Movie: Gaza Fights for Freedom
2020-10-24 09:00 - 11:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | WA
This debut feature film by journalist Abby Martin began while reporting in Palestine, where she was denied entry into Gaza by the Israeli government on the accusation she was a “propagandist.” So Abby connected with a team of journalists in Gaza to produce the film through the blockaded border.
This collaboration shows you Gaza’s protest movement like you’ve never seen before. Filmed during the height of the Great March Of Return protests, it features riveting exclusive footage of demonstrations.
The documentary tells the story of Gaza past and present, showing rare archival footage that explains the history never acknowledged by mass media. You hear from victims of the ongoing massacre, including journalists, medics and the family of internationally-acclaimed paramedic, Razan al-Najjar.
At its core, ‘Gaza Fights For Freedom’ is a thorough indictment of the Israeli military for war crimes, and a stunning cinematic portrayal of Palestinians’ heroic resistance.
Directed, Written & Narrated by Abby Martin

Horror Movie: Madayen (2016) dir. Ayman Tamano
2020-10-27 - 2020-10-28
Available online at AFMI’s Virtual Cinema Platform: Arab Cinema ReImagined
Tuesday Oct. 28 – Sunday Nov. 1, 2020
Madayen (2016) dir. Ayman Tamano
Free – Donation encouraged.
RSVP for streaming link
EventsAn Arab Film Festival Favorite
Screened at the 21st edition of the Arab Film Festival, October 13-22, 2017
With a tongue-in-cheek homage to THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT, Jeddah-based filmmaker Ayman Tamano’s found footage “mock-doc” psychological horror ghost story is nevertheless a fright for sore eyes. Set in the notoriously cursed, djinn-infested Madayen Saleh ruins in the north western sector of the Kingdom – a location that has likewise been deemed a UNESCO World Heritage Site – MADAYEN holds its own as a chilling, buddy movie gone wrong campfire creepfest that never hesitates to pause, from time to time, and poke fun at itself, much less the genres it so fluently draws from.
فيلم رعب سعودي بطريقة وثائقية روائية تحكي قصة فضول ثلاث شباب في إكتشاف حقائق و أسرار ما وراء المنطقة التاريخية و قصص الجن التي تحوم حولها. و لكن فضولهم في معرفة القصص تنقلب إلى صراع للنجاة بحياتهم قبل أن ينضموا إلى قائمة قصص مدائن صالح.
إخراج: أيمن إدريس
بطولة: خالد يسلم, حكيم جمعة, عبدالله القرشي, نادية ملائكة
2016 | 66 minutes | Horror | Arabic (English subtitles)

Movie: This is Palestine
2020-10-31 09:00 - 11:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Free Online Virtual Event
Click Here to Register for Event. Free Event but Registration is Required.
The firlm screening will be followed by a live discussion on Zoom and Facebook.
‘This Is Palestine’ follows the journey of Riverdance founder John McColgan through the West Bank and Gaza as he explores the impact of ongoing conflict and military occupation on the people who live there. The documentary features powerful interviews with people who have lost their home, land and family members as a result of the conflict. As well as meeting communities under threat, McColgan also spent time with Israeli and Palestinian peace activists working to bring this long-standing conflict to an end. ‘This Is Palestine’ was co-produced by Tyrone Productions and Trócaire to mark the 50th anniversary of the military occupation of the West Bank.

Film Screening: There is a Field
2020-11-07 09:00 - 11:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Free Film Screening “There is a Field”

Saturday, November 7, 2020
12:00 PM 2:00 PM EST

Click Here to Register for Event.
Click here to view the film trailer.
The film screening will be followed by a live discussion with film director Jen Marlowe.
In October 2000, a police officer shot and killed unarmed 17-year old Asel Asleh. His story is tragically familiar for Americans, but Asel was not killed in Ferguson, New York City, Atlanta, or Minneapolis. Asel was a Palestinian teenager who was murdered by Israeli police as he participated in a demonstration, calling for an end to the Israeli occupation and settler-colonization.
There Is A Field began as a play about Asel’s life and his death, told from the perspective of his older sister, Nardin. Through Nardin’s struggle to cope with the murder of her brother, the play offers a uniquely personal lens for learning about intersecting systems of oppression, including Zionism, Jewish supremacy and white supremacy—root causes of state-sanctioned violence and structural racism.

