ArabishWay

Bellevue Bannering for Palestine
2025-05-13 13:00 - 14:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Exit 9 Overpass
Super local – bannering group for Palestine!
Join this Wednesday at 1pm at the Exit 9 overpass (Newcastle/Bellevue)

Movie: The Encampments
2025-05-14 16:30 - 18:30 | The Beacon, 4405 Rainier Ave S, Seattle, WA, 98118, United States
THE ENCAMPMENTS follows student organizers at some of the world’s most prestigious universities as they take a historic stand against their institutions’ investments in the ongoing genocide in Gaza, igniting one of the largest student movements in history which continues to have far-reaching effects on US and world policies today.
Filmed on the ground and in real-time as these events were unfolding, THE ENCAMPMENTS features detained student activist Mahmoud Khalil and takes viewers inside America’s student uprising with incredible intimacy and urgency. Professors, whistleblowers from inside Ivy League administrations, and student activists shed light on a moment that captivated the nation’s attention and continues to make headlines today.
“What makes THE ENCAMPMENTS artistically triumphant is its sense of contemporary and historical detail, owed to both footage shot by the filmmakers, as well as by the protesters themselves. In the process, co-directors Kei Pritsker and Michael T. Workman craft a work of cinema that’s as rigorously journalistic in its arguments as it is nakedly sentimental.” – IndieWire
“This is more than a student protest—it’s a generational struggle for justice. Students have always led the charge for justice, from the sit-ins of the Civil Rights Movement to the campus protests against South African apartheid. The encampments that started at Columbia are part of that legacy, inspiring millions of people around the world. The film ensures the students in US and Gaza are heard, their actions are remembered, and the fight for Palestinian liberation continues.” – Macklemore
“Khalil remains detained at an ICE facility in Louisiana amid a legal battle to prevent his deportation from the U.S. after the Trump administration ordered his removal… The legal challenge to Khalil might ultimately come down to the Supreme Court, which would decide how far the secretary of state can determine whether a permanent resident can be removed for speech.” – Axios

وقت القصة باللغة العربية / Arabic Story Time - KCLS
2025-05-15 17:00 - 17:30 | Virtual
Description

وقت القصة باللغة العربية
انضموا إلينا للاستماع إلى القصص و الأناشيد باللغة العربية لتطوير مهارات القراءة المبكرة لأطفالكم. سنستمتع أيضا باللعب والمرح، وتكوين صداقات جديدة.
.جميع الأعمار مرحب بها برفقة الكبار
تتوفر ترتيبات تيسيرية ملائمة للأشخاص ذوي الإعاقة عند الطلب عبر البريد الإلكتروني access@kcls.org قبل سبعة أيام على الأقل من الحدث. و أيضا تتوفر التسميات التوضيحية التلقائية دائمًا للأحداث عبر الإنترنت

Enjoy stories, music, movement and rhymes in Arabic that develop your child’s early literacy skills, then stay to play, have fun and make new friends.
All ages welcome with adult.
Reasonable accommodation for people with disabilities is available by request. Email access@kcls.org at least seven days before the event. Automated closed captioning is always available for online events.

Arabic English Language Exchange Meetup: Chatting and Games at Lune Cafe
2025-05-15 18:30 - 20:30 | Lune Cafe, Lune Cafe 107 1st Ave S, Seattle, WA, 98104
Details:
أهلا يا جماعه
هنلتقي في Lune Cafe ونتكلم بالعربي او انجليزي وممكن نلعب حاجه كمان. هاجيب معايا مواضيع للنقاش وطوله وألعاب كروت وممكن تجيبوا ألعابكو كمان
نرحب بكل اللهجات العربيه والمستويات الإنكليزيه
We’ll meet at Lune Cafe for some chatting in Arabic/English and possibly some games. I’ll bring conversation starters and games but feel free to bring your own!
All dialects and English levels welcome!
Come join us, all dialects welcome!

