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All programs free unless otherwise noted.



June 6 (Mon), 8 pm—The Kurdish Music Ensemble from Iraq at UCLA

This group of seven master musicians are touring from Iraq, performing traditional Kurdish music on such instruments as santur, dahol, balaban, oud, zarb, daf and flute. Produced in cooperation with the UCLA Center for Intercultural Performance, World Festival of Sacred Music-Los Angeles, UCLA Dept. of World Arts and Cultures, UCLA Dept. of Ethnomusicology, USAC Cultural Affairs Commission, and Levantine Cultural Center. Come hear for yourself at Charles E. Young Grand Salon on Monday, 8 pm, on the UCLA campus, Kerchkoff Hall, 2nd floor, adjacent to the Coffee House patio. SOLD OUT. Call 310.206.1335.


June 9 and through June 26—"The Arab-Israeli Cookbook," a play by Robin Soans

"The Arab-Israeli Cookbook," a new play by Robin Soans, directed by Louis Fantasia, is produced by the MET Theater in association with Louis Fantasia and Francis X. Tobin. 9 actors portray 40 real-life characters drawn from documentary-style interviews with ordinary people in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank. Their recipe for hope can be as simple as combining the ingredients of faith, tradition and courage. Tastes swallowed and meals shared form the basis of a common experience which underlies the universal desire for peace. These are the real stories of three generations of people who live in a rich and yet divided world where food and the traditions of the kitchen offer some constancy. They prepare authentic recipes on stage and tell of their love of life and delight in the world in spite on incredible odds. Their testimonies are shocking and their endurance amazing. "I pray for peace" are the last words of the play.

Read the director's notes.

Play runs through June 26. Thursday-Saturday at 8 pm, Sunday at 3 pm. At the MET Theatre, 1089 N. Oxford Avenue, Hollywood, CA 90029. Regular performances (5/19-6/26) $15-20; students, seniors and special group rate discounts available. Post-performance discussions every Thursday. For more detailed information please visit the play's web site. Box Office 323.957.1152.

Special Levantine Cultural Center discussion following the Thursday, June 9 performance. For group rate tix call 310.559.5544.


June 10 (Fri), "The Keeper: The Legend of Omar Khayyam" Opens at Laemmle's Music Hall

Directed by Kayvan Mashayekh, this moving feature raises essential questions about roots, identity, storytelling and the meaning of family ties. Kamran is a twelve-year-old boy in the present day who discovers that his ancestor is the 11th-century mathematician, astronomer and poet of Persia, Omar Khayyam. His dying brother, Nader, begins telling him the family story as we flash back from the modern day to the epic past where the relationship between Omar Khayyam, Hassan Sabbah (the original creator of the sect of Assassins) and their mutual love for a beautiful woman separate them from their eternal bond of friendship.

Throughout the telling of the story from Nader to Kamran, we periodically return to the present day to reveal the frailty of life and how stories such as ours easily fade with the passing of each generation.

Omar Khayyam Commentary by Tom Huckabee

Omar Khayyam lived an outer life of great productivity and renown, in the service of an absolute monarch and under the watchful eye of a strict religious authority. He published nothing but scholarly articles on astronomy and mathematics during his lifetime. His private stash of poems is a map of his inner world, where he roamed without restriction or fear, free to shout suppositions that would have meant death if whispered in public. The message of his Rubaiyat is profoundly simple, devoid of facts but full of meaning, effortlessly erotic and joyously literate. It is philosophical but promotes no particular system. Yet, some have seen it as a mandate for agnostic hedonism and as an esoteric path to Allah. It is antiquarian, slightly futuristic and wholly present, appealing equally to seekers of all ages and both genders. Like an ancient underground stream, connecting the world's religions, races and cultures, it flows just as smoothly in Chinese, French and Hungarian as it does in the original Farsi. It can be used to seduce a lover, soothe the afflicted or bury your father. An idiot can understand it, but a genius may not. Only by the grace of God did Omar's Rubaiyat survive, to show us just how bright some candles burned during the so-called dark ages.

