Ramzi Salti's Arabology

The Arab Film Festival presented TWO of its films in PALO ALTO on Wednesday, October 22nd, 2014.  Schedule and tickets at  http://aff2014.arabfilmfestival.org/schedule/ HERITAGES Wednesday, October 22, 7:00pm Aquarius Theatre Heritages by Philippe Aractingi Director Philippe Aractingi sees himself having to leave his motherland to settle elsewhere for the third time in his life. While he and his family are evacuated to France aboard a military ship, he realizes that his ancestors have also been fleeing from wars or massacres for five generations now. All of them have been exiled at least once. Gripped by the burning desire to tell his own children the past that is “not to be told,” Philippe sets out on a journey through History to understand and pass on its lessons. Here, his ancestors’ itinerary is confronted by that of Middle Eastern history: the fall of the Ottoman Empire, the French mandate, the creation of Israel, Pan-Arabism, the Lebanese civil war and beyond. His e

On October 10, 2014. I had the honor of meeting Director/Writer/Actor Cherien Dabis who attended the 18th annual Arab Film Festival Opening Night and San Francisco Premiere of her film  May in the Summer. Dr. Ramzi Salti with Cherien Dabis, Oct 10, 2014 SAN FRANCISCO, October 8 - The 18th annual Arab Film Festival (AFF) has announced special guests for its Opening Night on Friday, October 10, with the San Francisco premiere of  May in the Summer . Director/Writer/Actor Cherien Dabis will be in attendance, and AJ+ Presenter/Producer Dena Takruri will host the evening, leading a Q&A with Dabis after the screening. Opening Night festivities include a pre-screening reception, 6:00pm, and an after party at the Churchill. Cherien Dabis is an award-winning filmmaker, who received her MFA in Film from Columbia University. Her first short film, "Make a Wish," premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, and she has worked as a writer, story editor, and co-producer with the televi

The Asian Art Museum in San Francisco is bringing an exhibit titled "Roads of Arabia: Archaeology and History of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia" to the bay area from October 24, 2014 to January 18, 2015 About Roads of Arabia (#RoadsofArabia) Roads of Arabia: Archaeology and History of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the first major international exhibition of artworks and artifacts documenting the region’s early history. The museum serves as the only West Coast venue and final venue in its U.S. tour. The show features more than 200 artibfacts—some dating back one million years—tracing the impact of historic incense trade routes and pilgrimage roads. Objects in the exhibition, like colossal statues, Greco-Roman bronzes and pages from early Qur'ans, testify to a lively mercantile and cultural exchange among civilizations from antiquity through the early centuries of Islam. These and many other unique artworks provide a glimpse of the Arabian Peninsula’s fascinating hi