Free virtual screening of the documentary film "Going Home," directed by Omar Al-Qattan
2022-05-28 09:00 - 11:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
To register for this event please click here.
About the Film
1995; 48 Minutes, English and Arabic with English Subtitles.
“Gives a thorough insight into the historical events surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, filmed through the eyes of a former British General reliving the battles and considering the role of the British in the conflict.” —Cantilevers
In late 1947, Palestine is a country in the throes of war between Palestine’s Arabs and Jews. The British government is officially responsible for maintaining law and order but it quickly loses control and decides to abandon the country on May 15th 1948, leaving behind a war which was to lead to the tragic dispossession of over three quarter million Palestinian Arabs of their homes and the creation of the state of Israel. One man, Major Derek Cooper, witnessed those final days of the Mandate as an officer in the British army responsible for the protection of the Arab city of Jaffa. His experiences there marked him so deeply that he continued to work on behalf of Palestine’s refugees for most of his life. The film tells the story of his return to Palestine/Israel in the summer of 1995.
Going Home tells the story of Cooper’s return to Israel in the summer of 1995. In an effort to capture the past, Cooper and his wife revisit famous sites and talk to Palestinians and Israelis about the events of 1948. This film is a compelling look back at the beginning of a conflict that would last for generations to come.

Northwest Folklife Festival: Arab related Events
2022-05-28 17:15 - 18:15 (America/Los_Angeles)
Performers

O
Omega
Egyptian Mahraganat (Street Dance)

HO
House of Tarab
House of Tarab, Arabic Music Ensemble, is based in Seattle and performs classic & traditional music of the Golden Era of Egyptian music and film, music of the Levant (Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and Palestine), and the greater Middle East. â€œTarabâ€ is an Arabic word not found in the English language that describes a state of emotional transformation and bliss when one is wholly absorbed in music. House of Tarab (A.K.A. H.O.T.) was formed in 2005 though some of the band members have been playing together since 1999… Read More →

QF
Qabila Folkdance Company
The Qabila Dance Company is a west coast based company with chapters in Seattle, the California Bay Area, and Los Angeles. Qabila is dedicated to sharing the joy and diversity of Arabic folk dance rooted in the strong belief that art can build bridges of understanding that allow people… Read More →

Z
Zulaika
Zulaika’s career in Arabic dance spans 40 years. She has traveled nationally and internationally to study with master teachers of various Arab dances including tours to Egypt, Lebanon, Algeria, and Morocco. She loves the joyous, celebratory music and dance of these cultures and… Read More →

Community Write-In with Zain Shamoon
2022-06-02 17:30 - 19:00, 2022-06-09 17:30 - 19:00, 2022-06-16 17:30 - 19:00, 2022-06-23 17:30 - 19:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Join writers from across the country and around the world every Thursday evening and get your words flowing in community! Our best teachers rotate on a monthly basis to bring you a range of writing prompts and ideas. After a healthy dose of inspiration, you’ll get time to write and the opportunity to connect with other writers. Whether you want to journal, blog, start something new or get some fresh ideas for a work-in-progress, this hour will jumpstart your creativity.
RSVP at the “Tickets” link for as many sessions as you’d like to attend. You can sign up for them one by one each week, or all at once.

Dr. Zain Shamoon completed his PhD in human development and family studies in fall 2017 at Michigan State University. He also completed a master’s degree in couple and family therapy in 2011. He is dedicated to the creation of spaces where people can tell their personal stories on route to their own wellness. In his clinical work, he has served a range of clients, including those wrestling with high anxiety, relational conflict, and severe depression.

Arabic Chat Hour
2022-06-02 19:00 - 20:00, 2022-06-09 19:00 - 20:00, 2022-06-16 19:00 - 20:00, 2022-06-23 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 provided upon registeration.

Film Online Screening: Liwan: A Story of Cultural Resistance
2022-06-04 09:00 - 10:30 (America/Los_Angeles)
“Liwan” is a documentary about the cultural space of the same name in Nazareth. Producer and Director Doris Hakim first met the founders of Liwan – Sami Jabali, Sally Azzam and Silke Wanner – back in 2016, when an exhibition she was to put on in Nazareth was banned. They came out to support her, and she immediately fell in love with them and with Liwan.

To register for this event please click here.
To view the film trailer please click here.

