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One of the oldest Arab diaspora arts organizations in the Twin Cities — Mizna — marks its 25th anniversary this year. 

And it is celebrating that milestone with its annual Twin Cities Arab Film Festival (TCAFF), this year powered by stories from Palestinian and Sudanese filmmakers. 

The festival kicked off Wednesday with a screening of “Bye Bye Tiberias,” which tells the story of “Succession” star Hiam Abbass’ return to her Palestinian village after years pursuing an acting career in Europe and the U.S.

It will wrap up Sunday at the Walker Art Center with a closing reception and screening of “Goodbye Julia,” the official Sudanese entry for the 2024 Academy Awards.

Mizna, meaning “a rain-bearing cloud” in English, was founded to encourage visual art, film and literature that challenge and respond to what defines Arab and Southwest Asian and North African (SWANA) culture.

Organizers of the film festival this year say 2024 has been both a celebratory and trying year,  as they strive to respond to the weight of catastrophes unfolding in Gaza and Sudan. 

“It’s been a pretty brutal year for our communities,” said Michelle Baroody, film programming curator for Mizna and TCAFF.

“One of the things that we really wanted to do this year was make space for a narrative that is different than the one we are all witnessing in mainstream media. For an Arab film festival, that’s something that has always unfortunately been one of the motivating factors. This festival started in 2003, shortly after September 11th and in many ways was a response to the negative depictions of Arabs in dominant news sources.” 

Baroody added, “This year, it’s about making sure we are able to see the humanity of folks who are in Palestine and Sudan.”

As part of the festival, Sudanese and British filmmaker Fatima Wardy will lead a two-day workshop that will discuss the challenges that SWANA and BIPOC filmmakers experience in the industry.

In a phone interview, Wardy said: “[Mizna] is a hub for the Arab diaspora in North America but it also has a strong international reach. They take what is thought of taking a risk in terms of programming, for example, this year only focusing on Sudan and Palestine is a really powerful statement to be making, that tells you a lot about the kind of organization Mizna is.”

She went on to say that “Mizna asks important and intelligent questions that enrich solidarities in the diaspora, I really admire that. [It’s] an institution that spotlights emerging and established Arab and Arab speaking filmmakers, poets and cultural workers. It’s a very very important institution for us.”

When asked how Mizna has balanced a triumphant anniversary and grief-filled year, Baroody said “A lot of us really were so glad that Mizna existed this year. [We asked ourselves] what does it mean to use arts programming to respond to this current moment and crisis? 

“Art allows us to come together. It felt urgent and necessary this year to make sure people are hearing what’s going on [in Palestine and Sudan] and not moving on when the news cycle moves on.”

Here’s a guide to this year’s film festival:

Following the opening night reception at the Main Cinema in Minneapolis, French-Palestinian-Algerian filmmaker Lina Soualem’s award-winning “Bye Bye Tiberias” opened the festival. The documentary follows Soualem and her mother, Hiam Abbass, as they delve into the lives of women in their family and the impact of displacement and exile going back four generations. 

On the second and third day of the film festival, Mizna offers a workshop for directors, cinematographers and production crew to discuss challenges they experience in the industry. Workshop participants will also have the opportunity to share with their peers current projects for feedback and critique. The two-day symposium will be facilitated by Wardy, who will be visiting from Austin, Texas. 

At 4, the screening of “Suddenly TV,” “Journey to Kenya,” “Women of War” and “The Spider Man of Sudan” are a part of a short film segment curated by Sudanese filmmaker Rafa Renas. 

The 1977 Sudanese romantic/comedic/tragic film “Tajouje,” regarded as Sudan’s first feature film, will have an outdoor screening under the Third Avenue Bridge. 

Several newly released films will play at the festival, including “Life is Beautiful” by Palestinian director Mohamed Jabaly. The 2023 documentary follows Jabaly who while visiting Norway in 2014, cannot return home when borders to Gaza close after a military operation is launched by Israel. Jabaly subsequently becomes designated as “stateless” when his tourist visa in Norway expires. 

“The Burdened” takes place in Yemen. A years-long civil war traps married couple Isra’a and Ahmed in extreme financial hardship as they struggle to provide for their children. When the couple learn they are expecting their fourth child, the film follows the couple’s fraught journey to access an abortion. 

The day wraps up with the screening of “Anxious in Beirut,” Zakaria Jaber’s diary-style documentary capturing his life in Lebanon over several years, and “The Diary of a Sky” by Lawrence Abu Hamdan, which documents daily life under Lebanon’s highly militarized airspace. 

The festival’s fourth day is stacked with Palestinian programming. 

“A Fidai Film,” by Kamal Aljafari, tells the story of the raid and looting of the Palestinian Research Center in 1982 by the Israeli army, where volumes of historical documents were taken. 

“The Teacher” directed by Farah Nabulsi is a feature film about a Palestinian teacher struggling with his commitment to political resistance while emotionally supporting a student. 

The day wraps up  with “rage karaoke” at Bryant Lake Bowl featuring St. Paul-based musician Tarek Abdelqader.

The festival will close with two screenings and a reception at the Walker.

“Dreamworlds,” a short film showcase curated by Nasrin Himada, centers around dreams and liberation.

The award-winning feature “Goodbye Julia” grapples with anti-Black racism and class dynamics that still affect present-day Sudan and South Sudan. 

Director Mohamed Kordofani will hold a question-and-answer session following the screening.

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The festival, which marks Mizna’s 25th year, includes a documentary featuring “Succession” star Hiam Abbass and closes with Sudan’s official entry to the Academy Awards.

Courtesy of Mizna

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Twin Cities Arab Film Festival highlights Palestinian, Sudanese works

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