Can you believe it?!

We are just starting our 12th year serving greater Los Angeles. Don Heckman wrote the first LA Times article about us, positively reviewing our first public program, in a Calendar review published June 25, 2001. (We received another thumbs-up review in December 2001 by theatre critic Don Shirley and many more LA Times articles since.) 

The fourth season of the New Voices in Middle Eastern Cinema series will present as many as two dozen features, documentaries and short films in Los Angeles and Orange County, to foster a greater understanding of the Middle East and North Africa, and to afford provocative opportunities for meaningful dialogue, while working with major partners including the Arab Film Festival, UCLA, USC, Chapman University, the University of California at Irvine, and others.

Event Details

Date/Time: 

May 12 2013 1:00pm - 3:00pm

Price: 

Free to the public, art available for purchase
"Out of the Box" runs May 3-30, 2013

Where: 

Ojai Art Center
113 S. Montgomery St.
Ojai CA 93023
Ph. 805.646.0117

Egyptian American multimedia artist Olfet Agrama will show her unique collection of handmade boxes, "Out of the Box," at the Ojai Art Center, from May 3-May 30, 2013, with an artist's reception on Sunday, May 12 from 1:00-3:00 pm. The Ojai Art Center is located at 113 S. Montgomery St., Ojai CA 93023. Ph. 805.646.0117.

The work of Olfet Agrama spans four decades depicting people, landscapes and still life in the Middle East, Europe and the United States. Her recent show at the LCC's Inside/Outside Gallery was "Swimming Up the Nile" with 25 works from her paintings on cultures of Africa and North Africa. Visit her web site.

Event Details

Date/Time: 

May 24 2013 8:00pm - 11:00pm

Price: 

$18 advance/$15 members/students/seniors or with postcard; $20 at the door; doors open 7:30 pm
RSVPs strongly advised, 323.413.2001
Click here to buy tickets

Where: 

Levantine Cultural Center's Café Arabesque
5998 W. Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles CA 90035-2657
Between La Cienega & Fairfax
street parking

"'Arabesque' was out of this world amazing. We enjoyed it very much and can't wait for the encore." —Laila El-Hajoui 

"Great event at the Levantine Cultural Center Saturday night...the music took my soul on a beautiful journey." —Nancy Tedder 

The Levantine Cultural Center presents an encore performance of "Arabesque" with Al-Fareed of Radio Al-Fareed, AKA Alfred Madain and a group of musicians, the band calling itself Bedouin X. The band members are David Markowitz, Timothy Maloof and David Martinielli. Special guest artist visiting from Tunisia, Jamel Eddine Boukraa.

Event Details

Date/Time: 

May 19 2013 11:30am - 5:00pm

Price: 

Free to the public, donations welcome.

Where: 

El Rancho Cordillera del Norte
9015 Wilbur Avenue
Northridge CA 91324
at southwest corner of Wilbur and Nordhoff
free lot and street parking

"A Grand Souk Festival" will feature activities for adults and children on Sunday, May 19th at El Rancho Cordillera del Norte in Northridge from 11:30 am until 5:00 pm. This open air bazaar of arts and culture is a culminating celebration of the Big Read Program through the National Endowment for the Arts and the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs. This Valley celebration is sponsored by The Museum of the San Fernando Valley, a participant in this year's Big Read Program, along with the Levantine Cultural Center.

"EGYPT NOW", PUBLIC DEBRIEFING ON THE POST-REVOLUTION ERA, BRINGS TOGETHER KEY ACTIVISTS, SCHOLARS AND GENERAL PUBLIC, MON., APRIL 29, 7 PM, LEVANTINE CULTURAL CENTER

[Los Angeles-APRIL 23, 2013]—To get a deeper sense of life in Egypt today after the popular revolution that toppled Hosni Mubarak and led to the election of Mohamed Morsi, top activists Jawad Nabulsi, Ahmed Maher and Karim Amer will speak to a limited audience in Los Angeles on Monday evening, April 29, 2013. "Egypt Now" is a public conversation with activist/entrepreneur Nabulsi, activist/engineer Maher, and activist/producer Amer (The Square), moderated by Nerfertiti Takla, on what Americans should know about Egypt in 2013.

