Los Angeles Comedy Festival
Doumbek Classes
Classical Egyptian Belly Dance
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Hold Your Workshops, Classes & Seminars at Levantine Cultural Center. Call 310.657.5511.

Event Rentals


Middle East Hip Hop sponsored by LCC. Read a review.
Transcending Nationalism
Read about Transcending Nationalisms, June 30, 2007 at the Fowler, UCLA

Levantine Center recommends Sally Potter's YES

Iraqi-American Playwright and Actor Heather Raffo and Her One-Woman Show, "Nine Parts of Desire," Are the Talk of New York and Los Angeles


"In the Mirror of the Sky."
New membership gift!
Al-Andalus to Jerusalem:
Levantine Festival at the
John Anson Ford



Al-Andalus
with Tariq Banzi, Julie Banzi
and flamenco dancer Ana Montes

 Click Here To Read
Three Articles on the Concert

A 9/11 Gallery
A 9/11 Gallery
April 2008 Calendar
May 2008 Calendar

—| To inquire about placing event listings, email Calendar Editor. [Send photos as small jpegs or gifs.]
—| To learn about previous events, scroll to bottom of the page.
—| All programs free unless otherwise noted.
—| Last updated May 14, 2008 |—

Local Talk Radio on Middle East Culture and Politix

For progressive talk radio on North African, Middle Eastern and South Asian culture and politix, tune in to 90.7 FM, KPFK's "Middle East in Focus" with host Don Bustany, every Wednesday 8-9 pm; and to Radio Intifada, Thursdays, 3-4 pm. Also, Ian Masters' "Background Briefing" airing Sundays, 11 am-1 pm, frequently features insightful interviews with Middle East experts and unembedded journalists. All three shows invite a wide range of guests and often feature call-ins, so you can ask questions or offer your views on the topic of discussion.
Tax-deductible contributions support our programs for Middle East peace & cross-cultural understanding through the arts.
$
Conversational ArabicSaturdays in April-May-June, 1:30-4:30 pm—Beginner-Intermediate Classes Conversational Levantine Arabic

Study conversational "shami" Arabic as spoken in Lebanon, Jordan, Syria and Israel/Palestine with instructor Alfred Madain.  Call 310.657.5511.

Class convenes Saturdays, 1:30-4:30 pm, through June 12, 2008. Small class size (15 students max) meets at the Levantine Cultural Center, 1012 S. Robertson Blvd., near Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles CA 90035. This is a great class for those just starting out or to brush upt. Learn the essentials of conversational Arabic spoken in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Palestine/Israel.

Audit/drop-ins welcome, $40 per 3-hr. session.
HiphopistanMay 1 (Thurs), 7 pm—"Hiphopistan" Documentary on Turkish Hip Hop in Southeast European Film Fest

Dir/Prod: Cigdem Akbay of Turkey created this short documentary film about Turkish rappers, DJs, break-dancers, and graffiti artists who blend popular influences with their local cultural traditions in the predominantly Muslim and rapidly globalizing city of Istanbul.

While providing a glimpse into the lives of innovative youth in a predominantly Muslim and rapidly globalizing city, this film raises awareness of the many similarities of youth culture worldwide. Featuring the last interview with music industry mogul and Atlantic Records co-founder, Ahmet Ertegun.

Goethe Institute Los Angeles, 5750 Wilshire Blvd., Ste 100, L.A., CA 90036. Underground parking free after 6 pm .
May 3 (Sat.), 9 a.m.-5 p.m.—Iranian American Writers Gather for Forum at UC Irvine

The Dr. Samuel M. Jordan Center for Persian Studies and Culture at UC Irvine will host a day-long workshop and discussion to inaugurate the new Association for Iranian-American Writers (IAWA), with the support of Levantine Cultural Center.

