To inquire about getting events listed, email Colleen Martin, Calendar Editor. [Send all photos as small jpegs or gifs.] To learn about previous events, scroll to bottom of the page. All programs free unless otherwise noted.


April 4 (Tues.), 8:30 pm—Christopher Hitchens and Andrew Arato Debate "Iraq and America," at Walt Disney Hall's Redcat Theatre

What did the invasion of Iraq do to Iraq? What did the invasion of Iraq do to America? Cultural critic and Vanity Fair columnist Christopher Hitchens debates political theorist Andrew Arato of the New School for Social Research on the war in Iraq and its impact on the present and future of America. Introduced by Martín Plot of the CalArts School of Critical Studies and moderated by Stacy McGoldrick of Cal Poly Pomona.

Sponsored by Cal Poly Pomona, the CalArts School of Critical Studies and the CalArts First-Year Experience Program.

Tix $8, $4. More info. Redcat box office, 213.237.2800.


Through May 20—Tim Robbins' theatrical rendition of "1984" at the Actor's Gang Theatre Comments on Torture

Based on the novel by George Orwell, "1984" is adapted by Michael Gene Sullivan and directed by Tim Robbins at the Ivy Substation in Culver City.

Imagine a world where people fear that their opinion cannot be expressed freely, where leaders are not held accountable for their deceptions, where perpetual war is waged against an unseen enemy; a world where Ignorance is Strength, Freedom is Slavery, and War is Peace. This is the world George Orwell created more than half a century ago and its prescience of today’s world is stunning. Artistic Director Tim Robbins is directing his first production since the award winning "Embedded," in this powerful new stage adaptation by San Francisco Mime Troupe’s Michael Gene Sullivan.

This production contains brief, partial nudity and strong language. Read a recent interview with Tim Robbins.

Actor's Gang, Ivy Substation, 9070 Venice Blvd, Culver City 90232. Info: 310.838.GANG (4264). Buy tix here.


Through April 19—Signal to Noise: Fikret Atay at the UCLA Hammer Museum

The three videos at the Hammer Museum by Fikret Atay, who was born in 1976 in a small Kurdish city near the border of Iraq, focus on boys who refashion the world around them to their own ends. In the seven-and-a-half-minute Tinica (2004), a young man arranges a semicircle of battered cans, a pail and a metal plate just on the edge of a precipice. To the left lies the edge of the Turkish city Batman, with its sprawl of tall white buildings, while on the right are rolling green hills, with meandering dirt roads. The sun is setting and the sky seems huge. Flipping two sticks like an expert, the kid begins to play the makeshift drums, beating out rhythms in the fading light. Atay’s camera moves around him, peers over the edge and sweeps across the sky, and, at the end, watches as the kid kicks the cans into the air. Beyond the punk vibe and occasional beauty of the low-tech video images, the piece soars in the way it captures a tenuous act of affirmation in the face of existential solitude. In Bang! Bang! (2003), Atay again shoots handheld, following a group of Turkish boys as they play with guns between two stationary trains. In the opening shots, Atay shows the hazy sky above the trains and the wash of grays and blues below, and there’s a sense once again of some larger weave of ideas as the boys pretend to shoot and be shot. Atay isn’t maudlin, however, and it’s left to the viewer to wonder how close the boys live to real acts of violence. Projected large, these short videos hover pleasingly between the grand and the handmade, the specific and the universal, offering a glimpse of another place and, for American viewers, exposing the limits of our cultural awareness. [Commentary by Holly Willis, courtesy of L.A. Weekly.]

UCLA Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles 90025. 310.443.7000. More info here.


Through April 30—"The Children of Darfur" photo exhibit at UCLA's Hillel

The Children of Darfur is an exhibition of photographs taken in Sudan's Darfur province. The photos were taken in several of the region’s refugee camps over the summer by photojournalist Ron Haviv, who traveled to the region with UNICEF. The exhibit consists of 36 photographs and offers a visual representation of a child's daily life in Darfur today.

Throughout his career as a photojournalist Ron Haviv has confronted risk in order to bring our attention to our less fortunate neighbors. He has covered conflict in Latin America and the Caribbean, crisis in Africa, the Gulf War, fighting in Russia and conflict in the Balkans. In the 21st century he has documented the aftermath of September 11th , the war in Afghanistan and the overthrow of Saddam Hussein in Iraq. More about Ron Haviv.

Hillel at UCLA, 574 Hilgard ave, LA. Info 310.208.3081 ext 108.