Nakba Day: Panel Discussion
2025-05-15 19:00 - 21:00 | Register for Location
Mark your Calendars!
Baladna, in collaboration with Ya Hala, will be hosting an informative panel discussion regarding the Nakba. This is a great opportunity to learn from Palestinians about the catastrophe that struck their families and homeland, and has carried on for generations.
Registration link in bio – closes at 4pm on 5/14

Nakba Day Rally: Westlake Center
2025-05-16 17:00 - 19:00 | Westlake Center, 400 Pine Street, Seattle, WA, 98033, United States
SEATTLE! Take to the streets on Friday, May 16th @ 5pm at Westlake for a rally and march to amplify loud and clear the injustices of the ongoing Nakba. For the 77th Annual Day of Palestinian Struggle, come as we respond to the call to fill the streets amongst the escalated genocide and starvation campaign, and as we learn the history of the ongoing Nakba from 1948 until today, the honorable resistance of the Palestinian people against over a century of colonialism, and the ways our communities can join forces in these brutal times of repression. Bring your flags, your keffiyehs, your voices, and your rage! From the river to the sea, PALESTINE WILL BE FREE!

Ya Hala Cafe and Retail Space: T'faddlu Game Night
2025-05-16 17:00 - 21:00 | Suzanne Zahr, Art & Architecture, 2441 76th Ave SE, Ste 160, Mercer Island, WA, 98040, United States
Game Night
Music
Cafe
Remember, Ya Hala’s café and retail space is open to all
📣 IMPORTANT: Some events will require registration/RSVP so you can save a spot!
Take a look ahead at the calendar and then keep an eye out for links to sign up for specific events. You won’t want to miss out.
More details about each weekend’s events will drop on the Monday before. 👀

Join Boycott War Profiteers: Tell PCC to stop profitting from genocide
2025-05-17 10:00 - 12:00 | PCC-Central District, 2230 E Union St, Seattle, WA, 98122
Saturday 5/17 from 10am-12pm
https://actionnetwork.org/events/517-central-district-pcc-table

Sunday 5/18 from 12pm-2pm at Columbia City PCC
https://actionnetwork.org/events/518-columbia-city-pcc-table/

Ya Hala Cafe and Retail Space: Ya Hala Mornings
2025-05-17 10:00 - 13:00, 2025-05-18 10:00 - 13:00 | Suzanne Zahr, Art & Architecture, 2441 76th Ave SE, Ste 160, Mercer Island, WA, 98040, United States
Cafe
Remember, Ya Hala’s café and retail space is open to all
📣 IMPORTANT: Some events will require registration/RSVP so you can save a spot!
Take a look ahead at the calendar and then keep an eye out for links to sign up for specific events. You won’t want to miss out.
More details about each weekend’s events will drop on the Monday before. 👀

Ya Hala Cafe and Retail Space: Critical Convos (Nakba)
2025-05-17 13:00 - 15:00 | Suzanne Zahr, Art & Architecture, 2441 76th Ave SE, Ste 160, Mercer Island, WA, 98040, United States
The Nakba and the Importance of Remembrance

Remember, Ya Hala’s café and retail space is open to all
📣 IMPORTANT: Some events will require registration/RSVP so you can save a spot!
Take a look ahead at the calendar and then keep an eye out for links to sign up for specific events. You won’t want to miss out.
More details about each weekend’s events will drop on the Monday before. 👀

Screening and Discussion: The Land Speaks Arabic
2025-05-17 15:00 - 17:00 | Liberation Center, 606 MAYNARD AVE S, Seattle, WA
Join us for a screening and discussion of The Land Speaks Arabic (2007) on Saturday to commemorate 77 years of Nakba.
This documentary brings together rarely seen footage of Palestine before 1948 along with historical research, eyewitness accounts, testimonials, historical documents, and more to detail pre-1948 Palestine and the early planning and work that gave birth to Zionism and the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in 1948 that has come to be known as the Nakba.
Join us as we watch this documentary together and have a discussion together following it.
📅 SATURDAY, MAY 17
🕢 3 PM STARTING PROGRAM
📍LIBERATION CENTER – 606 MAYNARD AVE S, SEATTLE