The Farhat J. Ziadeh Distinguished Lecture in Arab and Islamic Studies
2022-06-05
2022: 5 June; “The Emerging New Regional Order in the Middle East” presented by Vali Nasr, Professor of International Affairs and Middle East Studies at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies of Johns Hopkins University.

Second Intifada - 20 Years On: Film Series: Online
2022-06-09 - 2022-06-12
The Second Intifada heralded a particularly fresh, urgent and experimental approach to filmmaking, in tune with the uprisings to which they contributed. Working at a distance from both the main political organizations and, often, the aesthetic insistences of Global Northern art cinema funding, filmmakers took advantage of accessible technologies to forge new notions of freedom. The prolific body of work from this period does not just defiantly catalogue heightened colonial aggressions and appropriations, it does so with a wit and eclecticism of approach that touched diverse audiences at home and internationally.
Featuring works by Ayreen Anastas, Nahed Awwad, Enas I. Al-Muthaffar, Annemarie Jacir, and Larissa Sansour

Clean OUT your CLOSETS to support Dunya Productions and Cherry St. Village
2022-06-10 - 2022-06-12 | Cherry Street Village, 720 25th Avenue, Seattle, WA, United States
We are reaching out to you to support in creating a space for Dunya at the Cherry Street Village. It’s as simple as cleaning out your closets!

This Friday, Saturday and Sunday, please bring your gently used clothing, accessories and home textiles to the home of Cherry Street Village, 720 25th Avenue. Please spread the word to your friends and family!

We are also in desperate need of volunteers to help us receive donations. Please sign-up for a two hour slot for either Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. If you can’t do it, PLEASE recruit others to help. SIGN UP HERE!

Blackwater Holylight at Chop Suey
2022-06-10 19:00 - 20:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Chop Suey, 1325 E Madison St, Seattle, WA, 98122, United States
Fri Jun 10, 7 pm

Chop Suey Capitol Hill (Seattle)
This is an in-person event

$15
21+

*I’m making the guess that the lead vocalist Allison Sunny Faris has origins in Syria/Lebanon.

ARCE DC: King Taharqa: The Man and the Myth
2022-06-11 10:00 - 11:30 (America/Los_Angeles)
Presented by: Dr. Rita Freed

1:00 PM EDTWashington, DC
Zoom

Register via this email

11.3 Dialogues on the Art of Arab Fashion: Alternative Museum of Sudan
2022-06-14 09:00 - 10:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Event Description: Dr. Reem El Mutwalli with Amado AlFadni- Sudanese Egyptian Visual Artist & Najlaa El- Ageli- Founder of Noon Art discuss the exhibition.
Najlaa El-Ageli is an architect with over twenty years of experience in the profession. Passionate about the arts, she founded Noon Arts Projects in 2012, a small private art foundation, to promote contemporary Libyan art and expose it to the world stage. Collaborating with cultural foundations and galleries, she has curated over 16 projects and successfully shed light on the current Libyan artistic scene.
Amado AlFadni is an artist who was born in Cairo, Egypt in 1976 to Sudanese parents. His childhood environment was composed of both the Cairene street and the traditions of a Sudanese household. The relationship and the tension between these two different cultures strongly influenced his views, making him question the subject of identity with its related rhetoric, as well as the variables of nation and ethnicity in his work. The ‘Alternative Museum of Sudan’ is Amado’s first solo exhibition in London, that traces the findings of his five-year journey and research into the buried histories of the people of the Sudan who were badly affected by colonialism and other interruptive external forces.
Date: 14th June 2022
Time: 12 pm (NYC), 5 pm (London), 8 pm (Dubai)
Tickets: Donation

Palestinian Classics: Maqlouba and Knafeh
2022-06-15 18:00 - 21:00, 2022-06-16 18:00 - 21:00, 2022-06-22 18:00 - 21:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | the Pantry, 1417 NW 70th Street, Seattle, WA, 98117
Join NADIA TOMMALIEH as she dives into the most famous classical Palestinain family-style dishes and the memories, stories, and traditions behind them. You will learn the art of layering and flipping the perfect maqlouba , a world-renowned showstopper of upside-down chicken with roasted eggplant, cauliflower, rice, and fried nuts). You’ll enjoy it with salatet khodar w t’heeniyeh (tomato, herb, and tahini salad); qalayet bandora (spicy tomato, garlic and herb stir fry); and finish the meal with freshly made knafeh nabulsiya (shredded fine angel hair dough stuffed with sweet cheese and sweetened with orange water syrup and topped with crushed pistachio.