Iranian-American writers represent one of the most recent arrivals in ethnic American literature. Drawing on a rich Persian heritage and a vibrant American literary scene, Iranian-American writers give voice to the complex histories that have shaped their community. A representative group of novelists, poets, fiction and nonfiction writers will come together for a day-long workshop and discussion about what it means to be a writer in the United States, and more specifically, in a place like California.

Participants include Anita Amirrezvani, Jasmin Darznik, Parissa Ebrahimzadeh, Haleh Hatami, Zara
Houshmand, Jahanshah Javid, Esther Kamkar, Porochista Khakpour, Sharon May, Majid Naficy, Gina Barkhordar Nahai, Sepideh Saremi, Ari Siletz, Sholeh Wolpé.

Hosted by the Dr. Samuel M. Jordan Center for Persian Studies and its Director, Dr. Nasrin Rahimieh, and co-convened with Dr. Persis Karim of San Jose State University, this workshop seeks to foster rich and timely dialogue and discussion among writers living in or with deep roots in California and whose work is shaping some of the important concerns of Iranian culture in North America.

There will be informal presentations and discussion about issues such as: Iranian culture through Fiction; Pressing Issues and Themes for Iranian-American Writers; Politics of Writing/Politics and Writing; Writing and Representation: Identity and Politics of the Iranian Diaspora. In addition to discussion and audience participation, writers will be available to meet each other, audience members, and to sign books and meet with the press.

Contact Nasrin Rahimieh, Professor UC Irvine, 949.824-0406. Alternate contact, Persis Karim, Professor, San Jose State University, 408.924.4476.

The Samuel M. Jordan Center is located on the UC Irvine campus, in the Humanities Instructional Building Room 100 .

BlissMay 3 (Sat) 5:30 pm—"Bliss" U.S. Premiere of Turkish Film on Honor Killing

Directed and produced by Abdullah Oguz of Turkey, and based on Zülfü Livaneli’s international bestseller, "Bliss"is the first film about the taboo subject of honor killing. Rape victim Meriyem, sentenced to death to save her family’s "honor," and her unlikely executor-turned-savior Cemal are joined by a disillusioned intellectual from Istanbul as they search for path between tradition and modernity.

"Why is it that honour killings have taken so long to inspire art? Despite all our protestations, these most heinous of murders - so euphemistically termed as to provoke opprobrium in itself - have curiously failed to goad artists into action. Scandalously, and for far too long, the plight of countless women who die at the hands of their own brothers, fathers, uncles, and sons - for infractions believed to have brought shame on their families - has gone unnoticed. In countries where the dishonorable act of killing in the name of honour is commonplace, the conspiracy of silence is almost deafening. That is a crime in itself." See Guardian film blog for complete critique.

Goethe Institute Los Angeles, 5750 Wilshire Blvd., Ste 100, L.A., CA 90036. Underground parking free after 6 pm .
Los Angeles Comedy FestivalMay 3, 10, 17 (Saturday), Sultans of Satire in the Los Angeles Comedy Fest

The Sultans of Satire show, a mainstay of Levantine Cultural Center since 2005, will be featured in the second annual Los Angeles Comedy Festival. The line-up for each show varies.

$12 for a single show and passes are 5 shows for $50 and 10 shows for $90.Note: Road Stories tickets will be $5 a show.

The McCadden Theatre, 1157 N. McCadden Place, Los Angeles, CA 90038. (1 block East of Highland and 1 block N. of Santa Monica Blvd.) Parking in lot at 1149 N. McCadden Place and ample street parking.

For tickets and information please visit the L.A. Comedy Fest web site.

Mania AkbariMay 5 (Mon), 8 pm —Film at Redcat Presents Mania Akbari's 10 + 4 (Dah be alaveh Chahar)

This is the West Coast premiere of Mania Akbari's 10 + 4, Dah be alaveh Chahar, (Iran, 2007, 77 min.).

