HollyShorts Dubai, the prestigious Oscar® and BAFTA-qualifying short film festival, successfully concluded its first edition at a vibrant Closing Awards Ceremony. The event’s Awards ceremony, held at Firdaus Studio in Expo City, Dubai, celebrated the winning film submissions, with the four inaugural winners sharing trophies and prize packages valued at nearly $8,000 in total. Sponsors contributing to the prize pool and event management included Future Art Broadcast Trading, Aperture, Firdaus Studio, Delano Dubia, Urban Films, IMGN, and Berg & Bark, among other key supporters.
Heralded as a major success by the local and international film community, the organization announced its highly anticipated return for the second annual edition, scheduled for January 14-17, 2027. Submissions for entries of the next edition of the Festival will open this week. To better align with the local UAE film landscape and capitalize on its momentum as the definitive short-form festival in the Middle East, HollyShorts Dubai also unveiled a brand refresh, including a new logo, powered by branding experts at the xx Agency in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Theo Dumont, Founder of HollyShorts, expressed his enthusiasm: “We are thrilled with the reception from the local film community in Dubai, which welcomed us with open arms. Their support was unbelievable and provided a strong foundation for us to continue in the direction of providing a valuable film festival, stressing educational initiatives and key networking opportunities. There is a definite need for HollyShorts to not only continue but thrive.”

The ceremony was highlighted by a keynote address from BAFTA winner Hayder Rothschild Hoozeer, who screened his latest short film, Rock, Paper, Scissors. Mr. Hoozeer offered valuable tips on overcoming the numerous challenges in film production and brought his iconic BAFTA trophy for attendees to see and hold up close.

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The UK Pantomime Association (UKPA) is delighted to announce pantomime and showbiz legend Anita Harris as their new President.

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Comedian, writer, & director Vidura Bandara Rajapaksa announced his 2026 Paradise Gothic Tour across the UK & EU. The 24-date run kicks off on March 22 in Stockholm, with additional stops in Berlin, Amsterdam, Paris, London, Edinburgh, and more before wrapping on April 25 in Belfast.

Vidura Bandara Rajapaksa returns with Paradise Gothic, a sharp, darkly funny new hour exploring immigration, anarchism, “radical” buddhism, and the absurdities of attempting to build a life within late-stage capitalism. With his trademark deadpan delivery and postcolonial wit, Vidura takes on corporate tech culture, spiritual burnout, and the strange comedy of trying to stay human in a world running by numbers. Smart, subversive, and quietly explosive; this is Vidura at his most fearless.
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Hana Ichijo, Gabrielle Lewis-Dodson and Gracie McGonigal announced the nominations for the 26^th Annual WhatsOnStage Awards, the only major UK theatre prize-giving decided by the theatregoers themselves. The announcement of the nominations marks the opening of the final voting stage (until 22 January), with winners revealed at the annual awards ceremony held on 8 March 2026 at The London Palladium.

WhatsOnStage’s Darius Thompson and Alex Wood said: “UK theatre really has looked after the bear! It was no shock to see Paddington The Musical break the record for most nominations after the musical and technological marvel captured hearts and audiences after its Savoy Theatre debut.

“More broadly, we’re thrilled to see the awards reflecting a diverse geographic spread, with nominees being recognised in places like Dundee, Cirencester, Mold, and Sheffield. While the West End often captures the spotlight, the unwavering support from local communities for their shows is always heartwarming to witness – and much deserved!”

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Today, GRAMMY® Award-winning singer, songwriter, producer, and global visionary ROSALÍA announces her most extensive headlining tour to date — the LUX TOUR 2026, a sweeping 42-show arena run across 17 countries in support of her critically acclaimed new album LUX, out now via Columbia Records.

Produced by Live Nation, the LUX TOUR 2026 kicks off March 16 in Lyon, France at LDLC Arena, with performances across France, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Colombia, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, and Puerto Rico, before wrapping September 3 in San Juan at Coliseo de Puerto Rico.
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The decision to start a family is an emotional one, a hope for many wishing to expand their own family units and ensure their own legacies in turn. The confrontation however of child loss and abortion life altering realities faced by women globally, yet quietly navigated. Highlighting the heaviness of the impact of these realities – writer, director and producer Lauren Melinda talks about Oscar 2026 qualifying short film Before You, a film painting an intimate portrait of a couple navigating the quiet grief that follows a decision rarely spoken about in public, yet carried by so many in private. Lauren tells us more about exploring this sensitive topic further, collaborating with Planned Parenthood Federation of America and what she’s learned from creating the film.

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The trustees and chair of Stockroom, formerly Out of Joint, announce the theatre company’s formal closure. This follows the loss of its Arts Council of England National Portfolio status in April 2023.

The remaining assets of the company will be donated to the new writing touring theatre company Paines Plough, who will continue Stockroom’s work of supporting and championing new writing. The remaining royalties accrued from Stockroom’s past work are being transferred to The Writers Guild of Great Britain and their Writers Welfare Fund.

Mark Powell Chair of Stockroom says –

“After trialling a new writers room business model and exploring other partnerships, Stockroom’s outgoing trustees are confident that in Paines Plough & The Writers Guild of Great Britain we have found exemplars equally committed to writing and writers.  Both organisations share our common goal of nurturing the valuable creative talent that fuels the nations stages. Not every theatre company can live forever. Change is essential and healthy in the theatre sector to keep our practise and programmes vital. We know this pair of beneficiaries will take the spirit of Stockroom’s brief life into the future.”

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Multi-GRAMMY and BRIT Award-winning band Kings of Leon have announced a series of UK shows for 2026. The band will perform at Bellahouston Park, Glasgow on Friday 3rd July, Co-op Live, Manchester on Saturday 4th July, and First Direct Bank Arena, Leeds on Monday 6th July.

Recognized as one of the biggest alternative rock bands of the last 20 years, Kings of Leon have headlined the world’s most prestigious festivals including Coachella, Glastonbury, Roskilde and numerous Lollapaloozas in Berlin, Sao Paulo, Chicago and Santiago, to name but a few. Just last year, they also reclaimed their all-time attendance record with a fifth night at London’s massive Hyde Park venue.

Since their debut in 2003, Kings of Leon (Caleb (guitar/vocals), Nathan (drums), Jared (bass) and Matthew Followill (guitar)) have released nine albums – Youth & Young Manhood (2003), Aha Shake Heartbreak (2004), Because of the Times (2007), Only by the Night (2008), Come Around Sundown (2010), Mechanical Bull (2013), WALLS (2016), When You See Yourself (2021), Can We Please Have Fun (2024) – selling over 20 million albums and nearly 40 million singles worldwide.

Just last week, Kings of Leon dropped an EP with 4 new songs. Other recent releases include a ‘Live in Jersey’ single from Zach Bryan featuring Bruce Springsteen and Kings of Leon, covering the Springsteen classic “Atlantic City’, and, prior to that, a couple of new song collaborations with Zach Bryan.