Laemmle's Music Hall, 9036 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills CA 90211.

June 11th (Sat) 9pm—The RebbeSoul Band returns to Fais Dodo

"Multi-talented RebbeSoul seamlessly mixes international musical influences into his own unique sound. Rhythms from Eastern Europe, Africa, and the Middle East are evident as they weave and wind through rock, pop, and jazz tones." - Joey Alkes, Music Biz Magazine. Listen to a sample song, such as Quaafilah.

RebbeSoul’s highly anticipated new album, Change The World With A Sound, shows RebbeSoul moving to the next level musically - mixing Mizrahi chant and electronic beats with the signature funk/folk/ethnic rock style that his audience has come to know and love.

Doors open at 8 pm, concert at 9 pm. Cover $10. Fais Dodo, 5257 West Adams Blvd., LA, CA 90016. Fais Dodo is one of the original world music venues in Los Angeles. This night will feature some very special, surprise guests. Visit Faisdodo.com or call 323.935.9989 for information and reservations.

June 18 (Sat), 4:15 pm—"Le Grand Voyage" at the Directors Guild

Levantine Cultural Center is a proud Participating Organization of the 2005 Los Angeles Film Festival (June 16 - 26).

We're host a screening of Le Grand Voyage on Saturday, June 18 at 4:15pm at the Directors Guild Theatre A1, 7920 Sunset Boulevard, one block west of Fairfax Ave (parking on Hayworth), Los Angeles CA 90046. | Map  

Mustapha, a Moroccan immigrant living in France, wants to make a last pilgrimage to Mecca before he dies. He enlists his reluctant, thoroughly westernized son, Réda, to drive him there. As the two begin a journey that will take them across seven nations in Europe and Northern Africa, the confines of the car becomes a pressure cooker for their many differences—in education, language, and attitude toward tradition. First-time director Ismaël Ferroukhi illustrates the tensions between old world and new with great humor and warmth, treating his characters and the audience to a stunning view of Mecca at the journey's end.

For other 2005 Los Angeles Film Festival screenings, visit the Levantine page.


June 23 (Thurs)—Lebanese director Ziad Doueiri Screens "Lila Says" Westside Pavilion Cinemas
10800 Pico Blvd. | map | 310.559.5544
Los Angeles CA 90064. Free parking, 3rd flr.

Lila Says
[French/Arabic with English Subtitles]
In cooperation with Samuel Goldwyn Films

Meet "West Beirut" director Ziad Doueiri in a post-film discussion moderated by Antoine Harb as Doueiri discusses the making of "Lila Says."

LILA SAYS (Lila dit ca), France/Italy/UK, made its US Premiere in the World Dramatic Competition at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. This is an exclusive preview screening before the film opens in Los Angeles on July 1.

Limited seating, purchase tix here. If you do not have a Paypal account, click the no account option once you begin. Then, when you enter the amount, it should reflect the total amount in dollars ($10 per person). Although Paypal will later describe the quantity of items ordered as "1", we will credit the number of people in your party by the amount total. You will receive an email confirmation and your tickets will be held at Will Call the night of the event:

About the Film

In a Marseilles ghetto, Lila, a gorgeous sixteen-year-old Catholic girl (Vahina Giocante), stops to talk to Chimo, a nineteen-year-old Arab boy (Mohammed Khouas). Lila asks Chimo to look up her skirt -- if he can handle it, and puts into motion a sequence of events that is shockingly raw, sensual, and devastating. Lila's angelic demeanor barely contains the vitality and powerful eroticism that she shares with him and with which she transports the shy and sensitive Chimo from the bleakness of his life.

To read more about the film, go to the Lila Says page!

Westside Pavilion Cinemas
10800 Pico Blvd. | map | 310.559.5544
Los Angeles CA 90064. Free parking, 3rd flr.


June 25 (Sat) 2-5 pm—Sharq Reception/Exhibit, Rudik Ovsepyan, Abstractions: Yerevan, Berlin, Los Angeles

Nahid Massoud and Robert Rosenstone present Rudik Ovsepyan's Abstractions at their Pacific Palisades gallery.

