[Los Angeles, July 29, 2010]--The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), presenters of the Golden Globes, awarded a grant to the Levantine Cultural Center (LCC) to support the center's monthly film series, "New Voices in Middle Eastern Cinema". Very few of the films in the "New Voices" series receive nationwide theatrical distribution, and oftentimes LCC screening events present the only local opportunity to view and discuss these films in a public forum.

Event Details

Date/Time: 

Aug 19 2010 7:30pm - 9:30pm

Price: 

Suggested donation $10. Doors open at 7 pm.
Includes light refreshments. Seating is limited, RSVPs are suggested: 310.657.5511

Where: 

Levantine Cultural Center
5998 W. Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles CA 90035
ample street parking or across the street in the CVS underground lot (only till 10 pm)
one block east of Crescent Heights

an outtake from "Azi Ayima"Screening and Discussion of Azi Ayima (Come Mother) with director Sami Shalom Chetrit.

Israel 2009, 77 mins. Hebrew, Arabic and French w/ English subtitles.

The filmmaker embarks on a journey with his mother in search of classmates from her elementary school, the Alliance, which she attended 60 years ago in the little village of Gurama in the Tafilalt region of Morocco. Through their stories of past and present, Morocco is reconstructed and comes to life through vivid memories. It is a story of transition, cultural crisis, social survival and also lots of faith, optimism, joy and dignity, told for the first time by Moroccan women of the first generation to immigrate to Israel.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Jordan Elgrably, Nile El Wardani, Elie Karam
Levantine Cultural Center
310.657.5511 or 310.402.8866

[Los Angeles, May 20, 2010] Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's top aide, Special Representative to Muslim Communities Farah Pandith, will speak in a public forum on cultural diplomacy organized by the Levantine Cultural Center on Thursday, May 27, 2010, at 7 pm at the Mark Taper Auditorium in downtown Los Angeles.

The "clash of civilization" dialectic and the "war on terror" discourse require Americans to broaden our international outreach, to improve understanding of the Arab/Muslim world. In fact, the alchemy of change requires that we empathize with narratives that may differ from our own; and sometimes these narratives are strikingly similar. Cultural diplomacy efforts use the arts to address communities in conflict-or groups that appear to have opposing interests whether because of different religious traditions, political beliefs or ethnic identification.

Event Details

Date/Time: 

May 30 2010 5:10pm - 7:30pm

Price: 

$11, $8 seniors

Where: 

Laemmle Music Hall-3
9036 Wilshire Blvd.
Beverly Hills CA 90211
310.478.3836

After the CupChristopher Browne, director of "After the Cup," discusses his film with Hanna Elias, a native of Sakhnin and the director of "The Olive Harvest"

AFTER THE CUP: SONS OF SAKHNIN UNITED Opens Friday, May 28th in Los Angeles, with a special Levantine film talkback on Sunday, May 30 following the 5:10 pm  screening. Read our review.

Showtimes: Fri 5:10, 7:20 & 9:30, Sat & Sun 12:50, 3:00, 5:10, 7:20 & 9:30, Mon: 12:50, 3:00, 5:10 & 7:20, Tue-Thu: 5:10 & 7:20

There are over 1.4 million Arabs who are citizens of Israel, facing the challenge of living in a Jewish state while maintaining their Arabic heritage. In Israel, soccer is king, and Bnei Sakhnin has become the first team from an Arab town to win the prestigious Israeli Cup- and represent Israel in European competition. Fielding Arab, Jewish and foreign-born players, owned by an Arab, and coached by a Jew, Bnei Sakhnin's success has begun to represent a symbol of coexistence, a potential bridge between Arabs and Jews in Israel.

Event Details

Date/Time: 

Apr 29 2010 7:00pm - May 3 2010 10:00pm

Price: 

$10, $5 students/seniors/Friends of Goethe Institut; festival pass $50

Where: 

Goethe-Institut Cinema
5750 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles CA 90036
just east of Curson (between La Brea and Fairfax)
free underground parking after 6 pm
Info 213.446.4878

South East European Film Fest: April 29-May 3, 2010Fueled by independent spirit and passion for the cinema of southeast Europe, the team behind Los Angeles-based SEE Fest (South East European Film Festival) has announced its fifth annual showcase to take place at the Goethe-Institut Los Angeles, and UCLA's James Bridges Theatre, from April 29 through May 3.

On May 3 from 9 am through 1 pm at the Center for Managing Enterprises in Media, Entertainment & Sports (MEMES) at UCLA Anderson SEE Fest is hosting its 2nd annual Business Conference on South East Europe's cinema, a half-day seminar on packaging and financing international productions, producing in South East Europe, and the role of new media in distribution of foreign films.

"We bring to light innovative, different films that create an in-depth portrait of south east Europe, where countries are sandwiched between defunct empires and mixed legacies", says Vera Mijojlic, festival director. "They are the voices of a wonderfully expressive diversity, something southeast Europe and Los Angeles have in common."

