BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//wp-events-plugin.com//7.2.3.1//EN TZID:America/Detroit X-WR-TIMEZONE:America/Detroit BEGIN:VEVENT UID:34135@arabamerica.com DTSTART;TZID=America/Detroit:20250327T183000 DTEND;TZID=America/Detroit:20250327T200000 DTSTAMP:20250312T210958Z URL:https://www.arabamerica.com/events/from-abdul-to-leila/ SUMMARY:From Abdul To Leila DESCRIPTION:US Première\n\nIn Arabic\, English and French with English Sub titles\n\nAfter suffering amnesia from an accident\, Leila\, a young Frenc h artist of Iraqi origin\, reconstructs her history by reconnecting with h er family and delving into her roots. She learns Arabic\, interprets the p oems of her politically exiled Iraqi father\, and immerses herself in the history of the Gulf War in Iraq. An inner journey\, an identity quest subl imated by her songs\, bridging Europe and the Middle East.\n\nLeila Albaya ty is a French-Iraqi multidisciplinary artist known for her work as a film director\, composer\, singer\, actress\, and scriptwriter. Born in Auverg ne\, France\, to a French mother and an Iraqi father\, she pursued studies in violin\, opera\, architecture\, and cinema before forging her own path as a self-taught artist.\n\nHer debut short film\, Vu (2009)\, received a Special Mention from the Jury at the Berlinale and was showcased at numer ous international film festivals. She followed with her first feature film \, Berlin Telegram (2012)\, which premiered at Indielisboa and won the TV5 Award for Best Francophone Film. In 2015\, she released Face B\, a hybrid documentary-fiction that premiered at the Berlinale Forum Expanded.\n\nHe r latest film\, From Abdul to Leila (2024)\, is a feature documentary that delves into the intersection of Western and Arab cultures through the len s of her French-Iraqi family history.\n\nCurrently\, Albayaty divides her time between Belgium\, France\, Germany\, and Egypt\, continuously explori ng themes of cultural identity and personal narrative across her diverse b ody of work.\n\nThis event is part of a short series of documentary films on the theme of "In the Middle: Women Documenting Struggles" produced by M aison Française and co-sponsored by the Center for Palestine Studies\, ME SAAS and Middle East Institute at Columbia University. Join us on February 14 for Bye Bye Tiberias by Lina Soualem\, followed by a Q&\;A with Dir ector Lina Soualem and Thomas Dodman. And on March 6\, Sudan\, Remember Us (Soudan\, souviens-toi) by Hind Meddeb\, 2024\, followed by a Q&\;A wi th director Hind Meddeb and Thomas Dodman.\n\nThe Columbia campus is curre ntly open only to Columbia-affiliated guests (with a CUID). Outside guests who register to attend a public event will be allowed to enter campus for the event if we provide their names and emails to Public Safety the day b efore. Please be sure to register for any events at least 48 hours ahead o f time and you will get an email fromcaladminnoreply@columbia.edu with a u nique QR code giving you access to the campus. Don't forget to bring your ID with you. ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.arabamerica.com/wp-content/uploads/2 025/03/Screenshot-2025-03-12-at-5.15.32 PM.png LOCATION:Maison Française\, 515 West 116th Street\, New York\, New York\, 10027\, United States GEO:40.807717;-73.961428 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=515 West 116th Street\, New York\, New York\, 10027\, United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=100;X-TITLE=Maison Française:geo:40.807717,-73.961428 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/Detroit X-LIC-LOCATION:America/Detroit BEGIN:DAYLIGHT DTSTART:20250309T030000 TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT END:DAYLIGHT END:VTIMEZONE END:VCALENDAR