After casting painter and video artist Mania Akbari as the central figure of his groundbreaking Ten (2002), and then witnessing her outstanding debut as a feature film director in 20 Fingers (2004), Abbas Kiarostami urged her to direct a sequel to the film. In Dah be alaveh Chahar (10 + 4), though, circumstances are different: Mania is fighting cancer. She has undergone surgery; she has lost her hair following chemotherapy and no longer wears the compulsory headscarf; and sometimes she is too weak to drive. So the camera follows her to record conversations with friends and family in different spaces, from the gondola she had famously used in her first feature to a hospital bed. Yet, while he body shows the effects of the disease, Akbari is as tough, charismatic, and argumentative as in her previous screen appearances - her luminous presence all the more alluring and precious as it becomes a sign of how fragile life itself is. Her cinematic language has been expanded and refined from the rigorous explorations of 20 Fingers, to take into account the unexpected aspects of facing simultaneously death and survival, social stigma and sympathy. Treading an elegant line between documentary and fiction, Akbari takes a daring look at complex social situations that arise in the face of mortality-and emerges with a new zest for life.

"10 + 4 walks the delicate line between art and life. Akbari's last film (the revelatory 20 Fingers) eviscerated male and female relationships, and this time she spares no one, not even herself… Often it is the smallest details that stick and tell the hardest truths: a man on motorcycle pulls (the newly bald) Mania over to the side of the road to demand to know whether she is male or female… As conversation unfolds in episodic and allusive fashion, the film becomes more than a conventional documentary; it trespasses into the realm of art. Filled with touches of grace and humanity, but never ever sentimental, it is an honest (sometimes brutally so) look at the moments of life that can occur very close to death.- Vancouver International Film Festival
The film makes use of simple cinematic techniques. Tight shots allow us to enter into the intimate world of the protagonist, and we were deeply moved by it. Throughout the film, the spectator stays with the progress of the disease and is made a sympathetic witness of it. 10 + 4 left us speechless."—Statement from the Festival des Trois Continents (Nantes) jury.

Monday, May 5 , 8 pm, Jack H. Skirball Series (curated by Steve Anker and Bérénice Reynaud). $9 [students $7], Redcat, Roy and Edna Disney/CalArts Theater, 631 West 2nd Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012. Ticket info.
Rumi Returning May 10 (Sat), 6:30-10 pm—Special Screening/Premiere of "Rumi Returning" by Kell Kearns & Cynthia Lukas


This uplifting documentary reveals the life and loves of Mevlâna Jalâluddin Rumi, the "poet of love." Presented by the Los Angeles Committee for the Parliament of the World's Religions.

Mitra Rahbar"Rumi Returning is a remarkable collage of music, visual artistry, andinformative dialogue. It situates Rumi in his Afghan-Persian-Turkish milieu, giving the viewer a clear geographical, historical, and religious sense of Rumi in the thirteenth century. The film incorporates actual footage from Rumi's tomb in Konya, Turkey, and records the "whirling dervishes" in action. Throughout there is a creative use of Persian miniatures and a nuanced contextualization of sufism and Islam. Of all the films made about Rumi to date this is the only one I would show to my university students without any reservations." —Art Buehler, Senior Lecturer, Religious Studies, Victoria University Wellington, New Zealand

The evening including a sampling of Middle Eastern pastries along with a chance to socialize and network, complements of the Pacifica Institute. In addition to the screening, there will be a Q & A and a musical performance of a Rumi poem by international vocalist Mitra Rahbar.

The event is a fundraiser to promote interfaith activity in Los Angeles, in the spirit of Rumi, a Muslim Sufi poet who recognized no religious, ethnic, cultural or geographical boundaries between peoples. Through his poetry, Rumi has served as a beacon of love, understanding and global harmony for eight centuries.

Info/RSVPs 310.575.1972 or email Waliya. Visit Rumireturning.com.