April 8 (Sat.), 4 pm—Journalist/philosopher Bernard-Henri Levy in Conversation at the Writer's Guild

Author of the book Who Killed Daniel Pearl? and a French intellectual who has reported from the Middle East, Afghanistan and Pakistan, Bernard Henri-Levy has just published a book about the United States. In "Otis Speaks: American Vertigo: What Can a Frenchman Tell Us About America?" Bernard-Henri Lévy will be in conversation with Paul Holdengräber at the Writer's Guild.

Writer/Philosopher/Polemicist Bernard-Henri Lévy, popularly known as "BHL", with Impresario/Instigator/Provocateur Paul Holdengräber, discuss BHL's impressions of American prisons and mega-churches, high rises and military facilities, brothels and malls; Richard Pearl, Hilary Clinton, Woody Allen, Barack Obama, George Soros and Sharon Stone. One of France's leading philosophers, BHL's controversial book American Vertigo: Traveling America in the Footsteps of Tocqueville traces his year long odyssey assessing the state of contemporary American culture. Paul Holdengräber is Director of Public Programs and creator of LIVE from the NYPL at the New York Public Library. Dutton's Books is hosting an on-site book signing until 6pm following the talk.

Location: Writers Guild of America Theater, 135 S. Doheny Dr., Beverly Hills 90211. Info: 866.468-3399; tickets online.


April 8 (Sat.), 8:30-11 pm—Middle East Music/Comedy Featured in FaithJam '06 at Islamic Center

From the organizers: "FaithJam’06—a one-of-a-kind late-night jam session featuring local musicians and comedians—chill out over Middle Eastern tea and sweets with MC Rai, comedienne Beth Lapides, the Yuval Ron Ensemble, the Christ Our Redeemer AME Praise Team, comedian Maz Jobrani, and Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Ani.

"Observe and participate as some of LA's most soulful worship leaders present two beautiful Jewish and Muslim prayers, Havdalah and Isha. Then, make yourself comfortable for two hours of musical and comedic conversation like you've never heard before.

LA City Council President Eric Garcetti is FaithJam's honorary chair. "Los Angeles is the most diverse and creative city in the world," he says. "FaithJam brings together these two great strengths in one celebration, using music and culture to build unity and understanding in our city."

FaithJam'06 kicks off Let My People Sing, a 9-day Passover festival celebrating freedom, Jewish life, art and culture in Los Angeles.

Co-sponsored by Abraham's Vision, All Saints Church Pasadena, Christ Our Redeemer AME Church, IKAR, Islamic Center of Southern California, Levantine Cultural Center, Muslim Public Affairs Council, Nashuva, Omar Ibn Al Khattab Foundation, Progressive Jewish Alliance, Progressive Muslim Union, Tribe of LA, and many others. Produced by Let My People Sing.

RSVPs necessary: email faithjam@letmypeoplesing.com. Islamic Center of Southern California, 434 South Vermont Ave., Los Angeles. More info.


April 9 (Sun.), 11 a.m.-8 p.m.—"Consider This," New Group Exhibit, Designed by Barbara Kruger, Opens at LACMA

Consider This includes work by Israeli-American artist Dorit Cypis. Sightlines: Visitors encounter their own reflections in mirrors juxtaposed with photographs of clay busts of two young women, and a video of the desert, in Cypis' installation. Her inspiration for these images is a 2001 New York Times article about the unsolved murders of young women in the desert near Juarez, Mexico as well as a 2002 Newsweek cover story about the first female Palestinian suicide bomber and her victim.

LACMALab has commissioned six artists to examine the cultural and social landscape: who are we and who do we want to be? The goal of the exhibition is to fuse analytical thinking and creative expression at a time when there is a heightened need for meaningful discourse.

The artists, Mark Bradford, Dorit Cypis, Margaret Honda, Philip Rantzer, Mario Ybarra, Jr., and Bruce Yonemoto, were chosen for their ability to provide a thoughtful, provocative, and constructive response to the questions posed. As always, the artists represent different generations and work in a wide range of mediums. If they choose, the artists may select objects from LACMA's permanent collections to incorporate into their installations.

This exhibition was organized by LACMALab.  LACMALab is the experimental reasearch and development unit of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art the investigates new models for presenting art and engaging audiences. The hallmark of LACMALab is the participation of commissioned artists to create new works for all ages through a collaborative process.

Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 5905 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90036. Info 323.857.6000.


