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May 6, 2020

Mizna at Home: Virtual Cinema

From taking our classes online, to presenting a virtual literary reading in March, to this virtual cinema series, we’ve been working to discover how to continue to fulfill our mission to provide a platform for SWANA and Muslim artists during this new reality.

SPEED SISTERS
May 13, 6pm CST
FREE • RSVP REQUIRED

Amber Fares | Sports Documentary | 80 mins | 2015 | Palestine, Qatar, Canada | Arabic with English subtitles *Family-Friendly*

Despite a tangle of roadblocks and checkpoints, a thriving street car racing scene has emerged in the West Bank. Held at improvised tracks, the races offer a release from the pressures and uncertainties of life under military occupation. A riveting documentary, Speed Sisters follows the first all-women racing team in the Middle East. Grabbing headlines and turning heads, the film weaves together their lives on and off the track.

TINY SOULS
May 20–26 • Available for one week

$5 RENT FILM

Dina Naser | Documentary Feature | 86 mins | 2019 | Jordan | Arabic with English subtitles

Marwa, her mother, and her siblings are stranded in Jordan’s Zaatari refugee camp after escaping war in Syria in 2012. Over four years, the director follows Marwaʼs everyday life in the camp, where she blossoms from a child to a young woman. Marwa gets attached to her camp friends and make-shift home, until one day, her elder brother is called for interrogation. Only then does their “settled” life take an immense turn, revealing the uncertainty of their situation.

SUDANESE SHORTS
May 27 • 6pm CST
FREE • LIVESTREAM LINK

In April 1989, a group of filmmakers founded the Sudanese Film Group (SFG) under the ruling government, only to be disbanded a few months later due to the precarious political climate. Many of the SFG’s visionary films were lost or hidden from the public until recently. Digitally restored in 2018, these rare and experimental short films touch on a variety of subjects and provide a glimpse of life in Sudan

Al Dhareeh / The Tomb / الضريح
Eltayeb Mahdi
17 mins, 1977

Al Dhareeh tells the story of a man who claims to be able to heal people.

Al Mahatta / The Station / المحطة
Eltayeb Mahdi
16 mins | 1989

Sudan in the late 1980s. People cross the desert on foot or cover long distances by car and truck. Al Mahatta shows encounters at one of the large crossroads between the capital Khartoum in the center of the country and Bur Sudan on the Red Sea.

Wa Lakin Alardh Tadur / It Still Rotates / ولكن الأرض تدور

Suliman Elnour
19 mins, 1978

Suliman Elnour’s graduation film Wa Lakin Alardh Tadur depicts a typical school scene in Yemen during the time the film was made.

Jamal / A Camel / جمل

Ibrahim Shaddad
14 mins, 1981

Jamal is a report from the life of a camel, most of which plays out in a dreary, small room—a sesame mill.


This activity is 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.

This screening was originally part of Let There Be Spaces in Your Togetherness, a visual arts exhibition + indie film series by Southwest Asian + North African artists. Presented in partnership with Soo Visual Arts Center, this touring program finished its stop at St. Cloud State University and was installed in Otter Tail County, MN just before the shutdown.

ABOUT NEW YORK MILLS CULTURAL CENTER
The Center is a multidisciplinary arts organization that has been dedicated to expanding the cultural and creative opportunities for rural Americans since its inception in 1990. More info: https://www.kulcher.org/

ABOUT SOO VISUAL ARTS CENTER
SooVAC envisions a dynamic community in which artists and audiences challenge each other in an environment where art is integral to everyday life.


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