Literary conversations, films, exhibitions, and concerts … TMR World Picks run the gamut …
We welcome your suggestions: editor@themarkaz.org
TMR
The Moral Issue of Our Time: Palestine — a talk by Jonathan Kuttab
June 29, Zoom & in-person at the Palestine Museum — more info
International human rights attorney Jonathan Kuttab, co-founder of Nonviolence International and (with Raja Shehadeh) Al-Haq, the independent Palestinian human rights group, will share his visions of non-violent conflict resolution, challenging both Zionism and Palestinian Nationalism in pursuit of a one democratic state in Palestine/Israel. Kuttab, a resident of East Jerusalem, headed the legal committee negotiating the Cairo Agreement of 1994 between Israel and the PLO.
Middle East Now Festival
July 1, 8, 15 & 22 — Apriti Cinema, Piazza Pitti, Florence — more info
Middle East Now festival of cinema, documentaries, visual arts, music, culinary events and meetings is offering a selection of four films from Palestine, Iran, Lebanon and Egypt as part of its summer programming. The film screenings include Passing Dreams by Rashid Masharawi (Palestine, Sweden, France, Canada, Saudi Arabia, 2024), Boomerang by Shahab Fatouhi (Iran, Germany 2024), A Man Fell by Giovanni C. Lorusso (Italy, Lebanon, France, Colombia, 2024), and The Settlement by Mohamed Rashad (Egypt, 2025). Admission is free. Registration is also open to participate in the 16th edition of the Middle East Now festival (7–12 October 2025). The festival is selecting feature films, documentaries, short films, and animated films produced in 2023, 2024, and 2025, from all countries in the Middle East. The deadline is July 31. Check out the submission form here.
Amman International Film Festival
July 2 — 10, Amman, various locations — more info
Amman International Film Festival – Awal Film (AIFF) is aimed at debut achievements in film from all over the world, with a focus on Arab cinema. In addition to its screening program, which highlights originality and strength of form in the use of film as a medium, a program of film industry events including master classes, seminars, pitching sessions and discussions with directors and film-stars is organized to stimulate aspiring filmmakers in Jordan and the region. The aim, according to its president HRH Princess Rym Ali, is: “Developing and promoting an Arab cinema that reflects the creativity of the region and tackles the issues that are prevalent today.” For the full schedule, see here.
The Legacy Tour: Marcel Khalife
July 5, The Barbican Hall, London — more info
Lebanon’s leading classical composer and oud virtuoso Marcel Khalife, his son Rami Khalife (pianist/composer), and nephew Sary Khalife (cellist/composer) will perform a cross-generational musical journey that celebrates their family’s artistic heritage. Fusing traditional Arabic music with innovative contemporary compositions, the performance, featuring both full-band arrangements and individual solos, is organized by Marsm and Art Stage. At the age of 69, Khalife has long represented a figure of liberation for many of his fellow citizens, symbolizing a powerful mix of musical and political freedom while receiving international recognition for his regional music. As a UNESCO ambassador, he risked his life by performing amidst bombing raids during the Lebanese Civil War, contributed prize money to humanitarian efforts, and continuously spoken out against corruption, government injustice, and misconceptions about Islam in the West.
Screening + Q&A: Turkey’s Hidden War
July 10, Frontline Club, London — more info
The BBC Eye Investigations reveals Turkey’s military expansion in northern Iraq, focusing on its long-standing conflict with the PKK, a Turkish-Kurdish militant group. The film highlights how Turkey’s military presence has increased significantly, suggesting it is moving towards occupying Iraqi land. Using satellite imagery, the investigation reveals more than 130 Turkish military bases, highlighting Turkey’s de facto control over extensive regions of Iraqi territory. It also sheds light on the human impact of these military operations, detailing how the establishment of Turkish bases has disrupted livelihoods and restricted access to agricultural lands. The investigation raises concerns about the Kurdish Democratic Party’s complicity in obstructing justice for victims, and reveals criticism of local authorities for failing to accurately document casualties and register them as martyrs and avoiding acknowledgement of Turkey’s responsibility. The Q&A panel hosts will be Simona Foltyn, Dr. Renad Mansour, and Amberin Zaman.