April 9 (Sun.), 7 pm—"Uncensored Iranian Voices," with Shohreh Aghdashloo, Reza Aslan, Lila Azam Zanganeh & Sholeh Wolpé

Levantine Cultural Center celebrates pluralism and freedom of expression this Spring with a four-part literary series, "Maktub: New Writing From/To the Mideast" from April to June 2006. The first literary event has been scheduled for Sunday, April 9, with Lila Azam Zanganeh's new anthology, My Sister, Guard Your Veil; My Brother, Guard Your Eyes: Uncensored Iranian Voices, and will feature contributors Shohreh Aghdashloo, Academy Award nominee for "House of Sand and Fog," and Reza Aslan, author of No god but God (an L.A. Times Best Book of 2005), along with editor Lila Azam Zanganeh, in an evening introduced by poet-translator Sholeh Wolpé. This program is cosponsored by Pacific Arts Center at Pacific Arts Center, and is consponsored by Namak Magazine.

For complete info click here. At Pacific Arts Center, 10469 Santa Monica Blvd., just west of Beverly Glen Blvd., Los Angeles 90025. Reservations strongly recommended, 310.559.5544.

click here for printable/emailable flyer


April 10 (Mon.), 3:30-5 pm—Islam and Political Modernity, Some Considerations

Organized by UCLA's International Institute and the Center for Near Eastern Studies. In Bunche Hall 10383.

Michael J. Thompson (Political Science, William Paterson University, Wayne, New Jersey) is the founder and Editor of Logos: A Journal of Modern Society & Culture. His scholarly articles have appeared in Critical Sociology, New Politics, Owl of Minerva, European Journal of Social Theory, and Philosophy and Literature. His most recent book is Islam and the West: Critical Perspectives on Modernity (2003).

Free to the public; UCLA parking $8. More info, Peter Szanton, Center for Near Eastern Studies, 310.825.1455, or visit the Center for Near Eastern Studies calendar.


April 12 (Wed.), 3:30-5 pm—"Islam and the Political Regime: Morocco" at UCLA

First of the Spring series organized by UCLA's International Institute and the Center for Near Eastern Studies. All lectures on Wednesdays at 3:30 pm in Bunche Hall 10383.

"Terrorism, State Secuirty and Morocco" with Dr. Dale Eickelman, the Ralph and Richard Lazarus Professor of Anthropology and Human Relations at Dartmouth College. His research interests include the relationship between religion and politics in the Muslim world, the role of intellectuals in society, education, media, and communications, and ideas of knowledge. Among his many books and other publications are The Middle East and Central Asia: An Anthropological Approach, Knowledge and Power in Morocco, and Muslim Politics, co-authored with James Piscatori. His edited volumes include New Media in the Muslim World: The Emerging Public Sphere, co-edited with Jon W. Anderson, Russia's Muslim Frontiers: New Directions in Cross-Cultural Analysis, and Muslim Travellers: Pilgrimage, Migration and the Religious Imagination, co-edited with James Piscatori. More info.

More info, Peter Szanton, Center for Near Eastern Studies, 310.825.1455, or visit the Center for Near Eastern Studies calendar.

April 13 (Thurs.), 3-5 pm—"The Abortive Birth of a Modern Nation: The Constitutional Revolution in Iran and Its Aftermath" at UCLA

A public lecture in Bunche Hall 4357 by Daryoush Ashouri, a prominent Iranian freelance writer and researcher. He has served as a visiting professor or lecturer of Persian language and literature at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, Oxford University, and of political philosophy and political sociology at the University of Tehran. His work has contributed to the enrichment of the philosophical, scientific, and political lexicon and terminology in the Persian language. He has also translated or introduced works by Friedrich Nietzsche, William Shakespeare, and Nicola Machiavelli, among many others. Ashouri's extensive writings and translations cover a broad range of subjects, and some recent publications include Ta’rifha va mafhum-e farhang (Concept and Definitions of Culture), Erfan o rendi dar she’r-e Hâfiz (A hermeneutical study of the mystical views of Hafiz the great Persian poet), Mâ va moderniyat (a collection of articles on the cultural crisis of Iranian society facing with modernity), and Farhang-e ‘olum-e ensâni (English-Persian Dictionary for Human Sciences)More info, Peter Szanton, Center for Near Eastern Studies, 310.825.1455, or visit the Center for Near Eastern Studies calendar.

More info, Peter Szanton, Center for Near Eastern Studies, 310.825.1455, or visit the Center for Near Eastern Studies calendar.

April 14 (Fri.), 9 pm—Stefani Valedez Ensemble Plays World Music Concert

With Nyofu Tyson on Turkish saz and vocals, legendary John Heard on bass and Jamie Papish on percussions, vocalist Stefani Valafez turns up the heat with her sensual vocals, singing Sephardic, Brasilian, Spanish and Turkish songs to a range of fusion music blending the best of Turkish/jazz/South American sounds.

