ArabishWay

In Theater: Huda's Salon
2022-03-04 | SIFF Cinema Uptown, 511 Queen Anne Ave N,, Seattle, WA, 98109, United States
Opens March 4, 2022
SIFF Cinema Uptown
A woman’s visit to a hair salon turns into a nightmare when she is blackmailed by its owner.
Palestine | 2021 | 91 min. | Hany Abu-Assad

Reem, a young mother married to a jealous man, goes to Huda’s salon in Bethlehem. But this ordinary visit turns sour when Huda, after having put Reem in a shameful situation, blackmails her to have her work for the secret service of the occupiers, and thus betray her people.

Movie: Breaking Bread
2022-03-04 | SIFF Film Center, 305 Harrison St, Seattle, 98109
Opens March 4, 2022

Breaking Bread illustrates what happens when people focus on the person, rather than her religion; on the public, rather than the politicians.

USA | 2020 | 85 min. | Beth Elise Hawk

Breaking Bread follows Arab and Jewish chefs in Haifa, Israel as they collaborate in the kitchen. Connected through a shared love of food, the chefs unite to celebrate their cultures and the food of their region free from political and religious boundaries. Welcome to the A-Sham Arabic Food Festival. Founded by Dr. Nof Atamna-Ismaeel, the first Muslim Arab to win Israel’s MasterChef, the festival invites Arab and Jewish chefs to celebrate their shared culinary history as they exchange stories, recipes and techniques. A celebration of the region’s diverse cuisines and people, Breaking Bread offers a mouth-watering taste of rich culinary traditions that will leave you wanting more.

Arabic Chat Hour
2022-03-03 19:00 - 20:00, 2022-02-24 19:00 - 20:00, 2022-02-17 19:00 - 20:00, 2022-02-10 19:00 - 20:00 UTC
Whether you’re a native speaker or learner, this is a great chance to practice listening and speaking in Arabic!
Zoom room number: 8116-385-7344

Gaza 101 A mini-course in four parts: History, Politics, Culture & Economics: Part 4: The Economics of Gaza… where do we go from here?
2022-03-03 09:30 - 11:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Gaza 101 A mini-course in four parts: History, Politics, Culture & Economics

Discussions of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the West all too often neglect to include Gaza and the voices of Palestinians there, seemingly because the situation is seen to be too overwhelming or challenging to take-on. This program will openly and honestly present the reality of the siege, the occupation, and political leadership as well as include ways participants can advocate with their elected officials to encourage U.S. policies that will help end the siege of Gaza and advance human rights and security for all.
This series is co-organized by Churches for Middle East Peace, Arab American Institute, and American Friends of Combatants for Peace. Each 90-minute session will present on one of the four aspects of Gaza:
1. History & Historical Significance
2. Politics
3. Culture
4. Economics
Part 4
The Economics of Gaza… where do we go from here?
March 3
Moderated by Dr. Jim Zogby, Founder and President, The Arab American Institute
with Asmaa Abu Messed and Omar Shaban

Mohamed Soueid Retrospective: Movie Series
2022-03-03 - 2022-03-04
Co-presented by ArteEast and Anthology Film Archives, and curated by Giovanni Vimercati, this series is part of the legacy program Unpacking the ArteArchive, which preserves and presents over 17 years of film and video programming by ArteEast.

Video pioneer, cinema auteur, and television producer Mohamed Soueid has collected stories from his compatriots for most of his adult life. Widely regarded as Beirut’s first video artist, Soueid films defy categorization.
https://arteeast.org/news-events/mohamad-soueid-retrospective/
MOHAMED SOUEID RETROSPECTIVE
Online Screening: March 3-13
Free / $5 suggested donation
RSVP at artearchive.org

CINEMA FOUAD
1994, 41 min, digital. In Arabic with English subtitles.

“A documentary on the life and ambitions of a young Lebanese cross-dresser, the video follows her journey from soldier to cabaret dancer in an effort to raise funds for her sex change operation. Shot in Beirut, CINEMA FOUAD weaves a complex and multi-layered story of sexuality, identity, and desire, and paints a compelling portrait of its subject.”
–THIRD WORLD NEWSREEL

TANGO OF YEARNING
1998, 70 min, digital. In Arabic with English subtitles.

One of Soueid’s finest and most representative cinematographic achievements, TANGO OF
YEARNING melancholically exemplifies the relational essence of his cinema. It is at once a film about love (for cinema, for life and its characters), about Soueid’s work for the Lebanese state broadcaster Tele Liban, and about the mysterious death of the Egyptian Jewish actress Camelia.