Free Screening: Love During Wartime
2020-11-28 09:00 - 11:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
The recently married couple Jasmin and Assi are forced to live separated. She lives in Berlin, he in Ramallah. They want desperately to make a life together but it proves to be an impossible task. When an Israeli marries Palestinian they are beyond security offered to other members of society at every turn they are faced with a Catch 22 situation. Israeli bureaucracy filled with suspicion and a menacing Palestinian society makes their life a nightmare.
https://www.palestinemuseum.us/events/2020/loveduringwartime

Arab Film Fest Film Collab!
2020-12-03 - 2020-12-13
Four Arab film + cultural orgs from across the country are partnering this year to bring you a virtual Arab Film Fest, beginning on December 3, 2020.
The Arab American National Museum (AANM), Arab Film and Media Institute (AFMI), ArteEast and Mizna collectively present the Arab Film Fest Collab December 3–13, 2020. With programs highlighting Afro-Arab and Black SWANA voices and narratives, AFFC aims to capture the diverse narratives and complexity of the Arab world. Genres include drama, science-fiction, comedy and documentary, in both short-form and feature lengths. While films are in Arabic, French, Somali or English, every festival offering is subtitled in English.
All-Access passes are $90 and individual tickets for select films will also be available. All details here.
#AFFC2020

Arab Film Fest Collab Opening Night
2020-12-03 16:00 - 18:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
The Arab Film Fest Collab will open with Najwa Najjar’s much anticipated Between Heaven and Earth. The screening will be followed by a discussion with the filmmaker.
There will also be a special welcome from Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib!
Inspired by true events, Najjar’s film focuses on Salma and Tamer who live in Occupied Palestine and have decided to divorce after five years of marriage. For the first time, Tamer is given a three-day permit to cross the Israeli checkpoint to file for divorce in the courts of Nazareth. However, things do not go as planned when the court’s clerk refuses to process the divorce after he confronts them with a secret about Tamer’s father’s past––an affair with an Iraqi Jewish woman in the 1950s. With only 72 hours to find this woman and finalize the divorce documents before Tamer’s permit expires, the couple sets out on a journey that takes them between the present and the past.
Please note: After this content becomes available December 3rd at 4:00 pm PST, you’ll have 7 days to start watching. Once you begin, you’ll have 48 hours to finish watching.
Questions? Learn How to Fest

InFocus: Middle Eastern, Arab & Dutch Cinema program
2020-12-12 12:00 - 21:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
We are proud to join NewFilmmakers Los Angeles (NFMLA) and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) as presenting partners for this year’s virtual edition of the annual NewFilmmakers Los Angeles (NFMLA) Film Festival InFocus: Middle Eastern, Arab & Dutch Cinema program, powered by Seed&Spark. The weekend will feature an international lineup of films by talented emerging filmmakers across three short film programs. The event will include virtual screenings, filmmaker Q&A’s and industry panels.
The second program of the evening is InFocus: Arab Cinema, a compelling program of short films we curated in partnership with NFMLA to showcase Arab storytellers from across the world, featuring stories that cinematically capture resilience and community amidst the hardships of immigration, political instability and personal loss.
The night concludes with InFocus: Middle Eastern Cinema, a selection of striking short films from Middle Eastern filmmakers who have made their work all over the world – Lebanon, Israel, Iran and the US. They tell thrilling and thoughtful stories of taking risks, finding and embracing authenticity, the struggle of persecution and the strength of those who fight it.
SCHEDULE DETAILS
Program #1: InFocus: Dutch Cinema
12:00 PM – 1:30 PM – Suggested Screening Time
1:30 PM – 2:30 PM – Audience Q&A
Program #2: InFocus: Arab Cinema
2:45 PM – 4:45 PM – Suggested Screening Time
5:00 PM – 6:00 PM – Audience Q&A
Program #3: InFocus: Middle Eastern Cinema
6:15 PM – 7:45 PM – Suggested Screening Time
8:00 PM – 9:00 PM – Audience Q&A
Grab your virtual seat!