May 12 (Mon.), 7 pm—Holy Land Activists Ahmad Hijazi and Noam Shuster from Neve Shalom-Wahat al-Salam Speak on Coexistence at BH Library Auditorium

In a village between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, Jews and Palestinians live together in peace.For over 25 years, residents of the “Oasis of Peace,” who are all Israeli citizens, have lived and educated their children together as equals.
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The village is home to the region’s first ever bilingual, binational Primary School, an internationally acclaimed conflict management program at the School for Peace, and the Pluralistic Spiritual Center. Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam has been nominated five times for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Ahmad Hijazi first came to Neve Shalom/Wahat Al-Salam in 1984 as a teenager to attend a School for Peace youth encounter workshop. In 1992, Ahmad moved in Neve Shalom/Wahat Al-Salam and later
became a facilitator at the internationally recognized School for Peace, leading conflict management programs. He served as Mayor from 1995 to 1997. Ahmad is currently the Director of Public Relations in the community and a facilitator at the School for Peace.

Noam Shuster grew up in Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam and studied at its bilingual and bicultural Primary School. In 2006, Noam was awarded an A. Slifka Coexistence Scholarship at Brandeis University, MA, where she is actively working to educate people she meets about the situation in the
region. In 2007, she was part of a delegation from the Carter Center focusing on the Palestinian experience in the territories.

This program is cosponsored by Levantine Cultural Center, American Friends Service Committee and its Middle East Peace Education Program, the Workmen's Circle – Arbeter Ring and LA Jews for Peace.

May 12, 7 pm, Beverly Hills Library Auditorium, 440 N. Rexford Drive, Beverly Hills 90211. Free to the public, donations welcome. Parking free after 5 pm. RSVPs encouraged. Contact American Friends of Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam, 818.325.8884 or email for more info. Visit the web site.
Women In DiasporaMay 17 (Sat), 3-7 pm—Sharq Gallery Presents Three Women Artists of the Middle East

Women in Diaspora features artists with roots in the Middle East—Doris Bittar, born in Iraq of Lebanese and Palestinian ancestry; Lidia Shaddow born in Israel of Tunisian and Iraqi parents; and Nuha Sinno born in Lebanon.

"This is my dream show," says gallery director Nahid Massoud, "The kind of exhibition I have been working towards since opening Sharq ("the East") four years ago." "In the work of these three artists you can see the overlapping beauty and complexity of the images currently produced in the West by artists with roots in Sharq. Their works easily speak across cultural and political lines to all of us today."

DORIS BITTAR shows a series entitled "Stripes and Stars, " which represents the American flag, the most profusely patterned flag in the world, as it encounters the most profusely patterned cultures in the world, those from Islamic lands as seen in matrix, floral, or calligraphic designs. The events of September 11 created in her not only a deep sense of mourning and loss, but a feeling that American and Arabic cultures were jarringly merged within her. Bitar's loyalty, alienation, and anger began to emerge as symbols and patterns layered in her mind. The resulting works embody a dichotomy that is both oppositional and ambiguous, one that seeks an alternate reality or narrative without the use of figuration. "Stripes and Stars" marries seemingly oppositional icons to probe intertwined concepts of loyalty, identity, nationalism, and power. DORIS was born in Baghdad of Lebanese and Palestinian parents who immigrated to the United States when she was a child. She received an MFA from UC San Diego, and has exhibited her work in numerous shows across the United States, the Arab world, and in Italy. She is active in Jewish-Palestinian dialogue groups such as Piece Process, and has written for such publications as Al Jadid. She is a lecturer at UC San Diego and has taught at the American University in Beirut. Visit her site.

LIDIA SHADDOW is influenced by Islamic, Indian, and Western abstract art. Her canvases undergo many changes, manipulations and layers until finally the elements settle into harmony much like the Eastern and Western cultures in which she grew up. She works intuitively from memory and imagination, and thrives on the unknown and spontaneity. Her recent paintings are inspired by the drive to her studio in Santa Monica through Topanga Canyon and along Pacific Coast Highway. The heavy textured mountains, plants, flowers and weeds attract her attention, creating magical scenes that inspire her to experiment with textures and lines. LIDIA was born in Israel to a Tunisian mother and an Iraqi father, and immigrated to the United States at the age of 14. She trained as an illustrator and designer, and earned a BFA from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. Her works have been exhibited widely in Southern California and most recently at Pomegranate gallery in New York.

