We hope you are well!
We have lots of opportunities to share and upcoming work and projects from lots of our wonderful Directory members, so be sure to check that out below!
Sharing Conversations and Opportunities
- We’re delighted to share a special ticket offer, exclusively for MENA Arts UK mailing list members.
Almeida Theatre is offering £15 best seats in the house for their upcoming production The Chairs. The production is directed and translated by directory member Omar Elerian.
To access best tickets for £15 for performances 14th Feb - 21st Feb:
Book tickets online by entering the promo code MENAOFFER at the top of the screen before selecting your ticket.
Click here to book: https://ticketing.almeida.co.uk/events/5389
- Broken Wings Exclusive £15 Industry Offer!*
From the producer of The Last Five Years, Cruise, Hair, Rags and The Addams Family, comes the brand-new musical sensation, Broken Wings. Based on bestselling novelist Kahlil Gibran’s (The Prophet) poetic book, and with a beautiful original score from Middle Eastern duo Nadim Naaman and Dana Al Fardan, this moving production is set to be the theatrical event of 2022.
New York City, 1923. Through exquisite poetry and enchanting music, an ageing Gibran narrates our tale, transporting us back two decades and across continents, to turn-of-the-century Beirut. Gibran meets Selma; their connection is instant and their love affair, fated. However, their journey to happiness is soon thrown off course, as the pair face obstacles that shake the delicate foundation of their partnership. Will their love win out or will their dream of a life together be torn apart?
Broken Wings takes us on an unmissable musical voyage, exploring issues of gender equality, immigration, the freedom to love who we love, and what ‘home’ really means to us. Over a century later, and the themes and debates raised in Gibran’s story, remain increasingly relevant today. Get swept away in the magic of this epic, poignant, and romantic musical.
BOOK NOW AT https://www.brokenwingsmusical.co.uk/ using code INDUSTRY15.
*This promotional code is available on performances up to 27th February, excluding Saturdays.
- NEW SPARTA PRODUCTIONS is looking to expand its team with a new researcher / development head.
The role would span a host of exciting upcoming television and film projects, overseeing and cultivating material that is predominantly concerned with middle eastern socio-political affairs. We’re seeking a knowledgeable individual with professional television experience; ideally Arabic speaking and with an Arabic background/a fundamental understanding of middle eastern culture. A French-speaker would be a great bonus but is not essential.
If you’re interested or know someone that might be interested in this role, do drop an email to slipsey@newsparta.net along with any other questions.
- Catch Jenan Younis’ show ‘Jenanistan’ at Leicester comedy festival on Saturday Feb 19:
https://comedy-festival.co.uk/event/jenanistan-work-in-progress/
- Call-out for maternity cover at Blue Elephant Theatre in South East London. It's a full-time role - Executive & Co-Artistic Director - working with emerging and independent artists creating new work and having a leading role in running the organisation.
Details: http://www.blueelephanttheatre.co.uk/vacancy-executive-co-artistic-director-maternity-cover
- Junction Theatre is beyond excited to invite you to their first ever production: Borders
Inspired by a true experience of writer Nimrod Danishman, Borders tells the moving story of Boaz and George - two potential enemies who meet on Grindr and form a relationship against all odds. The directorial debut of Neta Gracewell, Borders is a VAULT Festival transferred show.
Catch it at Drayton Arms Theatre on 15-17 February at 19:30. All the details here: https://www.thedraytonarmstheatre.co.uk/borders
Use the special discount code for our MENA ARTS UK friends: BEYONDBORDERS.
This emerging company of Middle Eastern and International migrants who are making their first steps in the industry would love your support, if you can, in paying all artists fairly and gathering match funding for an ACE grant to tour this show.
Borders crowdfunder can be found here: https://greenlit.com/project/borders-alsyaj-hgdr
We've got some pretty cool rewards - check out our merch and workshops!
- The Gate Cinema in Notting Hill are hosting a special Q&A screening Friday 18th February.
Director Sonita Gale will be in attendance as she discusses her film Hostile, which is about "UK’s complicated relationship with its migrant communities" and "the impact of the evolving ‘hostile environment’ policies that target migrants."
Please find a link to the film for more information: https://www.picturehouses.com/movie-details/016/HO00011460/hostile-director-q-a
- Theatre Maker Annie Siddons is looking to connect with MENA artists based in London who centre climate activism in their work:
Annie says: "Just before the pandemic I was starting work on a new show called How (not) to Fight a Family Curse, (which was - you'll be surprised to hear - about my Family Curse and how not to fight it). Everything that's happened since has made me not want to work on that show any more, and every time I start to write something new, all I can think about is the climate crisis. I feel like in the next 10 years I need to centre climate activism in my work - my attempts to separate those two parts of my life don't work - but I'm not sure what that looks like. I know that it has to be collaborative and I want to connect with artists who feel the same way."
You can contact me on lasiddons@gmail.com
- The upcoming BFI Future Film Festival runs from 17-20 February and is the UK’s largest festival for young emerging and aspiring filmmakers.
The festival brings together film industry figures for workshops, panels, keynotes, screenings, networking and a short film competition hosted at the BFI Southbank. In addition to the live events in London though, the full festival programme is accessible and available free to watch online across the UK, so thought it could be of interest to the MENA Arts community!
You can read more about the festival and whats on here
Website: https://whatson.bfi.org.uk/FutureFilmFestival/Online/default.asp
Directory Shoutouts!
Part of our Directory and have a show/project coming up? Let us know so we can shout about it in the next mailout! In the meantime, check out the following work featuring our wonderful Directory members:
- Be sure to catch the highly anticipated ITV series ‘No Return' with Directory members DAVID MUMENI, PHILIP ARDITTI, ELIF KNIGHT and ATILLA AKINCI!
Mondays at 9pm on ITV, or all episodes available on ITV Hub.
As well as this, Hanan is a co-author on an essay anthology titled ‘Welsh Plural’ coming out with Repeater Books in March!
https://repeaterbooks.com/product/welsh-plural-essays-on-the-future-of-wales/
- Triple Directory shoutout! With director NETA GRACEWELL, catch JOSEPH SAMIMI and YANIV YAFE in BORDERS this week at the Drayton Arms!
Further info above in the newsletter, and heres the link again for tickets: https://www.thedraytonarmstheatre.co.uk/borders
- Congratulations to Directory member BARIS CELILOGLU’S project ‘Lockedown Locked In’, which won various international film festivals such as Berlin Indie, California IndieFest, Barcelona International Film Festival and the audience choice award in London’s Lift-Off Film Festival!
Be sure to catch the trailer here, we look forward to what is coming next!
https://youtu.be/_E_m3RzYwEo
And that’s everything! For the new members, mailout is usually sent on a fortnightly basis. Please keep sharing and sending me any of your wonderful work or opportunities you want included in the next mailout to this email. Now more than ever lets keep circulating our brilliant stories; whether it's past work, articles, videos, or something you think the membership may find interesting, please do drop me an email! Please continue to sign up to our directory, and share our community with your friends in the industry!
Have a great week,
MENA ARTS UK
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Our position on endorsement.
Our main areas of work is to help connect the creative industries with UK MENA+ talent, so we will always share castings, job opportunities, or marketing information. We will track these projects in the hope that they are a great example of how MENA+ talent is used. But by sharing this information, it should not be seen as an endorsement of the project.
We will call out work that is appropriating a MENA+ narrative and does not have MENA+ talent at the heart of the creative process; and we will always champion, front and centre, work that is made for and by MENA+ talent.
MENA ARTS UK
