Film "Royal love / Hob Malaki" at Gulf Film Festival 2013, Dubai

Khaleejia said:  Gulf film Festival 2013 has just finished. The film "Royal Love/Hob Maliki" have been shown on Tuesday  April,16 at GFF 2013 cinema in Festival City, Dubai.
I decided to come and see this film. I invited my friends join me, but we had some earthquake that day, and many of them had changed their plans. So i went alone(first time in my life) .
I was lucky to get almost the last ticket, and thanks to all valunteers who helped me to come through. The hall was full and later i knew that all group of the film makers were there too.

 The film was about a guy Zaal-(ar., "sad") who dreamily loved one lady Jouri (ar. "a kind of Flower") from the same University, and was shy to tell her about his feelings. His kind friends tried to help him by different, sometimes very funny ways, which made us, the audience, laugh a lot.  From each light approaching he got very happy and seemed it was enough for him to keep optimism of life, but once she got engaged to a rich man, his heart was broken. He almost lost hope, unless he knew that Jouri got into an accident and was in coma. He started visiting her daily and every time talked to her, read her news and beautiful love poems, that he wrote but never had a chance to read them for her before the accident. (During the parts, when Zaal was reading poems,we, the audience, were applauding).
After 3 years, she woke up from coma and started looking for that guy who had been talking to her every day for all passed years. She found him and proposed him, but.. The rich man insist on marry and the poor guy was killed... So no happy end :(
It was a good film that made us laugh and cry. The cast of big stars in gulf ex. Habib Ghuloom Al Attar, Mansoor Al Faili,  amazing actors play and beautiful scenes of Dubai. Made us enjoy the film and love it.

After the film, open forum with entire film-makers team was held straight in the hall. We had a chance to tell them what we think about their work and ask any question.
I did several pictures with the actors and introduced them you- Khaleejia's life readers.

Just yesterday i knew, that Amal Salem (Sama Dubai presenter, was also attending the screening. Unfortunately i could not see her. But i know that she also liked and enjoyed the film.

  Jamal Salim

Habib Ghuloom Al Attar , you may know him from the film "City of Life" when he was playing a father of Faisal (Sauod Al Kaabi).

 Mansoor Al Faili

(the pic taken by my friend Shamsa "albaroona"(Abu Dhabi) who also visited the GFF )

My lucky ticket: 

Open Forum after the film:

Me with Habib al Attar and that guy -"Zaal"  

Amal Salem

Front Row: Spikes, Chains, Dimonds and Snakes New Abayas from "Gulf Princess" Dubai 2013

Khaleejia said: 

منى عبدالكريم، مصممة إماراتية ولدت في الدينمارك وهي تملك الآن علامة تجارية خاصة بها تحت مسمى أميرات الخليج والخاصة بالعباءات. شقت منى طريقها في عالم الأزياء بعد دراستها إدارة الإعمال.

مدونة الخليجية تواجدت في عرض الافتتاح الخاص للمجموعة الجديدة لتصاميم المبدعتان منى عبدالكريم وميغان.

عند دخولنا قاعة العرض دهشنا بطريقة العرض حيث كانت العارضات يتوسطن ساحة العرض مما سمح للحضور من الاقتراب ومشاهدة العباءات عن قرب وحتى لمس القماش. وكل عارضة تقوم بالالتفاف والدوران لكي يتم مشاهدة العباءة بطريقة مبتكرة. وقد أخبرتنا ميغان بأن هذه الطريقة مستوحاه من أمريكا وهي آخر طرق العرض في صيحات الموضى.

استطاعت صديقتي عائشة بأن تسأل منى عن قصة إلتحاقها في مجال تصميم العباءات وأخبرتها لقد درست إدارة الأعمال وأستهوتني فكرة عمل مشروع خاص بي وعند الإنتهاء من الجامعة قررت خوض مجال التصميم لأنني إماراتية وفي المحيط العام نرتدي العباءة باستمرار وشدني تصميم العباءات على نطاق العائلة ولكن بطريقة مبتكرة وجديدة. وفي البداية قمت يتصميم تشكيلة محدودة ودعوة القريبين للعرض وبفضل تشجيعهم ومساندتهم قررت التقدم والتوسع في العمل لشريحة أكبر فقمت بدعوة الأصدقاء والجمهور فلاقت تصاميمي استحسان المدعوين وأثنوا على العمل.