There will be an exclusive short screening excerpt from the forthcoming documentary The Square by director Jehane Noujaim (Control Room) presented by its producer, Karim Amer. 

Event Details

Date/Time: 

May 4 2013 8:00pm - 10:00pm

Price: 

$18 general admission/$15 members/students/seniors
$20 at the door. RSVPs strongly advised: 323.413.2001
Buy Tickets

Where: 

Levantine Cultural Center
5998 W. Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles CA 90035-2657
Between La Cienega & Fairfax
ample street parking or CVS underground lot (till 10 pm only!

The Levantine Cultural Center presents a rare live performance lecture on the aesthetics of Arabic music.

Event Details

Date/Time: 

Apr 29 2013 7:00pm - 9:00pm

Price: 

Free to the public with reservations; donations welcome.
Complementary refreshments.
Seating for this event is limited. RSVPs strongly advised:
323.413.2001 or email rsvp@levantinecenter.org

Where: 

Levantine Cultural Center
5998 W. Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles CA 90035-2657
Between La Cienega & Fairfax
ample street parking or in CVS underground lottill 10 pm only

"Egypt Now" is a public conversation with activist and entrepreneur Jawad Nabulsi, activist/engineer Ahmed Maher, and activist/producer Karim Amer (The Square)

Event Details

Date/Time: 

Apr 27 2013 8:00pm - 10:00pm

Price: 

$25 general admission, $20 LCC & NetIP members
$20 students/seniors with ID
Doors open 7:30 pm for cocktail hour
Click here to buy tickets

Where: 

Westwood Hills Congregational Church
1989 Westwood Blvd.
Los Angeles CA 90025
corner La Grange, btw Olympic & Santa Monica Blvds.
ample free lot and street parking

Recommended local places to eat:
California Fresh, 2000 Westwood Blvd; Sunnin Restaurant, 1776 Westwood Blvd.;
Anatolia Café, 1912 Westwood Blvd., and Bella Pita Mediterranean, 1945 Westwood Blvd.; Shamshiri, 1712 Westwood Blvd.

Showtime's Omar Elba hosts L.A's hottest comedy group, the Sultans of Satire, in a special performance featuring Middle Eastern and Indian comics. The Sultans of Satire are seriously funny—if you love to laugh, if you need to laugh, you'll appreciate this show with its satirical insights and fresh perspectives on American and Middle Eastern life. The humor is universal; the comedans hail from the Middle East, North Africa and India! This show's cast features Mike Batayeh, Omar Elba, Maria Shehata and our headliner from the San Francisco Bay Area, Samson Koletkar, with specal guests Zara Mizrahi and Raj Sharma. The Sultans of Satire is the longest-running Middle Eastern stand-up comedy show in the U.S. Features some of the best young stand-up comedians today from diverse faiths. This show cosponsored by Freedom Theatre West. Tickets/info 323.413.2001. Watch video clips at sultansofsatire.com.

Event Details

Date/Time: 

Mar 28 2013 8:00pm - 10:00pm

Price: 

Advance admission $15/$12 members.

Where: 

Levantine Cultural Center
5998 W. Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles CA 90035
Between La Cienega & Fairfax Ave
street parking

This show is seriously funny. If you love to laugh, if you need to laugh, you'll dig the Sultans of Satire with its satirical insights and fresh perspectives on American and Middle Eastern life. The revolving cast features Marie-Thérèse Abou-Daoud, Omar Elba, Nöel Elgrably, Amir K., Sheno Khal and Mona Shaikh. The Sultans of Satire is the longest-running Middle Eastern stand-up comedy show in the U.S. Features some of the best young stand-up comedians today who just happen to be of Arab, Lebanese, Palestinian, Egyptian, Iranian and Moroccan heritage from diverse faiths. Tickets/info 323.413.2001. Watch video clips at sultansofsatire.com.