Dubai’s cultural calendar this week moves between very different worlds: intimate films about memory and belonging during Emirati Cinema Nights at Cinema Akil; floral sculptures made from durags at CARBON 12; a seven-metre illuminated moon returning to OliOli; and a new large-scale installation taking over The Lana during Art Dubai week. Add a one-month-only Izu Burger covered in truffle, and the week starts looking very Dubai in the best way possible.

And don’t forget to escape to Abu Dhabi for a day: ADMAF’s Music in Hospitals programme is once again bringing live music performances into healthcare spaces.

Where? Cinema Akil

From May 19–21, Cinema Akil and Alserkal Avenue are hosting Emirati Cinema Nights — a three-day programme dedicated to homegrown filmmaking and contemporary Emirati storytelling.

The screenings explore themes of memory, identity, family and community through both feature films and short works by UAE-based directors and artists.

The lineup includes Baab by Nayla Al Khaja, Hoba (The Vile) by Majid Al Ansari, Nearby Sky and Sharp Tools by Nujoom Alghanem, Heen (Then) by Saeed Rashed, Mother of Fog by Farah Al Qasimi, A Small Dream by Sara Al Haddad, Stillness and Haraka by Asma Omar, as well as Why Is My Grandfather’s Bed in the Living Room? by Sarah Al Hashmi.

Where? Salma Children’s Rehabilitation Hospital

For more than a decade, ADMAF’s Music in Hospitals initiative has been bringing live performances into healthcare settings across the UAE, creating moments of calm and emotional relief for patients, families and caregivers. The programme is rooted in research exploring music’s role in reducing stress and supporting recovery.

On May 20 at 3:30 pm, five students from The British School Al Khubairat will perform an interactive small ensemble concert at Salma Children’s Rehabilitation Hospital in Abu Dhabi.

Where? CARBON 12

Until May 25, CARBON 12 is presenting Get Well Soon, a solo exhibition by Anthony Olubunmi Akinbola. Akinbola continues his long-running exploration of the durag — recontextualising it within the tradition of still life painting. Instead of paint, the artist uses layered, folded and stitched durags to construct floral compositions that sit between sculpture, textile work and abstraction.

Alongside the flower-like arrangements, the exhibition also introduces works referencing bricks and architectural forms, exploring permanence, memory and ideas of home. Two installations — one involving slowly descending helium balloons and another diffusing fragrance throughout the gallery — bring time, disappearance and impermanence into the space itself.

The title Get Well Soon functions both as a gesture of care and a reminder of vulnerability, balancing tenderness with quiet tension throughout the exhibition.

Where? La Petite Ani

La Petite Ani is launching a limited-edition version of Chef Izu Ani’s cult Izu Burger, available exclusively at the DIFC café until June 11.

Already known for its baguette bread and loyal following, the burger returns in a more indulgent form: Australian Wagyu beef paired with molten Brie, beef tartare, truffle mayonnaise, homemade barbecue sauce and freshly shaved truffle.

Where? The Lana, Dorchester Collection

As part of Art Dubai 2026, The Lana Dubai teamed up with JD Malat Gallery to bring a large-scale installation by Lebanese artist Foad Hamzeh into the hotel’s public spaces overlooking Marasi Bay.

Hamzeh (also known as FH Visual) works somewhere between Arabic calligraphy, graffiti and sculpture. For this project, he created six mirror-polished stainless steel sculptures — The Water’s Flame, The Lana, Mirrored Motion, Intertwined, Infinite Climb and Perpetual Gaze — installed throughout the property, from the entrance area to the terraces and promenade.

The reflective surfaces constantly change depending on the light, movement and surrounding architecture, so the works feel different throughout the day.

Where? OliOli

Luke Jerram’s Museum of the Moon returns to OliOli from May 15 until the end of the month.

The immersive installation features a large-scale illuminated replica of the Moon created using detailed NASA imagery. Suspended inside the space, the artwork allows visitors to observe the lunar surface up close while moving around it from different perspectives.

After a week of Emirati cinema, giant moons, contemporary art, truffle burgers and a trip to Abu Dhabi, Monday is reserved for recovery.