This week, Columbia University Middle East Research Center hosts “The State of Sustainability in the Middle East”, a talk by Karim El Gendy. The lecture will discuss the state of sustainable design in the Middle East in the context of regional resource consumption and the global sustainability movement. Elgendy will explain the environmental, commercial, and political drivers for sustainability in the region and how the unique character of these drivers has led to the development of three distinct approaches to sustainable design, assessing the context, rationale, successes and failures of each approach (Wednesday, 7:00 pm).

The 2010 Jordanian drama “Transit Cities” will be screened at Institut Français d’Amman. After many years abroad, Laila, played by Saba Mubarak, runs away from her disconnected life and moves back to Amman, to find that starting over is harder than she expected. The screening will be attended by the film director, Jordanian Mohammad Hoshki (Wednesday, 7:00 pm).

At Shoman Foundation, the French film “400 Blows” will be screened. The film tells the story of 14 year-old Antoine, who is seemingly in constant trouble at school and returncs at the end of every day to a drab and unhappy home life. He decides to skip school and begins a downward spiral of lies and later stealing (Tuesday, 6:30 pm).

After a week’s delay due to bad weather, WAY Palestine Film Festival begins this week, with the documentary “My Love Awaits Me by the Sea” (Friday, 7:00 pm). On Saturday, four short films will be screened, “Ismael”, “Maqloubeh”, “Give a Man a Fish”, and “Though I know the River is Dry” (4:00 pm) and the documentary “Flying Paper” (7:00 pm). All proceeds will go towards building playgrounds for children in Gaza.

For more information on arts and culture events in Amman, visit 7iber’s cultural calendar. To add related events to our agenda, please write us at [email protected]