The film’s sinuous and free-flowing shape is not so much a rejection of the linear narratives of realism, but an acknowledgment of reality’s unmoored dynamics and the role memory plays in
its construction.

NIGHTFALL / INDAMA YA’ATI AL-MASA
2000, 68 min, digital. In Arabic with English subtitles.

“On the surface, NIGHTFALL is a semi-autobiographical reconstruction of the militant years of Fatah’s Student Brigade; a series of conversations and interviews between the director and his
old comrades, most of whom spend their time meditating their movement’s defeat in a state of drunken incoherence. Throughout NIGHTFALL, Soueid remains uncompromisingly bleak about the state of the Palestinian revolution at the turn of the new millennium. It is not just the individual militants who now suffer from a crisis of identity, but the very slogans of the struggle
itself – and thus, its history. What is to be recovered, then, from the ramblings of these old Maoists?”
– Francesco Anselmetti, SAFAR JOURNAL

MY HEART BEATS ONLY FOR HER / MA HATAFTU LI GHAYRIHA
2008, 87 min, digital. In Arabic with English subtitles.

Through the story of a son reconstructing his father’s revolutionary past from a diary, Soueid draws a portrait of two generations of men, fathers and sons, who were revolutionaries of the 1970s. This is a poetic flight in time, back to when young men dreamed of changing the world
with their own hands, and forward to a present where young men just want the security of a salaried job. At the same time, MY HEART BEATS ONLY FOR HER is a film about Lebanon’s schizophrenic modern history, caught in between the neoliberal lure of financial capitalism and the internationalist dreams of revolution. Between its sudden kindness and unforeseen brutality.
Between Hong Kong and Hanoi.

THE INSOMNIA OF A SERIAL DREAMER
2020, 170 min, digital. In Arabic with English subtitles.

Soueid’s magnus opus, a gargantuan flux that is both timeless and multi-temporal, THE
INSOMNIA OF A SERIAL DREAMER amalgamates the past into the present, and from the schizophrenic streets of Beirut opens onto the world: the world that a Middle East Airlines captain has traveled and now remembers from his patio, but also the world of boundless love one of Soueid’s friends has for the Egyptian singer and actress Souad Hosny. In order to fall asleep, the director asked his friends and artistic accomplices to tell him stories, resulting in a film of rarefied, oneiric beauty.

A Taste Of Morocco: Cooking Class
2022-03-02 10:00 - 12:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Sur La Table – Kirkland, 90 Central Way, Kirkland, WA, 98033, United States
Menu

Orange and Olive Salad
Roasted Chicken, Caramelized Onion and Preserved Lemon
Couscous with Saffron and Ginger
Almond and Date Tarts

Instructor: PeterL

What You Will Learn
Cooking Class Description: Moroccan cuisine is one of the most diversified cuisines in the world. A result of the centuries-long interaction with the outside world, the cuisine of Morocco is a mix of, Spanish, French, Middle Eastern, and African cuisines. Spices are used extensively, and we’ll show you how to bring these rich and exotic flavors to prepare an amazing authentic Moroccan feast from start to finish.

Intisaar, Kathy Moore, and Nick Bigelow at Sunset Tavern
2022-02-26 21:00 - 23:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Sunset Tavern, 5433 Ballard Ave NW, Seattle, WA, 98107, United States
Seattle vocal powerhouse Intisaar will play songs with support from the prog-rock outfit Kathy Moore and electronic artist Nick Bigelow.

Coffee/restaurant Arab monthly meeting
2022-02-26 18:00 - 20:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Tanoor (Seattle), 803 Dexter Ave N, Seattle, WA
Let’s break some bread and Shawarma together 🤗

Gaza 101 A mini-course in four parts: History, Politics, Culture & Economics: Part 3: The Politics of Gaza
2022-02-24 09:30 - 11:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Gaza 101 A mini-course in four parts: History, Politics, Culture & Economics

Discussions of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the West all too often neglect to include Gaza and the voices of Palestinians there, seemingly because the situation is seen to be too overwhelming or challenging to take-on. This program will openly and honestly present the reality of the siege, the occupation, and political leadership as well as include ways participants can advocate with their elected officials to encourage U.S. policies that will help end the siege of Gaza and advance human rights and security for all.
This series is co-organized by Churches for Middle East Peace, Arab American Institute, and American Friends of Combatants for Peace. Each 90-minute session will present on one of the four aspects of Gaza:
1. History & Historical Significance
2. Politics
3. Culture
4. Economics
Part 3
The Politics of Gaza
Moderated by Aziz Abu Sarah, Founder, MEJDI Tours with Jehad Abusalim
February 24