On Demand NWFF Movie: Mayor
2020-12-27 - 2021-01-12
Mayor is a real-life political saga following Musa Hadid, the Christian mayor of Ramallah, during his second term in office. His immediate goals: repave the sidewalks, attract more tourism, and plan the city’s Christmas celebrations. His ultimate mission: to end the occupation of Palestine. Rich with detailed observation and a surprising amount of humor, Mayor offers a portrait of dignity amidst the madness and absurdity of endless occupation while posing a question: how do you run a city when you don’t have a country?

YEAR
2020

RUNTIME
89 mins

LANGUAGE
English, Arabic

COUNTRY
United States, United Kingdom

RATING
NR

Movie: Where Should the Birds Fly
2021-01-09 09:00 - 11:30 (America/Los_Angeles)
To register for this event please click here.
To view the film trailer please click here.
The screening of the film will be followed by Q&As and discussions with film director Fida Qishta.
About the Film
Where Should the Birds Fly is the first film about Gaza made by Palestinians living the reality of Israel’s siege and blockade of this tiny enclave. It is the story of two young women, survivors of Israel’s Operation Cast Lead. Mona Samouni, now nineteen years old and the filmmaker, Fida Qishta, now thirty-five. They represent the spirit and future of Palestinians. It reveals the strength and hope, the humanity and humor that flourishes among the people of Gaza. Few films document so powerfully and personally the impact of modern warfare and sanctions on a civilian population.

This is Not a Movie: ROBERT FISK and the Politics of Truth
2021-01-13 17:00 - 2021-01-17 23:30 (America/Los_Angeles)
January 13, 2021 |This is Not a Movie: ROBERT FISK and the Politics of Truth
Followed by a Q & A with filmmaker Yung Chang!
We are proud to co-present a special tribute screening to the late Robert Fisk, in partnership with the Middle East Children’s Alliance.
Robert Fisk died on October 30, 2020 in Ireland at the age of 74.
ABOUT THE FILM:
For more than 40 years, journalist Robert Fisk has reported on some of the most violent and divisive conflicts in the world. Yung Chang’s This Is Not a Movie captures Fisk in action—feet on the ground, notebook in hand, as he travels into landscapes devastated by war, ferreting out the facts and firing reports back home to reach an audience of millions.
After this content becomes available January 13th at 5:00 pm PST, you’ll have 4 days to start watching. Once you begin, you’ll have 24 hours to finish watching the film. The January 13th at 5:00 pm live stream can be viewed anytime until January 17th at 11:45 pm.

Movie: Sands of Sorrow
2021-01-16 09:00 - 10:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
This event is free but does require registration.
To register for this event please click here.
To view the film trailer please click here.
The screening of the film will be followed by discussions with the audience.
About the Film
After returning from a trip to the Middle East in 1950, Dorothy Thompson, a civil rights advocate and journalist, introduces this film and emphasizes the need for providing immediate relief to suffering Palestinian refugees to avoid starvation and “ugly political consequences.” The film was produced by a charitable organization called the Council for Relief of Palestinian Arab Refugees. It is believed to be the first documentary film to highlight the plight of Palestinians in the aftermath of the 1948 Nakba. It was mainly intended to encourage Americans to donate for the relief effort. Black and white film, directed by Theodore A. Morde and narrated by John S. Martin. Runtime is 28 minutes.