وبفضل من الله وبسبب تخصصي في مجال إدارة الأعمال استطعت أن أدير المشروع بشكل جيد لأن أثناء الدراسة قمت بتعلم وإلمام جميع نواحي الإدارة ابتداءً من المحاسبة والتسويق ولغاية إدارة الموظفين ولا أخفيك سراً بأن عالم التصميم لايتعلق الأمر فقط بالتصميم وإنما بكل ماذكر.

وبعدها قمنا بالتجول والحديث مع الحضور والتي اختلفت جنسياتهم وأعمارهم وجميعهم أعربوا عن إعجابهم بالعرض وبخاصة كريستينا التي أعجبت بالإكسسوارات المصاحبة للعباءات وقالت بأنها غريبة وجريئة وهي على استعداد لإرتداء أحد العباءات لأنها تناسب الجميع. وجميل أن نرى في الإمارات بأن هنالك مصميين جريئين مثل منى والتي تستطيع أن تجمع بين الأصالة والحضارة.

Mona Abdul Karim, an Emirati born in Denmark, created  her own brand  “Gulf Princess” after majoring in management and graduating from university with a Bachelor in Business Administration. The brand is getting more and more popularity all over UAE. 

Me and my friend Afra Matar were cordially invited to her Front Row Abaya Fashion Show "THE HEIRESS", in Capital Club, Dubai, where I had a chance to ask Mona about her career as a designer and what was behind the scene while creating her Autumn/Winter 2013 collection that she did in collaboration with a talented accessory designer- Megan Smith from Canada who did her special line of shoe jewelry and body chains using metallic plated colored chains of gold, silver and gun metal with Swarovski elements that adds elegance, style and glamour, under brand Dazzling Straps.
Mona and Megan posing specially for Khaleejia's life readers!

Khaleejia: -          Thank you for the Invitation, Mona, we really enjoying seeing you with Megan and your abaya designs. Very unique, brave and beautiful.  Though having a master in Business administration what was a reason for you to become an abaya designer?

Mona: -          Once I got my degree in business management I wanted to start some business. I already had some addiction to designing. So I decided with abayas as my mother side always wears abayas, I was inspired by them and wanted to do something special. I did my first abayas and was encouraged by my family. They wanted me to continues designing, so I did my first full collection, invited few people, they invited their friends, and all were so impressed, that made me seriously think to start this business. 


Management degree really helped me to run it and manage. As in the fashion industry it is not only about the designs , it is about how you gonna market it, control your sales, how to manage accounts, employees and all the aspects of business, to have a full perspective on how the business should run.. I have my PR, sales people, but all are coming back to me at the end of the day. Plus I like it.

Khaleejia:-          Mona, before you started designing your last collection, what was your expectation and idea? Did you plan your abayas to be worn here by local ladies, as all this details and accessories are pretty new, or more oriented to the West?

Mona: -          Like with this collection it is kind of challenge, but when I met with the jewelry designer, Megan and put a chain on the abaya at the first time, it looked very provocative, so we were scared , but then we put leather, watches,  pushed the chain up away from the body. After we did couple designs and invited some people to have a look at them we got a positive response. So we continued working on the collection. Media also was very excited about our collection, as it was very new, edgy, not seen before. So we are very proud to launch it and show to everyone.

And we got some delicious treats... Bloomsbury's when cupcake become an art..

  Our pick of the show this gorgeous abaya with spikes and laces: 

This abaya was sneaking from us around all the time, but we caught it anyway ;) 

Some cool decoration for the shoes we noticed on the model and did not shy to ask to pool their abayas up and let us take some shoes' look photos:

And here we are.. :)