Amna's Supper Club: May
2025-05-17 17:30 - 20:30 | Register for Location
Amna’s was born from memories of long dinners with family and friends during Beirut summers, where everyone left the table feeling full in every sense of the word. It is named after my two grandmothers, one an incredible cook and the other with the gift of always bringing people together.
Wanting to build meaningful community, I started hosting gatherings where people could find comfort in others and feel supported. These gatherings turned into monthly supper clubs where guests get to enjoy a multi-course Arab meal and create genuine connections.
Whether you’re craving food from home, curious to try a new cuisine, or simply looking to meet more incredible people – we can’t wait to welcome you!
#supperclub #seattlesupperclub #arabhospitality#middleeasterncuisine #seattleeats #seattleevents #seattle

Here are the details!
Mailing list sign up – https://amnas.myflodesk.com/sign-up-form
Tickets for May 17 Supper Club – https://form.jotform.com/251138505406148
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/chez.amnas/

Plant Sale for Palestine
2025-05-18 10:00 - 17:00 | West Central Park, 1919 Harrison Ave NW, Olympia, WA, 98502
3000 Plants for Sale
Proceeds go to the International Solidarity Movement (@ismpalestine)

Join Boycott War Profiteers: Tell PCC to stop profitting from genocide Copy
2025-05-18 12:00 - 14:00 | PCC-Columbia City, 3610 S Edmunds St, Seattle, WA, 98118, United States
Sunday 5/18 from 12pm-2pm at Columbia City PCC
https://actionnetwork.org/events/518-columbia-city-pcc-table/

Bake Sale (+Tote Bags)
2025-05-18 12:00 - 16:00 | the Station (Beacon Hill), 1600 S ROBERTO MAESTAS FESTIVAL ST, Seattle, WA, 98144
Raising funds for the Sabbath family in Gaza.

Movie: From Ground Zero
2025-05-18 12:30 - 14:00 | Vashon Theater, 17723 Vashon Highway SW, Vashon, WA, 98070
Shortlisted for Best International Feature for the 2025 Academy Awards, FROM GROUND ZERO is an anthology project comprised of 22 short films created by filmmakers from Gaza. Launched by renowned Palestinian filmmaker Rashid Masharawi, the initiative was created during the current 2023/2024 conflict and aims to provide a platform for young Palestinian artists to express themselves through their craft.
Each film, ranging in length from three to six minutes, presents a unique perspective on the current reality in Gaza. The project captures the diverse experiences of life in the Palestinian enclave, including the challenges, tragedies, and moments of resilience faced by its people. Using a mix of genres including fiction, documentary, docu-fiction, animation, and experimental cinema, From Ground Zero presents a rich diversity of stories that reflect the sorrow, joy, and hope inherent in Gazan life.
Despite harsh filming conditions, Gaza’s vibrant artistic scene shines through this stunning anthology film, which offers an intimate and powerful portrait of daily life in modern-day Palestine – and the enduring spirit of its people.
In Arabic with English subtitles.
“The fact that this film even exists seems miraculous… [From Ground Zero] aims to humanize, to empathize, to go beyond the headlines and geopolitics. It aims to convey the hopes and dreams of everyday people, which persist even in dire circumstances.” Jennifer Green, Alliance of Women Film Journalists
“A powerful cry to the world that these filmmakers, collaborators, and people walking in the background are still there, still living under worsening conditions, and still need help. From Ground Zero is an unforgettable exhibition of the human spirit.” Monica Castillo, RogerEbert.com

Ya Hala Cafe and Retail Space: Heritage Hour (BIPOC Tatreez Circle)
2025-05-18 13:00 - 15:00 | Suzanne Zahr, Art & Architecture, 2441 76th Ave SE, Ste 160, Mercer Island, WA, 98040, United States
Remember, Ya Hala’s café and retail space is open to all
📣 IMPORTANT: Some events will require registration/RSVP so you can save a spot!
Take a look ahead at the calendar and then keep an eye out for links to sign up for specific events. You won’t want to miss out.
More details about each weekend’s events will drop on the Monday before. 👀

