Film Screening: The Travels of Ibn Jubayr with Special Performance by Maurice Louca

Al-Bustan’s first film production! Directed by Alaa Eddine Aljem

Lightbox Film Center @ Bok

A visually striking short film that reimagines the 12th-century pilgrimage of one of history’s greatest explorers. Inspired by his vivid chronicle of a journey to Mecca (1183 - 1185) - often considered the world’s first travel blog - the film blends inclusive wit with richly textured imagery to illuminate the political, social, and cultural landscapes of the medieval Islamic world and their echoes today.

Acclaimed experimental composer Maurice Louca will perform the original atmospheric score live, and guests are invited to stay for a post-screening discussion.

The Travels of Ibn Jubayr has been supported by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage.

The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage is a multidisciplinary grantmaker and hub for knowledge-sharing, funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts, and dedicated to fostering a vibrant cultural community in Greater Philadelphia. The Center invests in ambitious, imaginative, and catalytic work that showcases the region’s cultural vitality and enhances public life, and engages in an exchange of ideas concerning artistic and interpretive practice with a broad network of cultural practitioners and leaders.