Event Details

Date/Time: 

Apr 9 2010 5:20pm - Apr 15 2010 10:00pm

Price: 

$11.00, $8.00

Where: 

Laemmle Music Hall-3, 9036 Wilshire Beverly Hills CA 90211
Laemmle Town Center-5 17200 Ventura Blvd., Encino CA 91316

Women Without Men: the new film from Shirin NeshatWomen Without Men

In her feature-film debut, renowned visual artist Shirin Neshat offers an exquisitely crafted view of Iran in 1953, when a British- and American-backed coup removed the democratically elected government. Set against the tumultuous backdrop of Iran's 1953 CIA-backed coup d'etat, Women Without Men explores the destinies of four women from different socio-economic backgrounds, as they struggle to find independence, solace and companionship. Straying away from a traditional narrative, the film offers a provocative visual reflection on the pivotal moment in history that directly led to the Islamic revolution and Iran as we know it today, whilst striving to highlight the struggle that these women face in order to find meaning in their separate lives without men. Iranian-born visual artist Shirin Neshat is known for her hauntingly beautiful explorations of Islam and gender relations.

Over the past 15 years, Shirin has created provocative expressions drawn on her personal experiences in exile, and on the widening political and ideological rift between the West and the Middle East. This film marks her debut into feature filmmaking, taking the viewer on a breathless journey through Tehran, and the beautiful orchard where the lives of these four women converge.

"A poignant, moving marriage of politics and art." (Peter Bowen, Filmmaker Magazine)

"This film grabbed my heart." (Ang Lee, Jury President, Venice)

Nobody Knows About Persian Cats

Reviewed by Sheila Karbassian

This vibrant documentary-style film by Iranian director Bahman Ghobadi is an eye-opening introduction to the diverse underground music scene of Tehran. The film tracks a young musician couple (Negar Shagaghi and Askhan Koshanejad) in their quest to form a band, cut a record, and leave the country in order to perform in a concert in London—all in the space of only eight days. This is no easy feat as western music is illegal in the Islamic Republic, and many of the musicians are young men who either don't have passports (due to military obligations) or, at best, have minimal chances of acquiring a visa. So, like most things in Iran, this must be taken care of illegally too. As we follow the couple through their struggle to accomplish all of this, we are introduced to the active musical world pulsating just under the skin of the city, as well as an array of colorful characters that help the couple on their tumultuous journey.

Reviewed by Omid Arabian

In About Elly, Asghar Farhadi's fourth feature and Iran's submission for the 2010 Academy Awards, three young couples and their small children take a house on the Caspian coast for a 3-day weekend. Also along are Ahmad (Shahab Hosseini), a recent divorcé and friend of the group, and Elly (Taraneh Alidousti), an acquaintance whom they are hoping to fix up with Ahmad.

About Elly posterFarhadi (who also wrote and produced) spends a good 45 minutes introducing us to everyone as they settle into their rented villa —establishing characters, relationships, and energies with a deft touch and an observant eye for detail. For the impatient, this first chunk of the film can feel overlong and meandering; but then, without warning, the story goes into overdrive: an incident occurs culminating in a mystery that radically upsets the course of things and plunges the group into crisis mode. Every small event, every casual conversation, every offhand choice made in the first half now comes under close scrutiny and takes on unexpected significance as the travelers try to solve the mystery ... and then, failing to do so, begin to turn on each other.

Levantine Cultural Center presents a special cast and crew screening of The Stoning of Soraya M. (USA, 116 ms), with director Cyrus Nowrasteh and stars Mozhan Marnò and Navid Neghaban, as part of its "New Voices in Middle Eastern Cinema" series. The drama was adapted from French-Iranian journalist Freidoune Sahebjam's 1994 book of the same name based on a true story. The film is directed by Cyrus Nowrasteh and stars Academy Award nominee Shohreh Aghdashloo, as well as James Caviezel and Mozhan Marnò. Stoning had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, where it was the runner-up for the Audience Choice Award. It was also the second runner-up for the Cadillac People's Choice Award. The book has been banned in Iran because of its perceived critical attitude toward the Iranian legal system.

Stranded in a remote Iranian village, journalist Sahebjam is approached by Zahra, a woman with a harrowing tale to tell about her niece, Soraya, and the bloody circumstances of her death the day before. Her story attempts to expose what it perceives as the inhumanity of sharia law. Her last and only hope for justice lies in the hands of the journalist, who must escape with the story-and his life-in order to communicate the violence to the world.

The New Voices film series takes place the third Thursday of every month and screens films about the Middle East and North Africa in an effort to engender meaningful discussion about the region.

Levantine Cultural Center screening, Q & A and reception at Goethe-Institut Cinema, 5750 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles CA 90036, Thursday, April 15, 7-10 pm. Tickets $12 general, $10 members, students. Call 310.657.5511 for reservations/info.