The Somali Table
2025-05-18 18:00 - 21:00 | the Pantry, 1417 NW 70th Street, Seattle, WA, 98117
Due to its location and landmass, Somalia is a true culinary crossroad. Indigenous Somali regional cuisines woven with lasting Italian, South Asian, and Middle Eastern influences have resulted in a cuisine that is dynamic and unique. Join local chef Ifrah F. Ahmed in class, where she will teach you about the food of Somalia and how to make some of her favorite classic dishes. On the menu: xawaash-spiced lamb (braised lamb shanks with xawaash spice and cilantro garlic sauce); muufo (corn flatbread); fuul (mashed fava bean and tomato stew); and bariis(Somali-style rice).
Please note: some classes can be adjusted for students with dietary restrictions, but many cannot. If you’re vegetarian, pescatarian, or gluten-free, you can use the drop-down menu on our events page to view the best classes to fit your needs. If a class you’re interested in doesn’t appear in that filtered view, please email us before registering and we’ll see if the class’s menu can be modified.

Seattle International Film Festival: Balconettes
2025-05-18 21:00 - 23:00 | SIFF Cinema Uptown, 511 Queen Anne Ave N,, Seattle, WA, 98109, United States
Want a discount on your ticket? Use code ARABISH51 for $3 when purchasing tickets!

While perhaps best known for her understated yet powerful performances in Portrait of a Lady on Fire and TÀR, Noémie Merlant showcases her equally striking talent for the WTF (weird, titillating, and fascinating) both in front of and behind the camera with her sizzling sophomore feature as director. In the thick of a near-apocalyptic heat wave in Marseille, we are introduced to our trio of cohabitating bosom buddies: neurotic, sexually frustrated writer Nicole (Sanda Codrenau), free-spirited camgirl Ruby (Souhelia Yacoub) – actress of Tunisian descent, and Élise (Merlant), an actress rapidly reaching her boiling point. A chance encounter with the brooding artist on the balcony across the way rapidly spirals into a bloody affair that threatens to haunt the girls forever—possibly literally. What begins as a sexy, sun-drenched romp reveals itself to be a blood-drenched, searing takedown of rape culture, and an equally tough and tender look at the necessity of female friendship. With this bombastic, hilarious, and heart-rending film, Merlant cements herself as not only a face, but a singular voice in contemporary cinema across the globe.

Other Showtimes:

MONDAY, MAY 19, 2025

SIFF Cinema Downtown
3:15 PM

Escalate Against Microsoft
2025-05-19 11:00 - 13:00
(Full location to be announced closer to the rally)
Join NO AZURE FOR APARTHEID for a community rally and send a clear message to Satya Nadella, Brad Smith, Mustafa Suleyman, and Microsoft execs: NO TECH WEAPONS FOR GENOCIDE! IOF OFF AZURE! DIGITAL ARMS EMBARGO NOW!
Microsoft Build is the Coachella of tech giant monopolies violating human rights. Held annually, #MSBuild is Microsoft’s largest conference of the year, where Microsoft plans to showcase their latest cloud and AI developments, all while those same technologies fuel war crimes, apartheid, and genocide. Let’s turn up and show Microsoft that there will be no business as usual while Microsoft and its execs have blood on their hands! #BoycottBuild
Microsoft Azure cloud offerings form the technological backbone of Israel’s automated apartheid and genocide systems – and the scale of Israel’s ongoing genocide of Palestinians would not be possible without Microsoft cloud and AI technology. Learn more, follow, and join our campaign at @noazureforapartheid! 🇵🇸

Seattle International Film Festival: Balconettes
2025-05-19 15:15 - 17:15 | SIFF Cinema Downtown, 2100 4th Ave, Seattle, WA, 98121
Want a discount on your ticket? Use code ARABISH51 for $3 when purchasing tickets!

While perhaps best known for her understated yet powerful performances in Portrait of a Lady on Fire and TÀR, Noémie Merlant showcases her equally striking talent for the WTF (weird, titillating, and fascinating) both in front of and behind the camera with her sizzling sophomore feature as director. In the thick of a near-apocalyptic heat wave in Marseille, we are introduced to our trio of cohabitating bosom buddies: neurotic, sexually frustrated writer Nicole (Sanda Codrenau), free-spirited camgirl Ruby (Souhelia Yacoub) – actress of Tunisian descent, and Élise (Merlant), an actress rapidly reaching her boiling point. A chance encounter with the brooding artist on the balcony across the way rapidly spirals into a bloody affair that threatens to haunt the girls forever—possibly literally. What begins as a sexy, sun-drenched romp reveals itself to be a blood-drenched, searing takedown of rape culture, and an equally tough and tender look at the necessity of female friendship. With this bombastic, hilarious, and heart-rending film, Merlant cements herself as not only a face, but a singular voice in contemporary cinema across the globe.