Free Screening of the Film "Martin Luther King in Palestine"
2021-01-18 09:00 - 11:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
SYNOPSIS
Martin Luther King in Palestine follows an African American gospel group led by Stanford professor and King scholar Clay Carson who travel to Palestine in March of 2011 to perform an original play about MLK written by Carson. While there, the small choir of political neophytes quickly discover the repressive conditions Palestinians endure daily under the Occupation, and empathy develops between peoples who have a shared history of oppression.An elderly Palestinian refugee couple in a final standoff with the israeli authorities to maintain their lifestyle in Roshmia; the last natural valley in Haifa. Yousef and his wife Amna,who originally descents from the Gypsies of Palestine, have lived in a shack all alone in their eighties since 1956 in what seems to be a life of serenity; far away from the loudness of modern life. Life remains peaceful in Roshmia until the israeli authorities endorse a new road project and order to confiscate their land, demolish the shack and throw them out. A friend of the couple tries to secure a compensation from the municipality but the shack is Yousef’s home that he insists on keeping; living in bliss and comfort as ever, however the negotiations continue and tension grows among the three. Furthermore, and besides the physical displacement and despair they are nearly facing, Yousef and Amna are about to go on separate ways.

Movie: Jenin, Jenin - Live Stream
2021-01-30 09:00 - 11:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
To register for this event please click here.
To view the film trailer please click here.
The screening of the film will be followed by Q&A discussion with film Director Mohammad Bakri.
About the Film
Muhammad Bakri’s film “Jenin, Jenin” caused a storm in Israel and even made it to the Supreme Court (which made a decision banning its release).
The film deals with the events of Jenin in April 2002, when the Israeli Army invaded the West Bank town and the refugee camp as part of the so-called “Operation Defensive Shield.”
Palestinians as well as human rights groups accuse Israel of war crimes committed during the siege and invasion of the Palestinian refugee camp in April 2002. “Jenin Jenin” demonstrates the extent of Israeli oppression and terror and the effects they have left behind.

Notturno: Streaming at NWFF
2021-02-01 - 2021-02-07
From the Oscar-nominated director of Fire at Sea, this lyrical tour-de-force captures the peoples and places ravaged along the borders between Syria, Iraq, Kurdistan, and Lebanon. Italy’s Oscars 2021 Best International Feature Film Submission. Includes special pre-recorded conversation with director Gianfranco Rosi and Alejandro González Iñárritu.

Mayor: On Demand via SIFF
2021-02-01 - 2021-02-07

Virtual Screening: Rana's Wedding via Palestine Museum US
2021-02-13 09:00 - 11:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
To register for this event please click here.
To view the film trailer please click here.
About the Film
Rana wakes up one morning to an ultimatum delivered by her father: She must either choose a husband from a pre-selected list of eligible men, or she must accompany her father abroad. Rana’s Wedding is a romantic drama about a Palestinian girl who wants to get married to the man of her own choice. With only ten hours to find her boyfriend in occupied Jerusalem, Rana sneaks out of her father’s house at daybreak to find her forbidden love, Khalil. Facing barriers and occupation which have become an everyday reality, Rana overcomes her fears and doubts, deciding not to let anyone control her life.
by Palestinian director Hany Abu-Assad

World Premiere of 3 X 13, an interactive online performance
2021-02-18
ANNOUNCING THE WORLD PREMIERE OF 3 X 13
An Interactive Online Performance

Thursday, February 18
FREE/by donation

RSVP

Join us for the premiere of this interactive online performance co-presented by Yaa Samar! Dance Theatre and ArteEast, and receive exclusive online content from the artists, available for 48 hours.

Created by award-winning Director Eimi Imanishi and Choreographer Samar Haddad King, and produced by Yaa Samar! Dance Theatre, 3 x 13 explores the singularity of the individual and the universality of the human experience. In 12 short films with original music by Lou Tides (TEEN, Here We Go Magic), 12 artists from around the globe share a journey of transformation that deeply marked their lives. These personal accounts of parenthood, loss, race, exile, dreams both realized and abandoned, all find expression through a common choreography for body and camera, offering an intimate glimpse into the performers’ inner and outer worlds.
The work culminates in an interactive 13th film that unites all 12 journeys in a virtual ensemble that invites audiences to chart their own course across 6 languages (with subtitles in Arabic and English) and 8 countries: Cuba, Egypt, France, Mali, Mexico, Palestine, South Korea, and the US.
On February 20, 3 x 13 will be widely released online for free, furthering YSDT’s mission to increase access to – and promote understanding through – the arts.