Film: Route 181: Fragments of a Journey In Palestine-Israel, the Center
2022-02-24 - 2022-02-27
To kick off the winter 2022 season, we present Route 181: Fragments of a Journey In Palestine-Israel, a three-part film with a focus on daily life in Palestine.
In the summer of 2002, Eyal Sivan and Michel Khleifi travel together from the south to the north of their country of birth; they traced their trajectory on a map and called it ROUTE 181. This virtual line follows the borders outlined in Resolution 181, which was adopted by the United Nations in 1947 to partition Palestine into two states.
As they travel, Khleifi and Sivan meet a multitude of characters, each of which has their own way of evoking the frontiers that separate them from their neighbors: concrete, barbed-wire, cynicism, humor, indifference, suspicion, aggression; frontiers have been built on the hills and in the plains, on mountains and in valleys but above all, in the collective unconscious of both societies.
FEB 23–27, 2022
PART TWO: THE CENTER

From Lod City to the Jerusalem area. The second part of Route 181 begins in the Center for New Immigrants in Lod, as Russian musicians play melodies from Eastern Europe to greet new immigrants who have just arrived from Ethiopia. The scene is a bit chaotic, a bit mundane, and a bit perplexing. This part of the film discusses building settlements and the destruction of former towns and homes, encountering tourists, artists, scholars, and soldiers. Capturing the experiences of everyday people, this installment exposes the dangers and hope we might find in the historical narratives we tell.

Screening IN-PERSON at Trylon Cinema on Wednesday, Feb 23, 2022 at 7pm. TICKETS

Available virtually Feb 24–27, 2022 in the US ONLY. TICKETS

ARCE Chicago: A Solar-Ship Voyage: The Ancient Egyptian Religion as Inspiration in the Life and Music of Sun Ra and birth of Afrofuturism
2022-02-19 15:00 - 17:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Presenting himself as an alien coming from Saturn, Sun Ra has been considered a pioneer of Afrofuturism whose music and live performances with his Arkestra are nowadays a classic in African American jazz music, theater, and poetry. Egypt has been a central source of inspiration for this polyhedric artist; this paper will analyze in particular how Sun Ra used and re-interpreted elements of the ancient Egyptian religious culture and its deities in his work and how much contents relate to the development of the Afrofuturistic philosophy within the American climate of political unrest during which he lived and performed.

Rita Lucarelli studied at the University of Naples “L’Orientale,” Italy, where she received her MA degree in Classical Languages and Egyptology. She holds her Ph.D. from Leiden University, the Netherlands. Her Ph.D. thesis was published as the Book of the Dead of Gatseshen: Ancient Egyptian Funerary Religion in the 10th Century BC.

Virtual Event: Olga Tokarczuk and Jennifer Croft with Rabih Alameddine — The Books of Jacob
2022-02-19 10:00 - 13:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Third Place Books is proud to partner with Community Bookstore and the Transnational Literature Series at Brookline Booksmith to welcome Nobel Prize–winner Olga Tokarczuk and her translator Jennifer Croft for a discussion of their latest book, The Books of Jacob—the astonishing, 900-page volume from Poland’s most well-regarded novelist. Tokarczuk and Croft will be joined by Rabih Alameddine, National Book Award finalist and the author, most recently, of The Wrong End of the Telescope.
This event will be broadcast live on Brookline Booksmith’s Zoom platform. Registering will provide you with a unique access link in an email within 48 hours of the event. During the event, you can ask questions using the Q&A feature, or chat with fellow attendees. A recording of the event will be made available and emailed to all who register.
This author talk is free! You can sustain our author series by purchasing a copy of the featured book. Order a book-bundled ticket at the link below to received a signed bookplate by the author. Supply is limited.

Still Married presented by Just For Laughs Vancouver
2022-02-18 19:00 - 21:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Biltmore Cabaret, 755 Prince Edward St, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Event Info
19+ ONLY

*Limited seating available on a first come first service basis*
Doors 6:00 7:00 PM
The El-Salomons are a married Jewish-Palestinian lesbian comedy couple who after years of performing solo decided to add yet another challenge to their relationship: A duo act! Now they tell jokes about one another, in front each other. A sacrifice they make for the fans.

