Mark Stefanos
IN BETWEEN, a first-of-its-kind Middle Eastern cultural festival from media company Between East, returns for its second year this Saturday, May 31, at Rolling Greens in the DTLA Arts District.
The day-long event will feature seven curated panels with 20 of the MENA community’s standout creatives and entrepreneurs, including Top Chef MENA champ and proprietor of restaurants Ladyhawk and Laya Charbel Hayek, singer-songwriter Lina Makoul, Sinners producer and founder of Proximity Media Sev Ohanian, makeup artist and co-founder of Dripology Ash K Holm, as well as performances from DJ/producer Yasmina and singer-songwriter Wafia.
A rotation of DJs will keep the marketplace bumping as attendees can check out the nearly 50 brands offering food, desserts, coffee, apparel, beauty products, spices, imports, and MENA wares and services of all kinds.
The Middle Eastern community has always been substantial in numbers yet had a somewhat muted presence in Los Angeles. But it has come alive with cultural events in the post-pandemic years, showcasing the warmth, vibrancy and creativity of the eclectic descendants from the region, spearheaded by local leaders aiming to build the community.
Lena Khouri (right) on a panel at IN BETWEEN 2024 (Adam Kudeimati @adamkudeimati)
One of those leaders is Between East founder and LA native Lena Khouri, who started the company with the intention of bolstering MENA representation. “Between East was born out of a desire to connect with MENA leaders, creatives, change-makers, artists, and entrepreneurs,” Lena said. “When I started Between East, I could count on my hands how many MENA creatives I knew. Now, a couple years in, we’ve been lucky to cultivate a community where I’ve personally met hundreds of incredibly talented people. At its heart, Between East is about building the world we wish we had growing up — where our identities aren’t just accepted, but centered and celebrated.”
Starting as an online community during the COVID years, Between East now works to tell the stories of MENA talent, producing projects with artist and director Sarah Bahbah, and experiences with R&B duo Majid Jordan and comedian Nataly Aukar.
This weekend’s fest is a natural progression of the Between East mission, where that storytelling becomes a real-life experience for our city. “IN BETWEEN was born out of a question: How do we create the kind of space we’ve always longed for — one that reflects the complexity, creativity, and power of our culture especially being in diaspora?” says Lena. “There are so few platforms in the U.S., let alone Los Angeles, that gather MENA creatives at this scale. We wanted to change that. Not just by hosting an event, but by building something that felt intentional, curated, and rooted in community and the creative arts. Something that made people feel seen, celebrated, and proud. And most importantly, something that actually fostered opportunities for education, connections, and growth.”
Lena had a short runway to produce last year’s event, but still welcomed 1000 people to the two-day affair that featured talent like creator and entrepreneur Sara Hesri, Ramy writer/producer and Stanford Professor Maytha Alhassen, CEO of Funny or Die Mike Farah, and performances by SIMIHAZE and LA Weekly fav DJ Habibeats.
Lena Khouri (Courtesy of Between East)
“We heard over and over again: ‘I felt seen,’ ‘I felt proud’ or even ‘it uplifted my soul,’” says Lena of IN BETWEEN 2024. “People shared that it was emotional to experience a space where they didn’t have to explain their identity or dilute their culture to fit in.”
Sarah Bahbah was on last year’s lineup and will be speaking on this year’s panel “Storytelling Through Visual Arts and Photography.” The Arab-Australian artist and director of Palestinian/Jordanian descent has gained widespread acclaim for her evocative photo series, short films, music videos, book, and work with brands like Gucci and Sony. She has been featured everywhere, from New York Times to Vogue.
“Last year was a necessary pause. I took time off to heal and process everything unfolding both in my internal world and in Palestine. The grief, the helplessness, the rage … I had to sit with it all. It didn’t feel right to keep producing without acknowledging the weight of what my people are enduring. That period deepened my understanding of why I do what I do,” she reflects on her participation in last year’s fest.
This year, Sarah will be previewing her new project Can I Come In? which she describes as “a deeply personal exploration of intimacy, cultural memory, and the architecture of emotion.”