We are excited to welcome you into our space and would like to remind you of our covid policy. For the safety and comfort of our guests and staff, we are requiring proof of vaccination and ID to attend in-person events in our space. Please make sure you and your guests know to bring either their vaccination card or a photo of their card as well as their ID. If you have had symptoms of covid or if you have been in close contact with someone with covid in the past 10 days, please follow the current CDC guidelines. If you are sick, please stay home. Guests may be required to wear a mask during instruction, depending on the local transmission rate at the time of class (we will have some extra masks on hand if needed). Thank you for your help keeping each other and our staff safe!

Around the World, Small Plates with Big Tastes at Whisk
2022-06-17 18:00 - 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 accompany 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 Spanish sherry broth with dulce (sweet) paprika and Espelette pepper
From Cuba – Beef Picadillo-Filled Pastries
Flaky puff pastry filled with sweet and briny beef filling, baked to golden brown and brushed with honey glaze
From Egypt – Kataifi Prawns, Dukkah and Pistachio Yogurt
Briny prawns wrapped in shreds of phyllo dough, seasoned with traditional Egyptian spice mixture
From Greece – Fried Calamari, Oil-Cured White Anchovies and Crispy Chickpeas
Greek version of Italy’s Fritto Misto but instead of being served with heavy tomato sauce, paired with acidic creamy complement to the fried seafood

Dreams Rising Artist Talk: Gaza Artists Malak Al-Absy and Mohammed Qraiqe
2022-06-18 09:00 - 11:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip as young as 14 years old have endured four major Israeli military offensives. They live under an Israeli military blockade which controls who goes where and when, which goods can enter and exit Gaza, and which patients can seek specialized health care abroad. And yet, they are dreaming of a better future.
The Museum of the Palestinian People is pleased to introduce a new exhibition that invites visitors to imagine a better future for Palestinian children in Gaza. Working with a team of youth specialists, curator Ahmed Mansour asked children to paint a vision of their future.
The exhibition was envisioned and created in memory of the 67 Palestinian children killed in the May 2021 Israeli military offensive on the Gaza Strip. The exhibition features artwork created by 11 child and youth artists in Gaza in collaboration with Sama Center for Art and Culture.
This event is a conversation with two of the young artists featured in the exhibition: 16-year-old Malak Al-Absy and 21-year-old Mohammed Qraiqe. The event will be moderated by Ahmed Mansour, the curator of Dreams Rising and the director of programs at the Museum of the Palestinian people.
Malak Al-Absy, 16, is a Palestinian artist from Gaza who was born in 2006, the year before the Israeli blockade closed the Gaza Strip to the rest of the world. Malak has lived through four major Israeli military offensives in the 2008, 2012, 2014, and 2021. She started to paint from a young age and has participated in several local art exhibits in Gaza City. Through art, Malak tries to explore the idea of love in the war-torn Gaza.
Mohammed Qraiqe, 21, is from the Shujaiya neighborhood in Gaza City. His talent as an artist emerged when he was five years old. He was adopted by several art institutes in Gaza before he started making his way to international exhibits. Mohammed has toured Dubai, Tunis, Lebanon, and Chicago with his art. He’s currently finishing his Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science at a university in Norway.

Infernal Harpies: An Evening Reading Hosted by Mythic Delirium
2022-06-18 17:00 - 18:30 (America/Los_Angeles)
An evening of short reads and long talks; there’ll be a Q&A at the end.
It’s at 8PM EST tonight over Zoom, but make sure to register first! It’s free!

Eid al-Adha Bazaar
2022-06-19 14:00 - 19:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Pine Lake Community Club, 21333 SE 20th Street, Sammamish, WA, 98075, United States
Food, Clothing, Henna, Islamic Art, Books, Gifts and More!

