
The purpose of the project is to enliven and enrich the South Sound community with Middle Eastern films and allied arts, and to raise funds for the upcoming Shuruq IV: Olympia Arab Festival taking place at The Olympia Center on October 6, 2018.
The film festival will feature the following:
- 2 PM: The Prophet, an animated children’s film based on the writings of Lebanese-American writer, poet, and visual artist Khalil Gibran. Exiled artist and poet Mustafa embarks on a journey home with his housekeeper and her daughter; together the trio must evade the authorities who fear that the truth in Mustafa’s words will incite rebellion.
- 5 PM: Persepolis, an adult animated biographical comedy-drama film, based on Marjane Satrapi’s autobiographical graphic novel of the same name, about a precocious and outspoken Iranian girl growing up during the Islamic Revolution.
- 8 PM: Naila and the Uprising, a documentary, chronicles the remarkable journey of Naila Ayesh whose story weaves through the most vibrant, nonviolent mobilization in Palestinian history — the First Intifada in the late 1980s.
- Photography exhibit, “A Day in the Life of Yemen”, showcasing the work of Luke Somers, a British-born American freelance photographic journalist and resident of Yemen, who was held hostage and killed by al-Qaeda in 2014.
- Children’s activities, film Q&A sessions, and opportunities to get involved with RCF.
“Peace Works, a cornerstone project for RCF, is always an opportunity for us to creatively engage with community members on issues of injustice and struggle, and this year is no different. We are all too aware of the polarization and oppression occurring in communities around the country, including our own, and we hope that through film and allied arts, we can amplify the voices that are all too often silenced,” stated Whitney Faulkner, RCF Executive Director.