Hello everyone
I had the pleasure of walking the red carpet at Dublin’s Lighthouse Cinema last night at the opening night of the Dublin Arabic Film Festival on Thursday.
Dress code – cocktail wear, so I had the lovely excuse to get hair and makeup done, in preparation for the posh frock and the red carpet.
Thankyou Donnas Hair Studio and Laura’s Beauty in Wexford.
If only I had you on hand everyday …..
I had the wonderful company of Mr H of course, my SIL Evelyn and her husband Seamus and my SIL Adrienne and our friends from AICC, who are one of the sponsors of the festival.
The red carpet was fun, as we were greeted by men and women in traditional eastern attire.
Guest of honour at a the event was the legendary actor Omar Sharif.
At almost 82 years of age he looked pretty good and with ease charmed all around him.
The reception was fun, as along with beautiful canapés, fine wines and great company, I got to try out henna art work on my hand.
It’s quite beautiful the intricate, delicate designs that the ladies carefully put on all our hands.
Writer/director Jim Sheridan said a few words to introduce the movie to us and to be honest, I could have listened to him all night. He’s a hugely talented man.
When I was a child, the big Sunday matinee was such a big deal. Trips to the cinema were rare and unlike my two smallies, we didn’t have a library of DVDs or Netflix to entertain us. I only share this just to illustrate why the weekly movie was never missed by us all. After the roast dinner was finished, we would all sit down in our ‘good’ sitting room, where the fire would be lit and then we would be transported to new worlds. And Omar Sharif was part of that as I can remember watching Funny Girl, Dr Zhivago and Lawrence of Arabia.
At the festival, it was Monsieur Ibrahim premiered, starring Omar of course. I was captivated by the wonderful tale set in 1960’s Paris, about the unlikely friendship of a lonely Jewish boy and an elderly Turkish Muslim, who ran the local grocery shop.
Afterwards, Jim Sheridan and Omar Sharif took to the stage and had a chat about Omar’s long career. Having read an article in the Irish Times, where Omar sounded quite melancholy, it was great to see and hear him so happy and enthusiastic about his time in Dublin.
He spoke about his relationship with Barbara Streisand, saying he loved her deeply for about three months. That made me chuckle! Three months such a long time to love someone!
He also was at pains to tell us all that he deliberately put weight on for his role in Monsieur Ibrahim, that he wasn’t normally that size! He mentioned that several times, which again made me smile. Vanity not just for the ladies.
He also spoke about his love for Peter O’Toole and how much he missed him. He was charming, fun and very easy to listen to.
We then went to the Shelbourne Hotel for the post premiere reception, where more wine and canapés came our way, plus the opportunity to meet Omar himself.
He pulled Evelyn and I in close to him and said we were beautiful blonde ladies. Charmer! He was surrounded constantly by his adorning fans and he was quite comfortable in the centre of them all.
It was a great night and I have no doubt that the rest of the festival will be a huge success.
Come back to Dublin soon Mr Sharif, it was a pleasure to meet you!
Enjoy your weekend everyone,
Chat soon
Carmel x
Carmel, you look lovely! And you always get to do the coolest things. I’m so jealous.
Thanks Tracy, it was a fab night. it was very cool x
Reblogged this on Trace Literary Agency and commented:
Carmel Harrington – What a star!!
Reblogged this on Carmel Harrington Author and commented:
I had the pleasure of meeting Omar Sharif and in his memory, I am sharing a blog post I wrote last year about that event. RIP Omar Sharif, a legend never dies.
Reblogged this on Gave the sawdust a shake look what fell out..