Twin Cities Arab Film Festival 2021

Local-ish SWANA Shorts

Expired October 4, 2021 4:59 AM
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8 films in package
Dinner Party
At an interminable party of doppelgängers, a woman must contend with the burden of embodiment.
Dearborn's "Beirut House"
Artist Samih Zreik dedicates the exterior of his Dearborn home to Lebanon.
Mariam
Zaid, a young, Arab-American, amateur drag queen, has to confront his conservative father and grandfather about his identity.
Ana Wa Enti
Thirty-three-year-old Amira struggles to find her place as she navigates living between her Arab and American identities and her relationship with her culturally traditional, yet loving mother.
Palestine Will Be Free: A Dearborn Candlelight Vigil
A protest against settler colonialism and a poem for Palestine.
Don't Forget the Water
A phone conversation sets the diasporic table as a disembodied figure prepares Qahwah Arabi / Arabic Coffee.
Bare Bones
To see your world suddenly collapse is to have to reinvent everything or surrender, to reclaim your life or end it, to reevaluate your beliefs or deny them
The Recipe
A very local film production, The Recipe was created as part of Mizna's "Takhiel! Imagine! Bilingual Performing Arts Camp for Kids" led by Taous Khazem and Mohammed Yabdri.
This virtual screening is eligible for audience awards! Unlock it to cast your vote.

The films in this segment are come to us from filmmakers working or living in the United States and Canada. Spanning numerous genres, reflecting on diaspora, and thinking critically about what constitutes identities that are rooted in place, history, family, and practice, these local-ish shorts tackle intersectionality and depict various ideas about what it means embody tradition and home.

A very local film production, The Recipe was created as part of Mizna's "Takhiel! Imagine! Bilingual Performing Arts Camp for Kids" led by Taous Khazem and Mohammed Yabdri.


After the poisoning of a fashion mogul, Richard Branson, two rival restaurants are investigated by his reluctant attorney, Mouhami Malik. Created in June 2021 by three participants in Mizna's inaugural Takhiel, Imagine, summer film program for youth, the script was written by the three actors who play multiple characters! 


Created by Zayd Alkatout, Mazin Alkatout, Bilal El Idrissi with Taous Khazem and Mohammed Yabdri


  • Year
    2021
  • Runtime
    10 minutes
  • Language
    English, Arabic
  • Country
    United States
  • Cast
    Zayd Alkatout, Mazin Alkatout, Bilal El Idrissi, Taous Khazem, and Mohammed Yabdri
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