Events, brands and personalities

What everyone is talking about

Click to win
Canon Middle East has launched its regional photography competition that gives photography enthusiasts a chance to capture the beauty of their cities from a unique perspective. All participants of the ‘Come and See My Arabia’ competition have to do is portray their city’s stand-out characteristic and submit their images to the Canon ME Facebook page. The competition is open to nationals and residents of the Middle East and North, East and West Africa. The winner stands a chance to win the grand prize of a Canon EOS 760D camera along with a Canon PIXMA PRO-10S printer.
The competition will close for entries on July 5. To provide more support to interested participants, Canon will also be sharing photography tips and tricks on its Facebook page. The winning entries will be chosen by a judging panel constituting experts from Dubai’s leading photography institute Gulf Photo Plus (GPP). GPP will look for the best composed, artistic and original image that evokes the best interpretation of the theme ‘unique perspectives of my Arabian city’. To participate or know more about the competition, visit the Canon ME Facebook page — www.facebook.com/CanonME
Meeting of minds
After rave reviews and sold out shows in India, the Hindi/Urdu play Ek Mulaqaat (“A Meeting”) is heading to the UAE on June 5-6. The play is directed by Saif Hyder Hasan, and stars actor and TV personality Shekhar Suman, and actress Deepti Naval. It tells the tale of the intense relationship between celebrated Urdu poet Sahir Ludhianvi (played by Suman) and acclaimed Punjabi author Amrita Pritam (Naval) and is infused with literary references, nazms and poetry of the legendary duo. It shows how the relationship between the two stands out as a symbol of dignity and pathos in love, especially in the current era of frantic &instant messaging.&The event will take place at the Dubai Community Theatre and Arts Centre (DUCTAC), Mall of the Emirates, on June 5-6 at 8pm. Tickets are priced at Dh1,000 (VVIP), Dh500 (VIP), Dh300 (Gold) and Dh150 (Silver) and are available to book online at www.ductac.org. For more information, contact 0556767629.
Shakespeare at the opera
Love Shakespeare? You’re going to love what The Act Dubai has in store on June 13! The highest theatre restaurant in the world is collaborating with The Emirates Opera Project to bring audiences ‘A Midsummer Night’s Opera’ — a take on the famous play. The opera will be paired with delectable Peruvian food prepared by the award-winning chef Roberto Segura. The night at the opera is priced at Dh395 per person including a three-course set menu, sharing concept, with beverages included. Doors open at 7pm and the show starts at 8pm. For reservations and information contact 043551116.
The perfect case
We know that one of the reasons you buy those fancy phones is so you can get those cool cases you’ve seen your friends showing off! Well, there’s a new store in town that’ll have you sorted in &no time. French fashion-tech accessory makers Kase Paris, unveiled their new store at the Al Ghurair Centre and they’re got over 4,000 designs of tablet and phone covers for you to choose from.
And if you don’t like what you see, or fancy something custom-made, they’ve got a 3D-printer to make you a case of your choice in 15 minutes! They’ve also got pretty nifty accessories for headphones, sound amplifiers, stickers and smartphone jewellery for all kinds of devices. 
Movie-time
Small-town Emirati director Waleed Al Shehhi is headed to the big screen with his new movie, Dolphins, which is out in the UAE at VOX Cinemas on June 4.
Voted Best Promising Emirati Director by DIFF and riding on the high of a sold-out audience at the 11^th edition of the festival held in December, 2014, the Ras Al Khaimah-born filmmaker’s flick tells of three separate worlds that collide in the span of 24 hours — and how it changes the destinies of all involved. It’s drama all the way, and even more exciting because it’s an offering from this region!
Run time: 90 mins.
Check out www.voxcinemas.com for more information.
Made in the UAE
Fashionistas, save the date! Homegrown brand Anisa Couture is all set to launch its summer collection in the UAE on June 6 next week.
Drawing inspiration from Dubai’s vibrant cultures and eccentricities, the brand will be offering haute couture, signature abayas, bridal wear and exclusively designed formal children’s wear as part of the collection. The event is free and open to all fashion lovers, and will take place between 5-8pm at the scenic Pret Motif Boutique located in Concorde tower, Cluster H, Jumeriah Lake Towers. Guests can also look forward to free goodie bags, courtesy Palmers Cocoa Butter.
RSVP required; email w2w.events.dubai@gmail.com to register.
Say it with flowers
Roses are some of the most romantic ways to tell someone just how much you love them. But what if you can now use words in addition to your gesture too? Florabella, a UAE-based floral provider, is offering a new service that will enable customers to emboss personalised messages, images and logos on the petals of live flowers of their choice. That means your loved one can not only guess what you’re trying to say — they can read it too! Now there’s no need to throw in a greeting card as well. Visit www.florabella.ae for more information.