Whisk: Street Foods of the World II
2022-06-21 18:00 - 19:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Whisk, 10385 Main St, Bellevue, WA, 98004, United States
Added by popular demand…more street foods!
Want to expand your culinary passport? Are you looking for a new dish to spice up your repertoire? Do you dream of tasty treats on foreign streets, but haven’t been able to get away? If the answer is yes, this class is for you! Join Chef Drew Flanders for this hands-on experience where you will prepare simple but flavor-packed dishes inspired by foods sold in markets, festivals, and by street vendors around the world. Travel from Lebanon to Mexico to Singapore, while you prepare and enjoy a variety of flavors and textures. We will start with lamb skewers accompanied by a light and fluffy garlic sauce (toum) followed by a delectable grilled sandwich and end the journey with prawns, stir-fried in a sweet and not-too-spicy sauce. Come travel with us!
Make, eat and enjoy street foods from

Lebanon – Grilled Lamb Kofta Skewers
Mexico – Chicken Tinga Pambazos
Singapore – Chili Prawns

Participants will have the option of enjoying wine or beer as street food is always best with a beverage!

Celebrating Pride + Luminance: A Mizna Tribute to Etel Adnan
2022-06-23 - 2022-06-26
As part of Mizna’s Pride programming, we celebrate the life and legacy of the prolific artist, writer, and philosopher Etel Adnan in a series of film and literary programs.

Adnan’s thoughtful and fierce approach to her practice serves as an inspiration and will continue to have a deep impact. Mizna’s summer programs in film and literature will highlight the work of Adnan and the ways her significant contributions to the cultural realm continue to radiate in her absence.
Available virtually June 23– 26, 2022 WORLDWIDE. Tickets are pay what you can. TICKETS

Shall I Compare You to a Summer's Day? (Bashtaalak sa’at) [In-Person Only]
2022-06-23 20:30 - 22:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Northwest Film Forum, 1515 12th Ave, 2, Seattle, WA, 98122, United States
About the film:

(Mohammad Shawky Hassan, Egypt, Lebanon & Germany, 2022, 66 min, in English and Arabic with English subtitles)
** US premiere! Co-presented by Goethe Pop Up Seattle & Three Dollar Bill Cinema **
In celebration of Seattle Pride, we are proud to partner with Three Dollar Bill Cinema to present the US premiere of Shall I Compare You to a Summer’s Day, the arty, sensual, and short first feature film by Egyptian video artist and filmmaker Mohammad Shawky Hassan. Imaginatively shot in blue-screen studios in Berlin, Shall I Compare You is set in a time that is part tongue-in-cheek mythical past, part relentlessly contemporary, all queer, and all Cairo. When our mistress of ceremonies (the Egyptian singer, actor, and powerful diva Donia Massoud) undertakes to tell the story of a queer romance, she is diverted endlessly among the intersecting and diverging tales of the men of Club Scheherezade. This storybook Club is in an Egypt where gay and queer people can date, kiss, argue, and hold hands without (or almost without) fear. The fact that this freedom must be fantastical is the determinedly cheerful movie’s sucker punch
The movie’s light tone belies an artistic seriousness of intent, and the everyday intimacies of the men before the screen are given the weight of legend by fable-like chapter titles from the Arabian Nights and by song, mostly decontextualized Egyptian pop, sung earnestly by the men themselves or by Massoud. Slyly carnal, Shall I Compare You almost literally goes inside relationships, hookups, and the space between while finding wonderful opportunities for solidarity among its characters
In the film’s slippery, giddily artificial structure, Hassan employs what has been called a queer dramaturgy, characterized by a subversive joy in digression and sexuality not unrelated, perhaps, to that of the original Arabian Nights. Shall I Compare You brings a gloriously peculiar perspective to a complex of relationships that are limned by Grindr, tempted and troubled by polyamory, and full, always, of sincerity and heart. (Martin Schwartz)

Arab Film Series: Queer Arab Films
2022-06-24 - 2022-06-26
Starting next week! A special selection of Queer Arab films in celebration of June Pride month as part of the Arab Film Series online.

Screening Online: June 24-26
RSVP at arabfilmseries.org
Free / $5 suggested donation
Films available in North America

FILM PROGRAM
Brothers, Mike Mosallam, United States, 2018, 9 mins
Son of a Dancer, Georges Hazim, Lebanon, 2018, 20 mins
Dearborn Ash, Hena Ashraf, 2United States, 2019, 9 mins
Marco, Saleem Haddad, United Kingdom/Lebanon, 2019, 22 mins

The Arab Film Series online is a monthly program of films and discussions with artists and filmmakers from the SWANA region and its diasporas, presented by ArteEast in partnership with the Arab American National Museum and Arab Film and Media Institute.