Gaza 101 A mini-course in four parts: History, Politics, Culture & Economics: Part 2: History & Historical Significance of Gaza
2022-02-17 09:30 - 11:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Gaza 101 A mini-course in four parts: History, Politics, Culture & Economics

Discussions of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the West all too often neglect to include Gaza and the voices of Palestinians there, seemingly because the situation is seen to be too overwhelming or challenging to take-on. This program will openly and honestly present the reality of the siege, the occupation, and political leadership as well as include ways participants can advocate with their elected officials to encourage U.S. policies that will help end the siege of Gaza and advance human rights and security for all.
This series is co-organized by Churches for Middle East Peace, Arab American Institute, and American Friends of Combatants for Peace. Each 90-minute session will present on one of the four aspects of Gaza:
1. History & Historical Significance
2. Politics
3. Culture
4. Economics
Part 2
The History & Historical Significance of Gaza
February 17
Moderated by Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon, Executive Director, Churches for Middle East Peace
with Speakers TBA

Cooking Class: Mokabelat: Winter Mezze
2022-02-16 18:00 - 21:00, 2022-02-15 18:00 - 21:00, 2022-02-14 18:00 - 21:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | the Pantry, 1417 NW 70th Street, Seattle, WA, 98117
Mokabelat (small plates) pop up all across the Arab world, and they extend beyond the standard hummus and tabbouleh served at most restaurants. In this class, NADIA TOMMALIEH will show you how to transform local ingredients into Mokabelat that can be served as appetizers or as the centerpiece of an Arabic-style feast. You’ll learn how to layer flavors in musakhan (chicken with caramelized onions and sumac), accompanied by salatet maqali/hawader (roasted cauliflower, potato, and eggplant with tahini dressing), labneh bil joz (strained yogurt with walnuts and parsley); salatet jarjeer (arugula, onion, and pine nut salad in pomegranate dressing), and toum (garlic paste), that you can soak up with homemade koubez saj (flatbread).

Arabs friend’s Valentines 💖
2022-02-13 18:00 - 20:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Come enjoy hot chocolate and Molten cake with friends this Valentine’s Day. Couples are welcome if you want to spend the evening with friends 🤗

at: Hot Cakes Molten Chocolate Cakery
5427 Ballard Ave NW, Seattle, WA 98107
https://getyourhotcakes.com/

Gaza 101 A mini-course in four parts: History, Politics, Culture & Economics: Part 1: The Culture of Gaza
2022-02-10 09:30 - 11:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Gaza 101 A mini-course in four parts: History, Politics, Culture & Economics

February 10 @ 12:30 pm – 2:00 pm

Discussions of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the West all too often neglect to include Gaza and the voices of Palestinians there, seemingly because the situation is seen to be too overwhelming or challenging to take-on. This program will openly and honestly present the reality of the siege, the occupation, and political leadership as well as include ways participants can advocate with their elected officials to encourage U.S. policies that will help end the siege of Gaza and advance human rights and security for all.
This series is co-organized by Churches for Middle East Peace, Arab American Institute, and American Friends of Combatants for Peace. Each 90-minute session will present on one of the four aspects of Gaza:
1. History & Historical Significance
2. Politics
3. Culture
4. Economics
Part 1
The Culture of Gaza
February 10

Moderated by Maya Berry, Executive Director, The Arab American Institute
with Alaa Hammouda and Omar Ghraieb

A streamed co-presentation of The Shroud Maker, a play by Ahmed Masoud
2022-02-10 - 2022-02-13
Dunya Productions is delighted to invite you to join us for a streamed co-presentation of The Shroud Maker, a play by Ahmed Masoud. A compelling black comedy, The Shroud Maker delves deep into the intimate life of ordinary Palestinians to weave a highly distinctive path through Palestine’s turbulent past and present.

Watch the streamed performance and then join a Zoom discussion with Ameer Makhoul, an activist, writer, and former political prisoner in an Israeli prison, who will join us from Palestine.

Your ticket will allow you to watch the streamed performance anytime from Thursday February 10 through Sunday February 13, plus join us on Saturday February 12 at 11amPacific Time for the special Zoom discussion with Ameer Makhoul.

Tickets and more information here! We will send video performance and Zoom discussion links to ticket-holders before February 10.

Produced in partnership with Medina Theater Collective and Dunya Productions.

Synopsis:
Hajja Souad, an 80-year old Palestinian woman living on the besieged Gaza Strip, knows about business. She has survived decades of wars and oppression by making shrouds for the dead. A compelling black comedy, The Shroud Maker delves deep into the intimate life of ordinary Palestinians to weave a highly distinctive path through Palestine’s turbulent past and present. Loosely based on a real-life character still living in Gaza, this one-woman comedy weaves comic fantasy and satire with true stories told first hand to the writer and offers a vivid portrait of Palestinian life in Gaza underscored with gallows humor.

