The Strangest ~ a staged reading by Betty Shamieh followed by discussion with James Schamus

Midway through Camus's classic The Stranger, an unnamed Arab is killed. Leaping from this moment and working backwards through possible histories of tangled romance, ethnic conflict, and random violence, playwright Betty Shamieh has crafted a new play inspired by this unknown character. Infused with elements of Middle Eastern oral storytelling traditions and dance, The Strangest is an absurdist murder mystery about two Algerian brothers who vie for the love of the same woman. Their bitter rivalry ends with one brother being inexplicably gunned down by a French stranger.

Following the reading, the writer and director will be joined in discussion by moderator James Schamus.

Betty Shamieh, Playwright: Shamieh is a playwright, author, screenwriter, and actress. She is the author of fifteen plays. As a playwright, her off-Broadway premieres are The Black Eyed (New York Theatre Workshop) and Roar (The New Group), which was selected as a New York Times Critics Pick and is currently being taught at universities throughout the United States.

May Adrales, Director: Adrales is a freelance director based in New York city, working primarily with new plays and new play development. She helmed the world premieres of Edith Can Shoot Things and Hit Them at Actors Theater of Louisville, Mary at The Goodman Theatre and In This House at Two River Theater Company. Recent and upcoming Productions include Katori Hall's Whaddabloodclot (Williamstown Theater Festival); Katori Hall's The Mountaintop (Milwaukee Rep); Stefanie Zadrevec's Electric Baby (Two River Theater) and David Henry Hwang's Dance and the Railroad (Signature Theater).

James Schamus, Professor of Professional Practice, Columbia University & CEO, Focus Features: Schamus is an Academy Award-nominated screenwriter, producer, and film executive. His long collaboration as writer and producer for Ang Lee has resulted in eleven films, including Brokeback Mountain; Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; The Ice Storm; The Wedding Banquet; The Hulk; Taking Woodstock and Lust, Caution. As CEO of Focus Features, Schamus oversees the finance, production, and distribution of numerous films, including Oscar winners Milk, The Pianist, Lost in Translation and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Schamus has also produced or executive-produced many of the most important American independent films of the past decade (among them Safe and The Brothers McMullen), including four Grand Prize winners at the Sundance Film Festival. He is also a widely published film historian and theorist.

RSVP Suggested:
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Free and open to the public. First come, first seated.

For more information please visit: http://heymancenter.org/events/the-strangesta-staged-reading/

Sponsored by the Heyman Center for the Humanities and co-sponsored by the Center for Palestine Studies, the School of the Arts, Noor Theatre and Alwan for the Arts.

27 February 2013, 6:30PM
Miller Theater, Columbia University

The Edward Said Memorial Lecture ~ Seeing Madness: Insanity, Media, and Visual Culture

The Annual Edward Said Memorial Lecture will feature W.J.T. Mitchell on "Seeing Madness: Insanity, Media, and Visual Culture."

W.J.T. Mitchell is Professor of English and Art History at the University of Chicago.

Sponsored by the Heyman Center for the Humanitanities and co-sponsored by the Italian Academy for Advanced Studies.

For more information, please visit: http://heymancenter.org/events/seeing-madness/

Monday, November 26, 2012 ~ 6:15 PM
Teatro (Second Floor), Italian Academy for Advanced Studies
Free and open to the public
No registration necessary
First come, first served seating

TENNIS IN NABLUS

BY ISMAIL KHALIDI

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A staged reading of Tennis in Nablus, written by playwright and poet Ismail Khalidi and directed by Ed Sylvanus Iskandar. Introduction of the evening given by James Schamus.

This "tragipoliticomedy" was nominated for a Suzi Bass Award for Best New Play and awarded the Quest for Peace Award from the Kennedy Center.

Set in Nablus in the spring of 1939, Tennis in Nablus, brings to life the last days of the Arab Revolt as the people of Palestine attempt for one last time to drive out the British. With both deep passion and bold comedy, it is a genre bending look at Palestine's embattled status through the eyes of Yusef, an unflagging rebel, his wife, Anbara who is an indefatigable writer of anti-colonial tracts and his ambitious young nephew, Tariq. As their world ignites absurdly around them, this divided family faces their own demons as they seek to achieve peace and freedom with dignity.

Co-presented by: Columbia University School of the Arts, the Center for Palestine Studies, the Heyman Center for Humanities, the Middle East Institute of Columbia University and Alwan for the Arts.