Image credit: Son of A Dancer, directed by Georges Hazim

Brothers, Mike Mosallam, United States, 2018, 9 mins
Brothers is a coming-of-age short film-music video hybrid that follows a Muslim Arab boy as he comes to terms with his sexuality. Upon recognizing that he is different through the lens of his family and society as a whole, he decides to face his fears with the support of an older brother who stands by him and encourages him to be himself, in the face of bias and adversity.

Son of a Dancer, Georges Hazim, Lebanon, 2018, 20 mins
Arabic with English Subtitles
Majed, a 20-year-old man, is grieving the loss of his recently deceased mother. One day, he gets the shock of his life when he learns that she used to be a belly dancer. Torn between his relationship with his now-silent father, and Hanine, the woman who will help him overcome his grief; he takes a trip down memory lane in an attempt to discover the mysterious past of his mother.

Dearborn Ash, Hena Ashraf, United States, 2019, 9 mins
In the midst of the Arab-American enclave of Dearborn, Michigan, Roshan has moved back to her parents’ house in Metro Detroit after many failed years in NYC. With her OCD in overdrive she meets up with her old college friend Ayman during Ramadan. He disrupts their iftar plans, however, and Roshan finds herself having to deal with all sorts of characters who take over her car. The night turns out to be full of surprises – some annoying, and some wonderful.

Marco, Saleem Haddad, United Kingdom/Lebanon, 2019, 22 mins
English, Arabic with English
Omar has been living in London for a decade. He spends his days working in the City, and his nights ignoring phone calls from his family back in Lebanon. One evening, restless after another pleading voicemail from his mother, he reaches for his phone and invites over Marco, a Spanish student newly-arrived in London, who’s doing sex work to earn some extra cash. But when Marco arrives, Omar can’t shake the feeling that something’s not right about the young man. As their night together progresses truths are revealed, defenses are lowered, and Omar discovers the lengths that Marco has gone to reach London.
RSVP FOR ARAB FILM SERIES
June 24-26: Arab Film Series special Pride program ++ Walid Raad’s Festival of Gratitude

Date Night: A Taste of Morocco Date Night: A Taste Of Morocco: Sur La Table
2022-06-24 19:00 - 20:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Menu:

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

What To Expect: Great cooking is about more than recipes—it’s about techniques. In our classes you’ll work together with other students in a fun, hands-on environment led by our professional chef instructors.

Classes are 2 to 2 1/2 hours, unless otherwise noted above
You will work with other students in groups of 4.
Hands-on classes are limited to 16 students
You will be standing, cooking and working for most of the class
Please wear comfortable, closed-toe shoes and have long hair tied back
Students receive a coupon good for 10% off in-store purchases the day of class

Donia Jarrar + Friends wsg Huda Asfour
2022-06-25 17:00 - 18:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Donia Jarrar + Friends wsg Huda Asfour
8 p.m. ET Saturday, June 25, 2022
In-person at The Annex @ AANM OR Virtual Livestream
$12 Museum Members | $10 Students | $15 General Public | $5 Livestream
Join artist-in-residence Donia Jarrar for the premiere of her new evening-length work, BUTCHER, produced during her residency, and featuring poet and writer Yasmine Rukia, and dancers Ava Ansari and Zaza. Huda Asfour will open the concert with her signature solo oud improvisations. There will also be a talkback with the artists after the show.
BUTCHER is a loosely autobiographical concept album based on Jarrar’s own experiences with domestic and intimate partner violence and sexual assault, in which she takes on the persona of a vigilante and antihero doling out punishments through the power wielded to her via a sonic cleaver. Jarrar is not interested in playing nice. Rather, she aims to explore what is possible when women, non-binary people and queers of all genders defy, disrupt and destroy the patriarchy through violent means and without mercy, drawing inspiration from horror, science-fiction and the erotic.
CONTENT WARNING: This performance includes sensitive content on domestic violence, sexual assault, physical violence, identity-based racial discrimination and harassment. There will also be the use of prop swords, knives and cleavers and other edged and bladed weapons. While this performance is meant to be a healing space for survivors, the artist acknowledges that this content may be difficult for some audience members.
