconic portraits, thought-provoking film, installation, print and more. As we move into his next chapter, things are getting…

In 2021, Issam Alnajjar went from making music in his bedroom to becoming one of the most streamed artists in the world. Now he’s not only after global domination, but also the birth of an entire genre of music, too. This is exactly why, as part of…

To be Lebanese is to be broken-hearted. You learn that early on. For three weeks in Lebanon during late July and early August, I spent a lot of time being heartbroken. Like many in the diaspora, I had been witnessing the deepening and overlapping…

Chances are you’ve seen Malak Mattar’s artwork on Instagram in the past few weeks. Her expressionistic paintings of Palestinian women have made her a mainstay of Palestinian culture, and an evocative way to communicate about the country and its…

Bassel Khaiat is a busy man. Over his two-decade-long career, spanning nearly 90 productions, he seems to have barely taken a day off. When we chat, he is sitting in his room at the Marriott in Cairo’s Zamalek, the city’s arts, culture and diplomacy…

In “unbreak my art”, an original piece commisisoned by GQ, Eli Rezkallah and Saint Hoax try to make sense of the year that was. “The artwork represents the frivolity of social media and online virality, but also the great power and reach that come…

In the video for his latest single, “Dorado”, Mahmood sits in a barren white-walled bedroom, a mattress on the floor, a wild gradient through his hair and a golden Nintendo Switch in his hands. There’s a poster of Lana Del Rey. As the beat drops,…

I’m on WhatsApp with Issam trying to set a date for our call. He hasn’t answered and I’m getting nervous. I’m unsure what language to reach out in, so I’ve texted him in French, he’s responded in English saying he’s been shooting a video for two days…

As we start talking, I can’t help but feel I’m keeping Nadine Labaki from something more important – or many things, even. I tell her about a mutual friend of ours who says hello – a classic bit of Lebanese name-dropping and relationship-building. I…

It’s a Saturday morning and I’ve made my way to Paris’ La Defence district to meet Adunis, the man regularly referred to as the greatest living Arab poet. His building is a 37-floor concrete tower defiantly staring down the newer glass ones that…

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After the now-obligatory five minutes of technical difficulties that kick off social interactions across internet connections of varying speeds, I can hear Dana Hourani’s voice clearly as it emerges from her beaming smile. The trademark bangs and…

Ahmed Malek sits on a white sofa in a white T-shirt. He’s tanned and relaxed and his wavy mane of hair – which is quickly approaching icon status – is pulled back into a neat bun. Malek is framed by two posters: Lolita on one side, and the Penguin…

The first time we talk it is early March and Dali Benssalah has just returned to Paris from Algiers. He was there working on an Algerian period drama about the last Queen of Algiers, Zafira. He plays Red Beard in the film, who arrives in town and…

Over the course of our conversation, Ragheb Alama uses the word ‘vision’ a dozen times. He is referring to his own but also to that of the team around him. The first couple of times, you think it might be just a convenient buzzword, but over the…

The refugee turned something-considered-worthier-than-refugee trope has become numbingly familiar. Think of Mari Malek from South Sudan who was hailed as a refugee-turned-supermodel in a flurry of press features, or British member of the European…

When I get to the lobby of the Hotel Napoleon, near the Arc De Triomphe, Carl Gerges is already sitting on a plush red sofa under a large photograph of a man pulling a stack of mattresses on a rickshaw. The drummer orders a basket of croissants and…