Movie: Advocate via Mideast Focus Ministry
2021-02-19 18:30 - 20:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
ADVOCATE
This film provides a fascinating look at the life and work of Jewish Israeli lawyer Lea Tsemel who has represented Palestinian prisoners for nearly 50 years, in Israeli courts.
The film follows Jewish-Israeli human-rights lawyer Lea Tsemel as she navigates through the Israeli judicial system in defense of Palestinian political prisoners. The film includes archival footage of past cases Tsemel was involved in over a five-decade long career; interviews with Tsemel and her family members, including her husband, Michel Warschawski and their daughter and son, as well as interns and associates at Tsemel’s law firm; and closely follows two contemporary cases represented by Tsemel and her co-counsel, Tareq Barghout.
Learn more here.
with guest speaker: TBA
Contact info@saintmarks.org to be added to the Mideast Focus Ministry mailing list, or use this form. (Check the box marked “Mideast Focus.”)

Wajib: Streaming via Palestine Museum US
2021-02-20 09:00 - 11:00 UTC
WAJIB
Palestinian architect Shadi, living in Rome, returns home to Nazareth to help his father deliver his sister’s wedding invitations. As they two men try to bridge the gap between their different lives, they rediscover the importance of finding “home” and community.

Saturday, February 20, 2021
12:00 PM 2:00 PM
Palestine Museum US (map)

To register for this event please click here.
To view the film trailer please click here.
Abu Shadi (Mohammad Bakri) is a divorced father and school teacher in his mid-60s who lives in Nazareth with his daughter. Now that she is about to be married, the aging patriarch is anticipating life on his own. In preparation for the wedding, his architect son, Shadi (Saleh Bakri), who lives in Rome, travels to Nazareth to help the family. As Shadi and his father spend a day together hand-delivering wedding invitations to each guest in keeping with local Palestinian custom, the tense details of their fragile relationship come to a head, while each faces the reality of their very different lives. Performed brilliantly by actual father and son Mohammad and Saleh Bakri, Wajib demonstrates Annemarie Jacir’s filmmaking mastery through its style and subtleties.

Movie: EAST JERUSALEM/WEST JERUSALEM via St Marks
2021-03-05 19:00 - 21:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
EAST JERUSALEM/WEST JERUSALEM
American, Israeli, and Palestinian musicians record a new album. And, in defiance of Israel’s dark realities, start a new program for children living under occupation.
Israeli singer-songwriter David Broza sets out to realize his dream of cooperation and dialog between Israelis and Palestinians through music. During 8 days and nights of joint creation by his mixed Jewish and Muslim band in an East Jerusalem studio, a hopeful message of equality and unity arises. Featuring Steve Earle and Mira Awad.
Learn more here.
with guest speaker: TBA
Contact info@saintmarks.org to be added to the Mideast Focus Ministry mailing list, or use this form. (Check the box marked “Mideast Focus.”)

Free Virtual Screening of the Film "The People's Patriarch" Produced by Dr. Lily Habash
2021-03-13 09:00 - 10:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Saturday, March 13, 2021
12:00 PM 1:03 PM
Palestine Museum US (map)

Times are based on US ET zone
The screening of the film will be followed by Q&A discussions with film producer Dr. Lily Habash and audience.
To register for this event please click here.
To view the film trailer please click here.
About the Film
Patriarch Michel Sabbah: An Arab, Palestinian and Christian believer from Nazareth. In 1987, Pope John Paul II appointed him as the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem in 1987, to be the first Arab Patriarch to hold the office in the Catholic Church’s history. He made an honorable history during his work as a Patriarch. His work marked significant milestones in the struggle against injustice and oppression to bring peace to the country of the Prince of Peace. He is still active in many initiatives and activities to spread his human and spiritual message in Palestine and the world. The film is a humble contribution to honor the Patriarch and shed light on some crucial moments in his life, his thought, and his constant obsession with the consolidation of love, justice, and peace.