NUHA SINNO is taken by the notion of the Arabic language as art. Her work pays tribute to her love of the language and for the rich legacy of beauty and elegance that is the Arabic alphabet. Her paintings consist of intricate lines and colors that coalesce into abstract renditions of Arabic words and their meanings. She feels that these rich constructions reflect and speak of her life as an Arab woman. NUHA was born in Beirut and graduated in 1980 from the Lebanese University of fine Arts in Beirut. She worked in Lebanon as an interior designer until she immigrated to the United States in 1984. Her art work has been shown in a number of group shows in both Lebanon and the United States.

Sharq Gallery, 537 Arbramar Ave., Pacific Palisades, CA 90272. RSVPs/info 310.454.6826 or email.
DIRECTIONS: Sunset Blvd one block west of Temescal Canyon. Turn left on El Medio, go four blocks.
Turn right on Miami Way - Turn left at first corner, Arbramar. 537 is fourth house on the right.
Sharq is located down the driveway at the back of the property.
 May 18 (Sun), 5:15-7:15 pm—Reza Aslan & Adam Hootnick in Q & A following "Unsettled" Screening

Unsettled"Unsettled"— a documentary feature film following the lives of a varied group of Israeli twenty-somethings during the withdrawal of Israeli settlements from the Gaza Strip, will open at Laemmle's Music Hall 3 in Beverly Hills (9036 Wilshire Blvd., BH 90211) beginning on Friday, May 16th. On Sunday, May 18th, following the 5:15 pm screening, director Adam Hootnick and Professor Reza Aslan, author of No god but God, will take part in a multi-religious dialogue afterward on responses to the film.

"Unsettled" has won a number of festival awards including Jury Prizes at Slamdance (2007) and Sonoma Valley (2008). MTV's Kurt Loder calls it "remarkable for the balance of its compassion, and for the range of youthful intelligence it reveals," and Ambassador Akbar Ahmed, former Pakistani representative to the UK, calls the film "very important for people in the Muslim world."

"Unsettled" will show for one week only in LA . For tickets to the screening with Reza Aslan and all other showtimes, visit Laemmle.com.

Critical Acclaim for UNSETTLED

"Unsettled" won the Special Jury Prize for Documentary Feature at the prestigious 2008 Sonoma Valley Film Festival, adding to Grand Jury Prizes from the Slamdance and Temecula Valley Film Festivals, and the Audience Award from the Florida Film Festival in 2007.

"Critics' Pick" - New York Magazine; "Burningly Smart" - Village Voice; "...makes the political personal" - NY Times.

Visit the "Unsettled" web site for more press coverage and responses to the film.
Israel and Palestine at 60May 20 (Tues), 7:00 pm—Israel and Palestine at 60: Is There A Solution?

This public forum features four authors committed to peace, along with a concert and storytelling by Palestinians and Israelis who share a vision for coexistence, and speak from personal experience.

The forum will feature Jerusalem-based author Bernard Avishai, whose new book “The Hebrew Republic” proposes economic arguments for a two-state solution. The London-based physician and writer Ghada Karmi, whose new book is “Married to Another Man: Israel’s Dilemma in Palestine,” argues for a single democratic state for both Palestinians and Israelis as the only viable solution in the long-term. Saree Makdisi, in his new book “Palestine Inside Out: An Everyday Occupation,” presents needed alternatives to the dire situation for Gaza and the West Bank. And Amy Wilentz, the former New Yorker correspondent in Jerusalem and author of the best-selling novel “Martyrs’ Crossing,” will present her own solutions from an American Jewish perspective.

Performances by Palestinians and Israelis Vivien Sansour, Ayelet Cohen, Danielle Licht and Ameena Mirza, with music by Naser Musa and Rabbi Haim Ovadia.