The Pantry: Egyptian Street Food
2025-05-19 18:00 - 21:30, 2025-05-20 18:00 - 21:30 | the Pantry, 1417 NW 70th Street, Seattle, WA, 98117
Join Nadia Tommalieh as she embarks on a culinary journey to the vibrant streets of Egypt! In this class you’ll dive into the world of kushari, a popular dish of rice, lentils, pasta, and chickpeas, topped with a spiced tomato sauce and crispy fried onions. No exploration of Egyptian street food is complete without ful medames—a hearty stew made from slow-cooked dried fava beans, herbs, and lemon. Also on the menu: feteer meshaltet, a flaky pastry that showcases the mastery of Egyptian baking. You’ll bake two versions of this dough: a savory one, and a sweet one with nuts, coconuts, and raisins. You’ll complete your culinary adventure with Sobia, a refreshing street drink made from coconut milk, rice, and rosewater, whose taste will transport you to the shores of the Nile.

Seattle International Film Festival: Khartoum
2025-05-19 21:30 - 23:30 | AMC Pacific Place, 600 Pine St suite 400, Seattle, WA, 98101, United States
Want a discount on your ticket? Use code ARABISH51 for $3 when purchasing tickets!
What begins as a street-level documentary of five ordinary lives in Khartoum—a civil servant, a tea vendor, a resistance volunteer, and two young bottle collectors—evolves into a radically inventive chronicle of a city at the edge of collapse. Shot on donated iPhones by four Sudanese filmmakers working alongside British director Phil Cox, production was interrupted when war erupted in April 2023. The filmmakers fled Sudan and regrouped in Nairobi, where they transformed the project using green screen re-enactments, animation, and dreamlike visual reconstructions.
The film’s five interwoven stories bear witness to lives disrupted by conflict but never reduced by it. A mother sings lullabies to shield her daughter; two boys flee militias on the back of an invisible lion; a government worker hides from a regime unraveling around him. Through surreal vignettes and raw detail, Khartoum refuses the distancing lens of crisis coverage.
So while Khartoum began as a vérité documentary shot in Sudan, it became a diasporic production: completed in exile, shaped by displacement, and creatively reassembled across borders. A collaborative act of remembrance and resistance, it is not simply about a city under siege—it is made by those who fled it, carrying its stories with them.
Other Showtimes:

WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2025 – AMC Pacific Place

1:30 PM

Contemporary Translated Works Book Group: Sand-Catcher by Omar Khalifah, Translated by Barbara Romaine
2025-05-21 11:30 - 13:00 | Virtual
Join the Contemporary Translated Works Book Group – Now Monthly!
Mechanics’ Institute, in partnership with the Center for the Art of Translation and our new presenting partner, Folio: The Seattle Athenaeum, is thrilled to announce the expansion of the Contemporary Translated Works Book Group into a monthly, member-led series! Beginning Spring 2025, we will host lunchtime discussions (12:00–1:00 pm PT) online via Zoom on the third Wednesday of each month, featuring thought-provoking literary selections from around the world.
Four young, Palestinian journalists at a Jordanian newspaper are tasked, on account of their heritage, with profiling one of the last living witnesses of the Nakba, the violent expulsion of native Palestinians by the nascent state of Israel in 1948. The old man has no desire to be interviewed, no desire for his memories to be preserved, no desire to serve as an inspiration for the youth of tomorrow. As threats from the team’s editor-in-chief put more and more pressure on the journalists, they must decide just how far they’re willing to go to get the old man on the record.
Join us at 11:30 AM for a Q&A with the translator before the discussion at 12:00 PM.
Free to Folio members.
Learn more and get tickets >>
Order Sand-Catcher >>

