CALGARY ARAB ARTS & CULTURE SOCIETY – Get Your Slice Of Arab Culture

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Attendees

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Films

All films with English subtitles

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Canadian Eye on the Arab World Screenings

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Arab Countries of Film Screened

Arab Hospitality Receptions

Get Your slice of Arab Culture

Letter

From

The

Chairperson

It gives me pleasure to enter the new year with the Calgary Arab Arts & Culture Society expanding and restructuring as a solid organization with big dreams and big partners to realize these dreams.

Over the past 12 years, we’ve founded, developed and nurtured the Calgary Arab Film Nights Festival. Beside it, we expanded to include standalone projects that are not only film- related. We have organized Popcorn and Skype, Night of the Arab Jews, Poetry Nights, and partnered with like-minded festivals, in Calgary, in Alberta and even in Morocco.

Throughout this journey, we have grown from a boutique festival into a western Canada cultural broker. We have recently signed a partnership agreement with the Canadian Arab Orchestra to support their upcoming western Canada tour commencing in Calgary April 27, a week after our 2nd year Celebration of the Arab Heritage at the Calgary Public Library.

We also were approached by Springboard Performance to organize two events, in June and September, at the containR in Kensington, in partnership with the Calgary Justice Film Festival and the Arab Canadian Theatre.

Beyond these two events, partnerships, and our October 12th Arab Film Nights Festival, we are entering the year thinking about restructuring the organization, applying for funding to increase awareness, dialogue and making peace through different projects.

These projects include Standup Comedy Nights, Placement of Hidden Talents from the Arab Canadian community in Arts & Culture organizations, Building Peace through Collaboration and Dialogue between Arab Canadians and Israeli Canadians, and also entering the production arena with “Arab Roots” Documentary and others to follow.

I look forward to realizing these dreams with amazing community and partners, especially that we started the year with completing our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Statement.

Thank You

CALGARY ARAB - ARTS & CULTURE SOCIETY

Our Events

Bill C-232, passed in November 2021, officially designates April as Arab Heritage Month. This legislative move opens up avenues for Arab Canadians to proudly exhibit the richness of their cultural heritage. Calgary Arab Arts & Culture Society looks to celebrate Arab Heritage Month by facilitating the sharing of Arab culture through music, dance, visual arts, and food for the second year. Now in its 12th year, the Society began as a modest film festival, and has evolved into a year round offering; notable highlights include the inclusion of Arab stand-up comedians, collaboration with acclaimed filmmakers, and the planned production of a documentary and Arab-Canadian series.The Society is proud to call writers, theater directors, and radio hosts among its board members.
Arab Heritage Month serves a deeper purpose beyond celebration. It serves as a vital opportunity to share, educate, and contribute to the enrichment of our multicultural home, fostering understanding and unity among all who call it their own.

Some founding members of our team have been bringing Arab film to Calgarians for over a decade now! The current version of the film festival, Calgary Arab Film Nights, is now in its tenth year. Over the past decade we have been proud to showcase Arab culture through dozens of films from a variety of countries and genres, hosting thought-provoking discussions, and offering authentic food, music, and visual art. In 2020, we even expanded our offerings to all of Western Canada through our virtual film lineup. We are thrilled to once again show the diversity, beauty, and rich culture and history of the Arab world, and bring either a piece of home or a brand new

experience to Calgarians.