Sarah Bahbah (bottom left) with panelists at IN BETWEEN 2024 (Adam Kudeimati @adamkudeimati)
Sarah’s mesmerizing work finds truth in the tension between cultural conservatism, intimacy and self-liberation — familiar ground for Middle Eastern diasporans. “When MENA audiences engage with my work, there’s often a mix of recognition, discomfort, and relief. Some people feel seen for the first time. Others feel triggered. Both are valid,” she says. “I’m not interested in being provocative for the sake of it. I’m interested in opening doors. And sometimes that means holding up a mirror to the parts we’ve been told to keep hidden.”
I asked her how she finds the bravery to do her work: “It’s a choice I have to keep making, every day,” Sarah replies. “Sometimes I find it in solitude. Sometimes it shows up through community. Other times, it’s my ancestors who lend me their courage. I remind myself that telling the truth, even if it terrifies me, is an act of love. And honestly, the alternative isn’t an option. Silence suffocates. Art has always been my way out and my way through. So I follow the feeling, even when it scares me.”
Her ongoing collabs with Between East and participation in their fests speak to the importance she finds in a showcase like IN BETWEEN — “Having a platform for MENA creatives is not a luxury, it’s essential. We’re often either invisible or misrepresented in mainstream narratives. To create space where our stories, contradictions, and dreams can be shared honestly, without being flattened for someone else’s comfort is powerful. It’s also deeply healing. When we witness each other, we reclaim ourselves,” she says.
Joining Sarah on the panel is Hamid Saify, the CMO of Lucky Energy, which makes “better-for-you” energy drinks. “We love what the festival represents in pushing forward art, entertainment, and community — which is closely aligned to how we view brand building at Lucky Energy. We celebrate new ways into storytelling, boundary-pushing creators/artists, and alignment with communities that see the world how we do,” Hamid said on his and Lucky Energy’s participation in the fest.
Hailing from Afghanistan, Hamid said he brings the culturally driven idea of hospitality to his company, and that inclusivity is a big part of Lucky’s brand, which exists in a space where everything is so homogeneous — “everyone looks the same, is flipping tires, has a six-pack.”
“As someone from an underrepresented community, it’s really important to me to do things differently at Lucky Energy,” says Hamid. “Whether we’re casting differently abled models for campaigns, or working with women and people of color for talent or production — we have a responsibility to showcase more than what has been in the energy category.”
Patrick Al Gemayal and Ya Habibi Market at IN BETWEEN 2024 (Adam Kudeimati @adamkudeimati)
Returning for a second year to the IN BETWEEN marketplace will be Ya Habibi Market, a brand by Patrick Al Gemayal, better known as P-Thugg, one-half of the legendary electro-funk duo Chromeo.
“I founded YHM after the 2020 Beirut blast. We released a t-shirt with Chromeo to support the cause and send money back to help the victims and rebuild the city,” Patrick says of his market, which sells everything from apparel to candles to skate decks. “After I saw the impact and willingness for people to participate in this, I thought about starting a brand that could help on a more consistent basis, helping causes around the region. Stopping at one single fundraiser wasn’t enough for me, we needed a longer-term solution to bridge the gap between the diaspora and our families back home, constantly dealing with humanitarian crises.”
YHM is back at IN BETWEEN this year, he says, because “it’s always a great occasion to hang out with friends, meet people in the community, exchange stories and life experiences.” He tells us he’s working on a new olive oil brand called Ya Albi, and that Chromeo has a new album coming next year.
IN BETWEEN 2025 promises to also be visually stunning, with a concept dubbed “Future Nostalgia” by Saudi architectural designer and creative director Sattom Alasad, who’s now based in LA. Attendees can expect “retro design cues, warm analog textures, and bold modern gestures, all rooted in MENA identity” — think deep burgundy tones and draped fabric, a signature of the festival.
In such a politically charged time, bringing together such a diverse range of voices, ideas, brands and concepts, and tying it all up in an enjoyable and beautiful one-day event is no simple feat, but for founder Lena, it’s a part of her life’s work. “To now be building a platform where our community can be centered, celebrated, and empowered feels both deeply personal and incredibly necessary,” she says.
“It’s an honor and a responsibility I don’t take lightly.”
IN BETWEEN is this Saturday, May 31, at Rolling Greens in the DTLA Arts District. For more information visit www.betweeneast.com/inbetween, and click here for tickets.
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