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