A Lebanese critic, translator, historian and journalist born in 1946. At the start of his career he worked as a set designer and then as an assistant director. Al Ariss took part in writing film scripts for a number of films. He studied film directing in Rome and script writing and criticism in London. He has been working in journalism since 1970 and has been cultural editor with several Arabic newspapers. Al Ariss now heads the cinema section of “Al Hayat” newspaper, where he also writes a daily column on human heritage and world cultural history. He founded and headed two monthly magazines: “Al Masira” and “Al Maqasid”. He has published more than 15 books on cinema, journalism and culture.