Upcoming MENA Events
The Cow, Film Screening @ NWFF
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Join us at NWFF for a screen of the original Iranian New Wave Cinema classic, Dariush Mehrjui’s 1969 film The Cow (گاو, Gāav).
Passed Events
Seattle Center Festál presents Seattle Iranian Festival in partnership with Iranian American Community Alliance (IACA). The festival brings together Iranians, Iranian-Americans, non-Iranians in celebration of the culture with poetry, music, food, tea, comedy, and more.
The upcoming Group G clash between Egypt and Iran at the 2026 FIFA World Cup™ is scheduled for June 26, 2026, at Lumen Field in Seattle. This highly anticipated matchup features two powerhouse nations from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region meeting on the world stage for the first time in over two decades.
Join us at NWFF for a screen of the original Iranian New Wave Cinema classic, Dariush Mehrjui’s 1969 film The Cow (گاو, Gāav).
As the Gaza war stretches into its third year, journalism professor and MSNBC analyst Peter Beinart claims that, as a Jew, he must reckon with the intense moral and theological tensions that not only he holds, but what he sees as challenges for Judaism as a whole.
Lebanese journalist Janay Boulos and Syrian activist and cameraman Abd Alkader Habak share their extraordinary love story, told through 13 years of personal archives spanning revolutions, war, and exile.
SIFF, Seattle International Film Festival. Pari and Hanna are best friends and active participants in Tehran’s vibrant underground arts scene. But the risk of running afoul of the government is omnipresent, forcing difficult decisions.
Lebanese journalist Janay Boulos and Syrian activist and cameraman Abd Alkader Habak share their extraordinary love story, told through 13 years of personal archives spanning revolutions, war, and exile.
Join Peyvand us at Bellevue College for an evening of poetry in Persian and other languages, bringing together scholars, artists, and emerging voices! With scholar and UW Professor Aria Fani.
Chess of the Wind, Iranian film screening. Presented by Grand Illusion Cinema. Screened publicly just once before it was banned and then lost for decades, this rediscovered jewel of Iranian cinema reemerged to take its place as one of the most singular and astonishing works of the country’s pre-revolution New Wave. 4K restoration!
Join Seattle Civic Poet Dujie Tahat and Katie Wilson, Mayor of Seattle, and for a mayoral Salonshop—an intimate gathering where poetry and public policy meet.
A multidisciplinary event at the Seattle Art Museum bringing together research, culture, and community to explore the significance of Nowruz in King County, Washington
Wife of Headless Man Investigates Her Own Disappearance Written by Yussef El Guindi at Annex Theatre
UW Jackson School of International Studies hosting day-day symposium of panels, workshops, and more.
A deeply moving, multigenerational drama, this film follows a Palestinian teenager who gets swept into a protest in the Occupied West Bank and experiences a moment of violence that rocks his family.
Presentation & discussion of "Hands Showcasing Heritage", a documentary on the creation of a traditional Afghani Kochiani dress.
Ya Hala is a community space and pop-up cafe where we can connect, learn, grow, and just be.
SZ Gallery’s Persian Garden, opening for First Friday. This exhibit tells culturally rich stories of Persian culture through contemporary and classically-influenced pieces by Iranian artists Monir & Mehdi Ghanbeigy.
An intimate, first-hand perspective on life under siege in Gaza, captured through video calls between director Sepideh Farsi and 25-year-old Palestinian photojournalist and poet Fatma Hassona.
Striking Strings is a captivating performance by Iranian virtuoso Sirvan Manhoobi and Rambod Dargahi, featuring the tanbour, setar, tombak, oud, and more.
Join the UW Middle East Center along with local politicians and community members to share your priorities and concerns in this MENA Community Town Hall.
A contemplative evening exploring the beauty and depth of Persian classical tradition through intimate performances.
Aria Fani, Adeeba Shahid Talukder, Amelia Ossorio, and Niloufar Talebi visit Elliott Bay Book Co. to discuss the collections of poetry Shape of Extinction by Bijan Jalali, translated by Fani and Talukder and illustrated by Ossorio, and Elegies of the Earth by Ahmad Shamlou, translated by Talebi.
Poetry lovers, students, academics, and UW faculty all come together for this collective celebration of the Ghazal, a poetic form that has flourished in Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Urdu, and many other languages.
Third Place Books welcomes Adeeba Talukder, Niloufar Talebi, Aria Fani, and Amelia Ossorio for a reading featuring Aria and Adeeba's translation of Shape of Extinction by Bijan Jalali and Niloufar's translation of Elegies of the Earth by Ahmad Shamlou.