Arab Film Series Online: 7 x 7 // 7 Artists, 7 Years
2021-03-19 16:00 - 18:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
7 p.m. EDT Friday, March 19
Online Stream – Register for Free
AANM, Arab Film and Media Institute, ArteEast, the Benton Museum of Art at Pomona College, the Department of Art History at Pomona College and Youth of the World Together, in total partnership, are pleased to present the public premiere of two experimental short films by Yemeni-Bosnian multi-media artist Alia Ali: Conflict is More Profitable Than Peace and مهجر // Mahjar. Immediately following the premiere will be a dialogue with Alia Ali hosted by AANM Film Curator Dave Serio.
Marking the seventh year of the war in Yemen, this event will launch 7 x 7 // 7 Artists, 7 Years: a film presentation of short films by seven Yemeni filmmakers, that collectively push back against binary portrayals of Yemenis as victims and/or villians, and instead provide an expansive view on how Yemenis present themselves, on their terms. Following the live premiere, all films will be available to stream for 48 hours.
Featuring the following films/filmmakers:
Carrom dir. Nashwan Sadek / 9 minutes / Documentary
Ozazah dir. Ala’a Hafed / 6 minutes / Documentary
Made of Gold dir. Saber Wasel / 6 minutes / Documentary
The Last Resort dir. Noordeen Morgan / 10 minutes / Documentary
Scene 2 dir. Abdulrahman Alward / 21 minutes / Fiction
The Helmet dir. Osama Khaled / 9 minutes / Sci-Fi
Please note that some of these films may address difficult and sensitive topics, such as war, trauma and sexual harassment and may be triggering for some.

Movie: There is a Field via Mideast Focus Ministry
2021-03-19 19:00 - 20:30 (America/Los_Angeles)
THERE IS A FIELD
This film by local filmmaker Jen Marlow, tells the story of a 17-year-old Palestinian peace activist, killed by the IDF. It is told through the lens of Black Lives Matter activists in the U.S.
In October 2000, a police officer shot and killed unarmed 17-year-old Asel Asleh. His story is tragically familiar for Americans, but Asel was not killed in Ferguson, New York City, Atlanta, or Minneapolis. Asel was a Palestinian teenager who was murdered by Israeli police as he participated in a demonstration, calling for an end to the Israeli occupation and settler-colonization.
Learn more here.
with guest speaker: TBA
Contact info@saintmarks.org to be added to the Mideast Focus Ministry mailing list, or use this form. (Check the box marked “Mideast Focus.”)

6 Days | 6 Nights - Revolutionary Arab Women in the Arts
2021-03-25 - 2021-03-30
Join us for our first Showcase of the year, as AFMI’s annual Arab Women’s Showcase goes virtual! 6 Days | 6 Nights – Revolutionary Arab Women in the Arts shines a light on generations of Arab women who challenge the status quo – past, present, future. From March 25th through the 30th discover their inspiring stories through film features, poetry reading, photography, theatrical performance, and discussions.
Here’s how to make the best of this special series of virtual events:

Check out the program
Read all about our opening film
Browse all the events
Buy your pass

Movie: MAYOR, followed by a discussion with David Osit and Cherien Dabis
2021-03-26 15:30 - 18:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
The Museum of the Palestinian People is excited to screen MAYOR, a captivating portrayal of Musa Hadid, the Mayor of Ramallah. The screening will be followed by a discussion with David Osit and Cherien Dabis.
MAYOR follows Musa Hadid, the Christian mayor of Ramallah, during his second term in office. His immediate goals: repave the sidewalks, attract more tourism, and plan the city’s Christmas celebrations. His ultimate mission: to end the occupation of Palestine.
Rich with detailed observation and humor, MAYOR offers a portrait of dignity amidst the madness and absurdity of endless occupation while posing a question: how do you run a city when you don’t have a country?
Suggested donation: The Museum of the Palestinian People is committed to keeping our virtual programming free, but events like these are impossible without supporters like you. Please consider making a donation to the Museum of the Palestinian People when registering for this event.