Rudik Ovsepya'’s recent works may best be described as “passionate abstraction.” His mixed media canvases are as contemporary as the headlines in the multilingual newspapers from which he clips words, phrases, and pictures to mix into his richly layered oil surfaces. The result are mysterious yet compelling works, in which meaning is as fragmented as is our contemporary world. Yet a touch of history haunts his canvases. You can see it in the stamps from many countries that nestle in the newspapers, the vibrant yet dark colors appropriate to a century of conflict, and to the tragic history of Armenia, the land in which Ovsepyan was born.

Raised and educated in Yerevan, Rudo attended art school and, after graduation, worked there for some years before moving to Moscow. When the Soviet Union collapsed, he took his family to freedom in Germany, where he showed widely over the course of a decade, developing a considerable following among German art lovers. Longing for a climate bright and temperate as that of his native land, Rudo emigrated to California a few years ago.

Ovsepyan has had a number of solo exhibitions in both Russia and Germany, and has been part of group shows in five different lands – in Yerevan, Moscow, Berlin, Kiel, Munster, Alkman, Hollywood, and most recently, at Bergamot Station in West Los Angeles. Works of his are owned in many private and public collections, including that of the Pushkin Museum in Moscow, UNESCO in Switzerland, the Museum of Modern Art in Yerevan, and the Sparkasse Museums in Munster and Schleswig-Holstein.

Reception Sat, June 25, 2-5 p.m; exhibition June 25-July 23 by appointment. SHARQ, 537 Arbramar Ave., Pacific Palisades, CA 90272. RSVPs highly recommended. Call 310.454.6826 or email Nahid Massoud or Robert Rosenstone..


June 25 (Sat) 7-11 pm—"Veil" Reception Concludes Selah's "Veil.Blood.Book.Desert: Four New Symbols of Peace" Series Downtown

Writes Selah Artistic Giving Center's executive director Billy Mark, "Americans and Iraqis are currently losing their lives in Iraq. What can we do as an art community? What will have an effect? Would it be possible to engage the Iraqi art community in such a way as to begin to know more about what is happening in a country so far away? What really can I do when I still have to make a living and feed myself?

"Selah Artistic Giving Center, Levantine Cultural Center and the downtown art community have been tackling these questions for the last six months during Selah’s exhibit, “Veil.Blood.Book.Desert. Four New Symbols of Peace.” On Saturday, June 25, 2005 there will be some answers. Join the gallery from 7:00pm – 11:00pm for "Veil" the final exhibit in its 6-month series project. The evening will feature the work of three Iraqi artists: Habid Taliman, Abdullah Ashaeb, Hasun Abrahem. Selah will simultaneously launch a new website that will create a powerful dialogue between the two artistic communities as well as be an empowering tool for all artists to sell their work on an ongoing basis. Online gallery designed and built by Eileen Kowalski and Meghan Newell.

"In order to open the cultural exchange between the artists of Iraq and America, for the last six months, Selah Artistic Giving Center has been communicating with Maysoon al Damluji, the Deputy Minister of Culture in Iraq and hosting gallery events in which artists from both Iraq and America have been collaborating. Iraqi artists have sent more than 150 pictures of Iraqi paintings via email, which will be projected onto the gallery walls.

"To house the art that has accumulated over the last six months and to continue to facilitate the artistic, economic and goodwill connection between the two art communities, Selah has developed an online multiple-medium gallery, a website in which Iraqi artists and American artists can create a personal profile and place their work, whether it be paintings, writing, film, etc., onto the website and directly sell to anyone who sees and likes their work. In addition to this ability to be able to show the work, a web log and conversation forum have been created that will allow Iraqi and American artists to exchange ideas on topics surrounding art, business, and charity.

"June 25th will be the final chapter of Selah's six part series. This event will serve as the unveiling of the online gallery and blog, as well as a fundraiser for the Zaqorat, an art collective in Baghdad that Selah will be sponsoring and connecting with. Selah will revisit Iraq in six months after it has completed its next 6-month series focused on Downtown LA. By showing support at this month's “Veil” show fundraiser and by participating in the online gallery, Los Angeles will be building an international community of artists. Come experience the next step in art communication.