The forum is hosted by actor/activist Eric Roberts and takes place at the SGI-USA Culture of Peace Resource Center, 606 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica CA 90401. Street parking and free lot parking around the corner at 1212 7th St. The forum is free to the public (donations requested). Seating is limited and RSVPs are strongly advised, to 310.657.5511.

Detailed info here.
Sultans of Satire May 28 (Wed.), 8:00 pm—The Sultans of Satire Live at the Improv

What's funny about being Arab or Iranian or Middle Eastern Jewish or Armenian or Turkish in the post-9/11 world? Do Muslims have a sense of humor? Are you kidding? Tthese are some of the funniest people in town!

Don't miss the Sultans of Satire live in their new home at the Improv, where they present comedy and satire on their cultural identities as Americans of Middle Eastern heritage.

Visit the Sultans web site and read comedian bios.

Read Los Angeles Times on Levantine Cultural Center & The Sultans of Satire. Read The Daily Pilot or the Persian Mirror on The Sultans of Satire.

The Sultans of Satire show has captivated audiences throughout Southern California since 2005, and ran for eight months at the Laugh Factory. Every show features an impressive line-up of some of today’s most talented comedians of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean heritage.

At the Improv, 8162 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles CA 90046. Tickets $18. A portion of the proceeds benefits Levantine Cultural Center's programs for arts and Middle East coexistence.

Call Levantine Center to order tickets by phone, 310.657.5511 (advance purchase recommended as this show frequently sells out). Call the Improv the day of the performance, 323.651.2583 for tickets or order online.
Volunteer with Levantine Cultural Center's Programming Committee

Bring your ideas, enthusiasm and support to the Center by participating in our Programming Committee, which cooperates with our Board of Directors in creating new arts programs in the months ahead. Visit our volunteer opportunities page. To get on the reservation list for the next meeting, email us now!
Levantine Cultural Center Seeks Community Leaders

Levantine Center's Board of Directors is continually seeking to work with new volunteers who may be invited to join the board. We welcomes inquiries—we are actively searching for more people with our passion and conviction! Our core group of volunteers consists of diverse members of the community who are of Middle Eastern/Mediterranean heritage or who have a strong professional or artistic interest in furthering our mission. Our volunteers work on literary, film, fine art, music and educational programming.

Our Advisory Board is also in formation. Advisory board members are known professionally in their own communities and offer valuable counsel and services to the organization; they are eligible to attend the organization's annual retreat and receive other benefits.

Please contact us at 310.657.5511.

Submit your calendar listings to our calendar editor now.
To subscribe to our listserve and receive our special updates (which include free ticket giveaways, articles and more), either visit our Sign-up page or send a message to: subscribe@levantinecenter.org and include Subscribe Me in the subject box. Be sure to give us your first and last name and how you heard about us!

To join/support Levantine Cultural Center, simply go to our membership page and fill in the blanks, use your credit card, or print and mail in your check for $60 or $120 or $250 annual membership dues to: Levantine Center, 1012 S. Robertson Blvd., Suite C, Los Angeles CA 90035-1537.

LEVANTINE CULTURAL CENTER
Cultures of the Middle East & Mediterranean
1012 S. Robertson Blvd., Los Angeles CA 90035
310.657.5511/657.5522, info@levantinecenter.org
Founded in 2001, Levantine Cultural Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that advocates for, educates about, and in general promotes and supports Middle Eastern and Mediterranean contemporary arts and traditional cultures. We present or cosponsor programs of music, literature, art, film/video, publications, new media and more, often from educational and historical perspectives. While acknowledging the value of entertainment, we emphasize scholarship and substance. We are strongly multidisciplinary and non-sectarian, do not embrace any political or religious doctrine, and are committed to the principle of cross-cultural cooperation. We support the strengthening of ties between all cultural, ethnic and religious communities of the Middle East/West Asia/Levant, as well as between all peoples of Middle Eastern descent in diaspora.
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