An enchanting singer, songwriter, guitarist and percussionist, Stefani Valadez’ repertoire of Sephardic, Brazilian, Irish, Blues, Middle Eastern & Cajun songs is enriching, romantic, uplifting and fiery. Stefani gathered much of her Sephardic material while living in Spain performing, writing and collecting songs from the Spanish and North African Sephardic traditions.

Tix$10. At Club Tropical, 8641 Washington Blvd., Culver City 90232. Salvadoran food and full bar.


April 19 (Wed.), 3:30-5 pm—"Islam and the Political Regime: Egypt" at UCLA

Second of the Spring series organized by UCLA's International Institute and the Center for Near Eastern Studies. All lectures on Wednesdays at 3:30 pm in Bunche Hall 10383.

"Islamists in Electoral Politics – Priorities and Strategies of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood," by Amr Hamzawy, Senior Associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He previously taught political science at Cairo University and the Free University of Berlin. His research interests include the changing dynamics of political participation in the Arab world, including the role of Islamist opposition groups, with special attention both to Egypt and the Gulf countries. His recent publications include Zeitgenössisches Arabisches Denken: Kontinuität und Wandel (Orient-Institut, 2005), Civil Society in the Middle East (Verlag Hans Schiler, 2003), and Religion, Staat und Politik im Vorderen Orient (Lit Verlag, 2003).More info.

More info, Peter Szanton, Center for Near Eastern Studies, 310.825.1455, or visit the Center for Near Eastern Studies calendar.


April 19 (Wed.), 6:30 pm—Arab American Poet Khaled Mattawa at Cal State Long Beach

Khaled Mattawa is the author of two volumes of poetry, Zodiac of Echoes and Ismailia Eclipse. Mattawa has been awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship, a National Endowment for the Arts translation fellowship, the Alfred Hodder Fellowship from Princeton University, and two Pushcart Prizes. His poems have appeared in numerous American journals and have been translated to French and Polish. Mattawa is also the translator of five volumes of Arabic poetry, and co-editor of two anthologies of Arab American literature. He is an assistant professor of English and teaches in the MFA Creative Writing Program at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Currently he serves as president of Rawi, Radius of Arab American writers, Inc.

Sponsored by the Middle Eastern Studies Program, Middle East/Near East Sub-committee of the International Education Committee, and Center for International Education.

Library East, 110 Karl Anatol Center Conference Room, Cal State Long Beach. Click here for campus map and parking info. For more info contact Prof. Houri Berberian.


April 21 (Fri.)—"The Syrian Bride" at Laemmle's Sunset 5 & Encino

"The Syrian Bride" is set in the sweeping mountainous region along the Israeli and Syrian border. Leaving her village in the Golan Heights, Mona (Clara Khoury) is preparing to cross the border and begin an arranged marriage to a Syrian television star she has never met. Even with the pending celebrations, this could be the saddest day in Mona's life—once she crosses to the other side she may never see her family again.

In this colorful Middle Eastern drama, the hard politics of the region fall away to reveal a personal and intimate mosaic of the rituals of marriage, family and community. Told with humor, compassion and a rare insight into the plight of women living in this region, "The Syrian Bride" is about physical and emotional borders and the will to cross them.

Hiam Abbass (PARADISE NOW, MUNICH) stars as Mona's older sister, Amal, a modern woman trapped in a tradition and culture she longs to break free from. Makram J. Khoury (FREE ZONE) stars as Mona's father and his real-life daughter Clara Khoury (RANA'S WEDDING) portrays Mona.

"The Syrian Bride" was co-written by Riklis and Palestinian-Israeli screenwriter and documentary filmmaker, Suha Arraf, and directed by Eran Riklis. It received the Best Film Award at the 2004 Montreal Film Festival and has won numerous awards at film festivals around the world, including a Nomination for Best Actress at the 2005 European Film Awards.

In Arabic, English, Hebrew and some Russian and French with English subtitles.

Running Time: 97 mins. Unrated. At Laemmle's Sunset 5, At Laemmle's Town Center 5 Encino. Visit The Syrian Bride web site.


April 22 (Sat.), 6-10 pm—Contemporary Iranian Artists at the Farmani Gallery

Sharai Rezai hosts a reception and group exhibit with artists Pooya Aryanpour, Majid Fadaeian, Mina Ghaziani, Hossein Maher, Ahmad Morshedloo, Sadegh Tirafkan, Mojtaba Tajik, Ali Reza and Rezvan Sadeghzadeh. Several of these artists are exposing their work in Los Angeles for the first time. The show continues through April 28. Gallery hours, Monday - Friday, 11 am - 6 pm. Saturday by appointment. Click here for artworks.

Farmani Gallery, 844 S. Robertson Blvd., Los Angeles 90035. 310.659.0122. Email.