For over 25 years, Mizna has been a woman-led contemporary arts organization based in the Twin Cities. Since their founding, they have promoted experimental approaches to art, literature, and film; work that questions and expands the forms and conceptual frameworks of Arab and SWANA (Southwest Asian and North African) culture.
As Mizna marks its 25th anniversary, the organization’s 18th Twin Cities Arab Film Festival returns September 25–29 at the Main Cinema in Minneapolis with a closing day of special films, programs, and a reception at the Walker Art Center. Anchored by stories from Palestine and Sudan, the 2024 festival brings programming that responds to the catastrophic state faced by much of the SWANA region.
Photos Courtesy of Lupiction. 2023 Arab Film Festival.
“Many communities in the SWANA region, from Palestine to Sudan, from Lebanon to Yemen, are facing moments of urgency and catastrophe,” says Mizna’s Executive and Artistic Director Lana Barkawi. “As a values-driven organization, we want to acknowledge this and create a space to come together in grief and solidarity. This year’s film festival will serve as an opportunity to build community and engage with critical, stimulating ideas.”
The Arab Film Fest will open with the Palestinian entry to the 2023 Academy Awards, “Bye Bye Tiberias,” a documentary directed by Lina Soualem following the life of her mother, “Succession” star and Palestinian actress Hiam Abbas. Audiences are invited to join for a pre-screening opening reception. Other film highlights include a screening of the classic 1977 Sudanese film “Tajouje” by Gadalla Gubara under the Third Avenue Bridge and a double feature of Palestinian experimental filmmaker Kamal Aljafari’s newest films, “A Fidai Film” and “UNDR.” The festival will close at the Walker Art Center with “Goodbye Julia” directed by Mohamed Kordofani, a Sudanese drama that premiered at Cannes in 2023 and was submitted as Sudan’s entry to the 2023 Academy Awards. A pre-screening closing reception will be held in the Walker Art Center’s lobby.
In addition to the curated film lineup, the fest will include an audience participatory Rage Karaoke, a BIPOC filmmaking workshop with Sudanese filmmaker Fatima Wardy, guest-curated film segments, and more. During the festival, Mizna will launch a special edition of their print journal, “Mizna: the Cinema Issue.”
Early bird All-Access passes and 4-packs of tickets are now available. Through Sept. 13, passes will be discounted at $10 off of their regular price. Passes and 4-Packs can be purchased here.
Individual tickets and the full lineup will be announced soon. Learn more about the 2024 Twin Cities Arab Film Festival here.
Mizna will also be celebrating their 25th organizational anniversary with a gala event on Oct. 25 at Paikka in Saint Paul, MN. Learn more about the gala here.