Thursday, 4 October 2012, 6:30PM
Miller Theater, 116 Street & Broadway

CARCERAL POLITICS IN PALESTINE & BEYOND: Gender, Vulnerability, Prison

Detention and mass incarceration are political tools for managing populations and disciplining individuals. This panel explores the politics of systematic imprisonment and detention in Israel/Palestine, focusing on gendered experiences and thinking comparatively about prison-systems, bodies, and injustice elsewhere, including the U.S. The panelists will explore comparative approaches to Israeli prisons and detention.

PANELISTS:

Judith Butler, English and Comparative Literature, Columbia University
Lena Meari, Center for Palestine Studies Fellow, Columbia University
Mai Masri, Independent Documentary Filmmaker, Beirut, Lebanon
Angela Davis, Prison Activist and History of Consciousness, UC Santa Cruz

America and Israel-Palestine: War and Peace

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How does America's strategic alliance with Israel affect the prospects of peace in the Middle East, and why has the US been so involved in the region in the first place? Scholar and activist Noam Chomsky considers this question and ruminates on the causes and consequences of American foreign policy in Israel-Palestine. Don't miss this rare opportunity to discuss some of the most challenging questions in contemporary global politics, including the factors that determine US policy; the two-state solution and other options; Palestinian rights; Arab democracy; and what we can do to influence policy decisions.

Noam Chomsky is an American linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, and activist. He is an Institute Professor and Professor Emeritus of linguistics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Chomsky is well known in the academic and scientific community as one of the fathers of modern linguistics, and a major figure of analytic philosophy. Since the 1960s, he has become known more widely as a political dissident and an anarchist, referring to himself as a libertarian socialist. Chomsky is the author of more than 150 books and has received worldwide attention for his views.

Moderated by Frederick Neuhouser, Professor of Philosophy, Barnard College.

Seating is on a first-come, first-seated basis. Preference will be given to CUID holders. Doors open at 5:00 PM. Event will begin promptly at 6:00 PM. Barnard and Columbia students are encouraged to arrive early.

For press inquiries, contact Sun Min or Alyssa Vine at 212.854.2037 or mediarelations@barnard.edu.

LeFrak Gym, 1st Floor Barnard Hall (Barnard Hall is located immediately upon entering through the main gate of the Barnard College campus at Broadway and 117 th Street)
BARNARD College, 117th Street & Broadway. Barnard Campus Map
17 October 2011, 6:00 - 8:00 PM (Doors open at 5:00 PM)

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MIRAL: Discussion with Director Julian Schnabel & Novelist Rula Jebreal

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Moderated by Professors:

HAMID DABASHI, Professor of Iranian Studies & Comparative Literature, Columbia University HELGA TAWIL-SOURI, Professor of Media, Culture, & Communication, NYU

From Academy Award nominated director Julian Schnabel and based on the autobiographical novel of Palestinian journalist Rula Jebreal, Miral tells the story of three generations of Palestinian women as they navigate the complexities of life after the creation of the state of Israel. Shot in Jerusalem, the film charts decades of history, from the onset of Israel's occupation to the start of the "peace process".

Miral provides an unprecedented lens on Palestinian stories as told through Palestinian voices and experiences.

Schnabel and Jebreal will discuss the political, historical, and artistic context of the movie, including the difficulties of making a movie about Palestine for the mainstream American audience.

Seating is on a first-come, first-serve basis.

This event is sponsored by The Center for Palestine Studies. Co-sponsored by the Middle East Institute and Columbia Film Program's Carla Kuhn Series.

To learn more about the Miral, please visit: http://www.miralmovie.com/

30 March 2011, 8:00 PM
417 Altschul Auditorium, International Affairs Building, Columbia University
420 West 118th Street, NY, NY 10027

The Edward Said Memorial Lecture: Notes from Tahrir Square with Ahdaf Soueif

Preeminent author Ahdaf Soueif, who spent much of the Egyptian revolution in Tahrir Square, will deliver the annual Edward Said Memorial Lecture.

This event is free and open to the public. No tickets or registration necessary. Seating is on a first come, first served basis.

This event is sponsored by the Heyman Center for the Humanities and co-sponsored by the Center for Palestine Studies, the Middle East Institute and University Libraries.

Tuesday, 8 March 2011, 8:30 PM
Room 417, International Affairs Building
420 West 118th Street, NY, NY 10027
Map of the International Affairs Building

For more information, please refer to the Press Release, Poster, Registration and Program.