Seattle International Film Festival: Khartoum
2025-05-21 13:30 - 15:30 | AMC Pacific Place, 600 Pine St suite 400, Seattle, WA, 98101, United States
Want a discount on your ticket? Use code ARABISH51 for $3 when purchasing tickets!
What begins as a street-level documentary of five ordinary lives in Khartoum—a civil servant, a tea vendor, a resistance volunteer, and two young bottle collectors—evolves into a radically inventive chronicle of a city at the edge of collapse. Shot on donated iPhones by four Sudanese filmmakers working alongside British director Phil Cox, production was interrupted when war erupted in April 2023. The filmmakers fled Sudan and regrouped in Nairobi, where they transformed the project using green screen re-enactments, animation, and dreamlike visual reconstructions.
The film’s five interwoven stories bear witness to lives disrupted by conflict but never reduced by it. A mother sings lullabies to shield her daughter; two boys flee militias on the back of an invisible lion; a government worker hides from a regime unraveling around him. Through surreal vignettes and raw detail, Khartoum refuses the distancing lens of crisis coverage.
So while Khartoum began as a vérité documentary shot in Sudan, it became a diasporic production: completed in exile, shaped by displacement, and creatively reassembled across borders. A collaborative act of remembrance and resistance, it is not simply about a city under siege—it is made by those who fled it, carrying its stories with them.

Seattle International Film Festival: Happy Holidays
2025-05-21 20:30 - 22:30 | SIFF Film Center, 305 Harrison St, Seattle, 98109
Want a discount on your ticket? Use code ARABISH51 for $3 when purchasing tickets!
Oscar® winner Scandar Copti (Ajami) is back with a new film about a middle-class Arab family in Israel and the impact of the country’s divisions on every aspect of their lives, mundane and momentous alike.
Fouad’s business is in trouble, which has plunged him into debt. This has major implications for his wife, Hanan, a woman very invested in maintaining the family’s social position, especially in anticipation of their elder daughter Leila’s upcoming wedding. Son Rami has a different kind of problem. His Jewish Israeli girlfriend is pregnant, but how would they raise a child in a country where their relationship must be kept secret? This question takes on a new urgency when the couple become the object of mysterious threats. Meanwhile, younger daughter Fifi has a secret of her own. After a minor car accident, she ends up in the hospital where her medical records, including her sexual history, come to light, causing further upheaval for the family and Fifi herself.
This ensemble of characters (mostly played by non-professional actors) and their stories create a rare portrait of Arab and Jewish lives in Israel and the effects of social, political, and religious divisions on every aspect of those lives, mundane and momentous alike.
Other Showtimes:

THURSDAY, MAY 22, 2025 AMC Pacific Place

1:00 PM

Seattle International Film Festival: Happy Holidays
2025-05-22 13:00 - 15:00 | AMC Pacific Place, 600 Pine St suite 400, Seattle, WA, 98101, United States

Seattle International Film Festival: Everybody Loves Touda
2025-05-22 15:15 - 17:15 | SIFF Cinema Uptown, 511 Queen Anne Ave N,, Seattle, WA, 98109, United States
Want a discount on your ticket? Use code ARABISH51 for $3 when purchasing tickets!
In the latest film from Nabil Ayouch (Horses of God, SIFF 2014) co-written with his wife, director Maryam Touzani (The Blue Caftan, SIFF 2023), Touda dreams of being a sheikha, or traditional Moroccan folk singer. More than that, she is determined to be one, which is fortunate because the road ahead is a rocky one. A single mother with a young son to support, she sings at parties and in bars in her provincial town. But these opportunities are limited and fraught with risk, as her male audience’s “love” often shades into something more proprietary and threatening. She sets her sights on Casablanca and, leaving her son with her parents and ignoring the disapproval of her conservative brother, she heads to the big city. There Touda meets an older musician, a violinist who recognizes her ambition and her potential, and becomes a sort of mentor. With his help, she sets about to master the aita, a Moroccan musical genre rooted in poetry about the many struggles of life, from the personal to the political. As her singing improves, she can command higher fees and a more elite audience. But in a culture where female performers are as often eroticized and stigmatized as venerated, what does it really mean to be loved?

Other Showtimes:

TICKETS
Select showtime for pricing and tickets.

FRIDAY, MAY 23, 2025

SIFF Cinema Uptown
8:30 PM
