A noted Palestinian performer and filmmaker, Ramzi Maqdizi, will visit Vashon to present his film, “Under the Sky,” at 8 p.m. Friday at Ober Park’s performance space.

Maqdizi, a Palestinian from Jerusalem, is coming to Vashon thanks to local performer Mik Kuhlman.

Last year, Kuhlman performed with Maqdizi in “Passages of Martin Luther King,” a production staged by Al Hakawati/Palestinian National Theatre in Jerusalem.

Maqdizi, who played Martin Luther King Jr. in the show, was recently invited by Stanford University and the Gandhi-King Institute to come to the United States and read part of his role at an MLK celebration. He’ll come to Vashon to visit Kuhlman after the performance.

For Kuhlman, it’s a chance to introduce Islanders to an inspiring artist.

“This will give people an opportunity to see into that world and meet a Palestinian living in Jerusalem,” she said.

“Under the Sky,” a 45-minute documentary, tells the stories of two Palestinian men in Jerusalem.

One, 57-year-old Ribhi Aweini, must find a way around onerous travel restrictions to trek on foot to visit his sick daughter in Bethlehem. The other man, Nayef Costeo, is a husband and father of three children who lives in the old city of Jerusalem. When Costeo adds an extra story to his home without applying for a license, the municipality of Jerusalem demolishes the illegal part, resulting in his family living in a roofless house with a direct view of the sky.

Admission to “Under the Sky” is free, and Maqdizi will introduce the film and answer questions after the screening.

 

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