The Museum of the Palestinian People is screening MAYOR, followed by a discussion with David Osit and Cherien Dabis

Zikra: Remembering ‘Abd al-Halim Hafiz
2021-03-27 11:00 - 12:30 (America/Los_Angeles)
By the end of his career, ‘Abd al-Halim Hafiz was the most popular singer in Egypt. Radio stations received unprecedented numbers of requests of his songs, and he earned more money for his concerts than any other performer of the day. His cassette sales were similarly unmatched. Nor was Halim’s impact limited to the music sphere. As a pop celebrity, he shaped the everyday lives of Egyptians, from the way they dressed and styled their hair to where they spent their wedding night. The event will feature a presentation by Dr. Nicholas Mangialardi on the singer’s musical legacy followed by a live performance of ‘Abd al-Halim hits by Egyptian jazz vocalist Ahmed Harfoush and his band.

The event will feature a presentation by Dr. Nicholas Mangialardi on the singer’s musical legacy followed by a live performance of ‘Abd al-Halim hits by Egyptian jazz vocalist Ahmed Harfoush and his band.
About Presenters:
Nicholas Mangialardi:
Mangialardi received his PhD from Georgetown University in Arabic and Islamic Studies in 2020. His dissertation explores the music, life, and afterlife of Egyptian singer ‘Abd al-Halim Hafiz. He has also conducted research in cities throughout Egypt on the development of hip hop culture in the country. As an ARCE Fellow in 2017-2018, Mangialardi co-organized the conference Egyptian Soundscapes: Music, Sound, and Built Environment, held in Cairo.
Ahmed Harfoush:
Harfoush spent his childhood between Washington DC and Cairo, Harfoush was exposed to both worlds at an early age. Once an Egyptologist then an administrator at Chicago House living in Luxor in the late 90s and later as a United Nations staff member in Cairo.
Harfoush was clasically trained as a tenor performing with a few choirs in Cairo, then switched his interest in jazz. He established the Riff (jazz) Band in 2002 and co-founded the Cairo Jazz Festival in 2009 as well as producing jazz shows at esteemed Cairo music venues. After moving to London in 2014, he joined the local jazz scene and, with a taste for experimentation, brought to life a genre everyone loved unconditionally and a concept welcomed by everyone; The Egyptian Jazz Projekt. This music venture is a merge between songs from 1950s Egypt and America in a new fresh jazz arrangements.
Registration will close 24 hours before the lecture starts. Registration does not include any future lectures in this series.

Film Screening and Discussion: “We’re Not White”
2021-04-06 14:00 - 16:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Join us for viewing and discussion of the film We’re Not White by by Arab American comedian, speaker, writer, academic, and adjunct Professor, Amer Zahr.
What does it mean to be invisible in racial categories but distinct and hyper visible as a ‘feared’ and ‘enemy’ minority? Let’s talk about our experiences, the tensions that exist in this statement of disavowing white supremacy while at times benefiting from proximity to whiteness, how do we see ourselves and what we want to change?
Event is co-sponsored by the Honors College.
Live Transcription via zoom will be available.

RSVP

Arab Movies at SIFF: Captains of Zaatari
2021-04-08 - 2021-04-18
Captains of Zaatari
Egypt | 2021 | 75 minutes | Ali El Arabi
Opens April 8, 2021
SIFF Channel
A rousing, heartfelt tale about two soccer-obsessed Syrian friends living in Jordan’s Zaatari Refugee Camp who, upon learning that a famed Qatari sports academy is visiting the camp, may have finally found their ticket to a bigger, brighter future.

Arab Movies at SIFF: The Unknown Saint
2021-04-08 - 2021-04-18
The Unknown Saint
Morocco | 2019 | 100 minutes | Alaa Eddine Aljem
Opens April 8, 2021
SIFF Channel
An absurdist, droll, entertaining fable about a criminal who returns to the hill where he stashed his stolen goods, only to find that a well-guarded shrine to a “missing saint” has been built over it.