Reviews:
“The mixture of comical yet painful words bring a unique balance of heartache and laughter to the dark satire of Masoud’s script, and the audience is left with tears in their eyes even as they try to laugh at Souad’s attitude”
-Middle East Monitor

“While the context of the performance adds an extra layer of tragedy, Masoud’s gallows humour is more than welcome”
-Ceasefire Magazine

“Pangs of pain and heartache accompany the dark satire of Masoud’s script, and the audience are left with tears in their eyes even as they try to laugh grimly to Hajja’s no-nonsense attitude. The final scene is met with a standing ovation, claps filling the studio which moments before trembled with anguish and heartbreak.”
-The New Arab

Tickets and information here!

Cooking Class: Palestinian Comfort Food
2022-02-08 18:00 - 21:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | the Pantry, 1417 NW 70th Street, Seattle, WA, 98117
When NADIA TOMMALIEH thinks back on the comforting dishes of her childhood, what comes to mind are hearty dishes that feed the whole family and keep them satisfied through the winter months. Join us in class to cook some of Nadia’s favorites along with her. On the menu: fattet hummus bil lahmeh (layered dish of brothy chickpeas, seasoned lamb, toasted pita, and tahini yogurt sauce); kibbet batata bil lahmeh (fried potato and bulgur wheat “kibbeh” stuffed with caramelized onions and minced lamb), salatah arabia (Arab-style salad with cucumbers, tomatoes, radishes, and mint in citrus olive oil dressing), and housset silik bil zeit (Swiss chard and olive oil stew with pomegranate molasses).

Dialogues on the Art of Arab Fashion: MESOPOTAMIA: The Art of Jewellery
2022-02-08 08:00 - 10:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Event Description: Dr Reem El Mutwalli in conversation with Hajer Ghani, Iraqi Jewellery Designer.
Hajer Ghani is an Iraqi jewelry designer who believes that jewellery is more than a mere accessory, but a work of art rich in history and significance. Every piece she creates always has a story behind it. Hajer began her journey by designing gold and silver jewellery inspired by the work of her father, the late Iraqi sculptor Mohammed Ghani Hekmat, also known as “Sheikh of Sculptors”, who in turn captured the Babylonian, Assyrian, and Sumerian civilizations of Iraq in his work. Hajer then moved on to design different types of jewellery inspired by the tales and history of Mesopotamia.

Date: 8th February 2022
Time: 11 am (NYC), 4 pm (London), 8 pm (Dubai)

Comedian Paul Elia at Laughs Comedy Club Seattle
2022-02-05 21:30 - 23:00, 2022-02-05 19:30 - 21:00, 2022-02-04 19:30 - 21:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Laughs Comedy Club, 5220 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle, WA, 98105, United States
Originally from Detroit, actor/comedian Paul Elia started his career as a stand-in for Michael Imperioli on the show Detroit 187. In 2010 he moved to Los Angeles, where he acted in films and television, including the shows Conan, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and Mixology. As a stand-up comic, Paul has toured and performed at festivals across the U.S. and abroad, and has opened up for comedians Dana Carvey, Jason Stuart, and Chris Kattan.

Cooking Class: Around the World - Small Plates with Big Tastes
2022-02-05 17:30 - 20:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Whisk, 10385 Main St, Bellevue, WA, 98004, United States
Join us for a delightful trip Around the World with four different Small Plates guaranteed to wow with their Big Tastes! You will join Chef Jennifer Berry in this hands-on class as your taste buds travel the world with stops in Spain, Cuba, Egypt and Greece. No passport needed, just come hungry as you will cook, eat, cook, eat, etc.
From Spain – Spanish Espelette Clams with Grilled Tomato Bread
Clams steamed in a Spanish sherry broth with Dulce (sweet) paprika and Espelette pepper.
From Cuba – Beef Picadillo filled Pastries
Flaky puff pastry filled with a sweet and briny beef filling, baked to a golden brown and brushed with a honey glaze.
From Egypt – Kataifi Prawns, Dukkah and Pistachio Yogurt
Briny prawns wrapped in shreds of phyllo dough, seasoned with a traditional Egyptian spice mixture.
From Greece – Fried Calamari, Oil Cured White Anchovies and Crispy Chickpeas
This is the Greek version of Italy’s Fritto Misto but instead of being served with a heavy tomato sauce we pair it with an acidic creamy compliment to the fried seafood.

Monthly Arab Hookah Meeting
2022-02-04 21:00 - 23:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | The Eye Hookah Lounge, 8074 Lake City Way NE, Seattle, WA, 98115, United States
Let’s meet for the best Arabic live music and hookah in town 🤗