All the artists involved in "Four New Symbols of Peace in Iraq" will also be working on compiling a book that, upon completion, will be distributed internationally. A portion of the proceeds will go toward Selah's continuing nonprofit effort to support the downtown art community, while the remaining portion will be donated to Iraqi artists and families.

Selah Artistic Giving Center is located at 1001 E. 1st Street, Gallery 15, Los Angeles, CA 90012. $5 suggested donation; free dinner provided. Please call 213.626.0811 or visit www.selahagc.org for more information.


June 27 (Mon), 8 pm—Rachid Taha at the Knitting Factory Hollywood

Algerian worldbeat artist Rachid Taha was born in the Gulf of Oran during the peak of the Independence War era; as a child, he relocated with his family to France, later finding employment as a dishwasher, cook and factory worker before landing a gig as a DJ at a small area club. Forming the group Carte de Sejour, Taha attempted to create a style of Arabic rock music heavily influenced by the Algerian rai sound. In 1990 he went solo, moving into dance music. Teaming with producer Steve Hillage, he debuted in 1995 with a self-titled effort, followed a year later by Ole Ole. Taha returned in 1998 with Diwan. His 2000 release, Made in Medina, was recorded in Paris, London, Marrakech and New Orleans, reflecting the wide range of cultural influences that helped shape the recording. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide. Rachid's latest album is Tékitoi (2004), re-released in the U.S. as Who Are you?

***Critic's Review***
Stewart Mason, All Music Guide

In a belated attempt to introduce Algerian rai star Rachid Taha's eighth album, 2004's Tékitoi, to a wider American audience, his label has re-released the album for the third time in under a year. The new edition translates the album and song titles into English (fair enough) and remixes the sound a bit to emphasize the dance beats and tough rock guitars over the traditional North African elements, which is not anywhere near as much of a travesty as it might sound to purists since producer Steve Hillage (Gong, etc.) had already smartly integrated the electronics into Taha's sound. So far, so good, but Who Are You? mystifyingly makes the mistake of dropping the last three songs ("Stenna," "Ya Rayah" and the Spanish-language "Voila Voila") from previous editions of the album; this is particularly frustrating since the traditional-sounding "Ya Rayah" (a tune popularized by the late Dahman el Harrachi) and the nearly acid-house dance groove of "Voila Voila" added much to the album's musical depth and sense of variety. There are still plenty of gems on this album, the slyly sarcastic reworking of the Clash's "Rock the Casbah" and the dub-like sonic depth of the Brian Eno co-write "Dima," but shortening the album by removing some of its best (albeit least representative) songs is no way to treat the audience that the label is trying to court.

In the Main room, Knitting Factory, 7021 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles 90028. Tix $20. Click here to purchase.


Volunteer with Levantine Cultural Center's Programming Committee

Bring your ideas, enthusiasm and support to the Center by participating in a new Programming Committee, that will cooperate with our Board of Directors in creating new arts programs in the weeks and months ahead. Visit our volunteer opportunities page. To get on the reservation list for the next meeting, email us now!


Board of Directors Seeks Community Leaders

Levantine Center's Board of Directors is continually in formation, and welcomes inquiries—we are actively searching for more people with our passion and conviction! The board 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. As directors, board members represent the organization officially, are responsible for its financial health, and make the priority strategic decisions, with counsel from Advisory Board members where possible. Board members work with activists heading specific committes, including the Film/Video, Literary, Education Performing Arts and Membership Committees.

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 310.559.5544.

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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 $120 annual membership dues (that's just $10 per month! and you'll receive many discounts and a pair of free tickets to an upcoming event, a minimum $40 value) to: Levantine Center, 8424A Santa Monica Blvd., N. 789, West Hollywood, CA 90069.

LEVANTINE CULTURAL CENTER
Cultures of the Middle East & Mediterranean
8424A Santa Monica Blvd., N.789, West Hollywood CA 90069
310.559.5544, info@levantinecenter.org

Levantine Center 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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