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Mizna proudly presents the 13th Twin Cities Arab Film Festival, September 27 to September 30-a chance to see thoughtfully curated films from local, national, and international Arab and Arab American filmmakers. Established in 2003, the Arab Film Fest has featured local debuts of independent narrative and documentary features and short films from more than fifteen countries. Over its thirteen editions, our festival has created a necessary space in the Twin Cities for Arab and Muslim filmmakers to tell their stories in beautiful and innovative ways.

The Arab Film Fest takes place at the Film Society’s Screen 3 at St. Anthony Main, screening more than thirty contemporary films from Palestine, Egypt, Lebanon, Qatar, Syria, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates, as well as those from local Arab filmmakers. For the fourth year, we will be awarding juried prizes for films in the categories of Best Narrative, Best Documentary, and Best Short, and will continue the Best Audience Award based on audience votes.

WHEN Thursday, September 27, 2018 to Sunday, September 30, 2018

WHERE Film Society’s Screen 3 at St. Anthony Main Theatre | 115 SE Main St, Minneapolis, MN 55414

TICKETS Tickets, All-Access Passes, 6-Packs, and 3-Packs are now available here!

FESTIVAL SCHEDULE

Thursday, September 27

7 pm Arab Film Fest premieres with Capernaum (Lebanon | Arabic with English subtitles)

9:30 pm Opening Night Party featuring a performance by local multidisciplinary artist Dua, music by DJ Yasmeenah, and food from Zakia Deli.

Friday, September 28

11 am 1948: Creation and Catastrophe + Discussion with local Palestinian activist Leila Abdennabi (US | English, Arabic and Hebrew with English subtitles)
*This screening is reserved for students. Limited tickets will be available to the public*

1:15 pm Naila and the Uprising (US | English, Arabic and Hebrew with English subtitles)
Preceded by short film And an Image was Born (Palestine | Arabic with English subtitles)

3:30 pm Separation (Havibon) (Iraq | Kurdish with English Subtitles)
Thanks to the Iraqi American Reconciliation Project for sponsoring this film

5:30 pm Sheikh Jackson (Egypt | Arabic with English subtitles)

7:30 pm Looking for Oum Kulthum (Germany / Austria / Qatar / Lebanon | English, Arabic, and Farsi with English subtitles)

9:40 pm My Favorite Fabric (France / Germany / Turkey | Arabic with English subtitles)
Preceded by short film Rupture (Jordan, Canada | Arabic with English subtitles)
*Content warning: these films may contain sexually explicit images*

Saturday, September 29

11 am Saturday Morning Film and Fun! Join us for short children’s films, 1001 Days (Qatar | Arabic with English subtitles) and Memory of a Fish (Palestine | Arabic with English subtitles), and theater games with Algerian actor Mohammed Yabdri. Play fun theatre games that work with the body, voice, and imagination in English and Arabic.

12:10 pm Ouroboros (Palestine / France / Belgium / Qatar | Italian, English, Chinook with English subtitles)
Preceded by short film Unspoken (UAE | Arabic with English subtitles)

1:50 pm A Certain Nasser (Lebanon | Arabic with English subtitles)

3:10 pm Where To? (Ila Ayn?) (Lebanon | Arabic with English subtitles)

5:00 pm Taste of Cement (Lebanon / Germany / Syria / Qatar / UAE | Arabic with English subtitles)
Preceded by short film One Day in Aleppo

7:30 pm Kiss Me Not (Egypt | Arabic with English subtitles)

9:40 pm Foreign Body (Tunisia / France | Arabic and French with English subtitles)
*Content warning: this film contains sexually explicit images and language*
Thanks to Alliance Francaise for sponsoring this film

Sunday, September 30

11 am Wild Relatives (Lebanon / Germany / Norway | Italian, English, Chinook with English subtitles)
Preceded by short film Off the Grid

12:30 pm Expanding Cinema in Diaspora: Local(ish) Short Films + Discussion with filmmakers
Like Salt (US | English and Arabic with English subtitles), our home is asleep but there is a rumble (US | English), an uncapitolized watan (US | English), Drive (US | English), I Am No Bird (US | English), on bayt (US | English)

2:45 Arab Women in Film Discussion

3:45 pm Naila and the Uprising (US | English, Arabic and Hebrew with English subtitles)

5:45 pm Writing on Snow (Palestine / Tunisia | Arabic with English subtitles)
Preceded by short film One Minute

7:30 pm Wajib (Palestine | Arabic with English subtitles)
Preceded by short film Bonbone (Palestine / Lebanon | Arabic and Hebrew with English subtitles)

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR FEATURED FILMS HERE

TICKETS, ALL-ACCESS PASSES, 6-PACKS, AND 3-PACKS AVAILABLE HERE!

THANKS TO OUR SUPPORTERS

The Arab Film Fest is presented by Mizna in partnership with the Film Society of Minneapolis St. Paul. The Arab Film Fest is supported by the Carolyn Foundation with additional support provided by the The McKnight Foundation. This activity is also made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.

Premier sponsorship for the festival is provided by the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights, Milkjam Creamery, and World Street Kitchen.

Other supporters include Redfin, Wells Fargo, All Are Welcome Here, Asian Languages and Literature Department at the University of Minnesota, Institute for Global Studies at the University of Minnesota, Alliance Francaise, Zakia Deli, Iraqi American Reconciliation Project.