Book Launch: Palestine -1: Stories from a year before the Nakba
July 16, the Bluecoat, Liverpool — more info
Comma Press’s upcoming anthology, Palestine-1, delves into the pivotal event that has shaped Israel’s 77-year-long occupation of Palestine: the Nakba of 1948. Serving as a prequel to Comma’s acclaimed 2019 anthology of science fiction, Palestine + 100, this collection invites ten Palestinian authors to reimagine the events leading up to the tragedy of 1948, along with its immediate and lasting effects, again all through the lens of fantastical, supernatural, and speculative themes. Each contributor has ties to those who were forcibly displaced during the Nakba, which allows them to explore and reinterpret that trauma in new ways. The panel includes Mazen Maarouf and Anwar Hamed, alongside the anthology’s editor, Basma Ghalayini. Ra Page, the founder of Comma Press, will lead the discussion. The event is part of the Liverpool Arab Arts Festival, taking place from July 11–20 at various venues. See here for full festival line-up.
Elif Shafak: The Forty Rules of Love
July 16, the Conduit, London — more info
Whether revisiting Elif Shafak’s novel The Forty Rules of Love or discovering it for the first time, the award-winning British-Turkish writer, whose work has been translated into 58 languages, will be in conversation with publisher, curator, and writer Sarah Shin. The novel, named as one of the BBC’s 100 Novels that Shaped Our World, is a tale of discovery, language, truth, and love itself that incarnates Rumi’s timeless message exploring the inner conflict within medieval Islam between conservatives and Sufis.
Screening: Who Killed Shireen?
July 24, Frontline Club, London — more info
A 40-minute investigative documentary, released this May, investigates the killing of Shireen Abu Akleh, the first Palestinian-American journalist to be shot dead by Israeli forces in the Occupied West Bank, on May 11, 2022. From Jenin and Jerusalem to Washington, DC, the film offers shocking new revelations about Abu Akleh ‘s killing and exposes the cover-up around her death from both the Israeli and American governments. The documentary, produced by Zeteo, alleges that the soldier, who had been on his first combat tour in the West Bank, fired the fatal shot during an Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) operation in Jenin. Who Killed Shireen also highlights concerns over a lack of accountability and criticizes US inaction in holding Israel responsible for the killing.
Rosalind Nashashibi: Tender Horse
Ongoing — July 25, Galerie Urs Meile Zurich, Rämistrasse — more info
Rosalind Nashashibi is a London-based Palestinian artist renowned for her work in both film and painting. Over the past five years, she has focused primarily on painting, which frequently examines ordinary life, human connections, and socio-political issues. By capturing fleeting, dream-like moments, her image-making resists categorizations and invites a range of interpretations and associations. Tender Horse, a recent collection of her paintings, marks her first solo exhibition at Galerie Urs Meile on Rämistrasse.
Book Talk: Babylon, Albion by Dalia Al-Dujaili
July 29, Southbank Center, London — more info
Babylon, Albion: A Personal History of Myth and Migration, published this year by Saqi Books, offers a reflection on belonging, not only to a place or a people, but to the stories that bind them together. Speaking about her new book, Babylon, Albion, British-Iraqi writer, editor, and producer Al-Dujaili appears in conversation with Moroccan-British photographer Zaineb Abelque and footballer and gardener Tayshan Hayden-Smith, chaired by journalist Ismail Einashe. Drawing from Arab mythology and Islamic tradition alongside English folklore and the Christian pastoral tradition, Al-Dujaili’s novel navigates the intersection of the real and the mythical — from date palms to oak trees, from Lamassu to unicorns — encouraging readers to reconsider their relationships with their surroundings and the vibrant world that exists around them. “A genre-defying debut that blends memoir, mythology, ecological essay, cultural history, and folktale. It is a love letter to land, ancestry, and the in-between places where language, memory, and myth intersect … a text that feels radical in its gentleness,” notes the magazine Savoir Flair.
Time Heals, Just Not Quick Enough …
Ongoing — July 30, Efie Gallery, Dubai — more info
Time Heals, Just Not Quick Enough, curated by Ose Ekore, is an art exhibition about healing and change over time. It features contemporary films and photographs that encourage viewers to think about grief, endurance, and the journey of personal growth. The exhibition invites visitors to slow down and engage more deeply with time, challenging the idea that healing is a straightforward process with clear outcome. The exhibition features intergenerational artists such as Samuel Fosso, Aïda Muluneh, Kelani Abass, Abeer Sultan, and Sumayah Fallatah. Samuel Fosso’s self-portraits serve as time capsules of postcolonial African youth culture. Abeer Sultan creates speculative artifacts inspired by the immortal jellyfish and corals, highlighting themes of renewal and ancestral memory, while also collaborating with Sumaya Fallatah on “Agua Viva” to address nonlinear narratives of the diaspora in the Arab Peninsula. Kelani Abass utilizes techniques from his father’s letterpress company to express wisdom through printmaking passed down through the generations. Aïda Muluneh focuses on emotional truth amid the Covid-19 pandemic, addressing the struggles against Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) in Africa, highlighting both physical recovery and the cultural aspects of healing.
