PART OF MIZNA'S TWIN CITIES ARAB FILM FESTIVAL
Post-show Q&A with filmmakers from the Iraqi Voices project
The Twin Cities Arab Film Festival presents Iraqi Shorts from Human Film—including Taste of Life by Medoo Ali, Iraqi Superman by Sajjad Abbas, and Dark To Dark by Omid Khalid—and Iraqi Voices shorts—including The Actor by Adnan Shati, Stealth Pathogen by Nathan Fisher, and Iraq Darkly and East By Midwest by Jamal Ali.
Iraqi Shorts from Human Film
TASTE OF LIFE
Dir. Medoo Ali
2014 | Iraq/UK/Netherlands/USA | 7 min | Minnesota Premiere
Synopsis
In the aftermath of a tragedy, a grieving mother visits the site where her son was killed. There she remembers her young son’s spirit.
Director Biography
Medoo Ali was born in 1991. He studied at the Centre of Fine Arts in Baghdad and has worked on a number of Iraqi feature films, most notably with Mohamed Al Daradji on Son of Babylon, In My Mother’s Arms, and The Sands of Babylon, and with filmmaker Oday Rasheed.
IRAQI SUPERMAN
Dir. Sajjad Abbas
2014 | Iraq/UK/Netherlands/USA | 7 min | Minnesota Premiere
Synopsis
A tormented young man transforms himself into a superhero to rescue his father from Abu Ghraib prison. He discovers torture and mistreatment, but his ingenuity allows him to find his missing father.
Director Biography
Sajjad Abbas was born in Baghdad in 1993. In 2014, he received a diploma from the Institute of Fine Art, Baghdad, where he participated in many joint exhibitions. Abbas also worked on eight short films made by the Iraqi Independent Film Center and has completed two animated shorts. Abbas currently works as an animator for Spacetoon in Jordan.
DARK TO DARK
Dir. Omid Khalid
2015 | Iraq/UK/Netherlands/USA | 7 min | Minnesota Premiere
Synopsis
On the day of her wedding, a young girl hides from her family. The preparations and celebration, however, continue without her. The film depicts the conflict and anguish of women who face unwanted arranged marriages.
Director Biography
Omid Khalid was born in Baghdad. He studied cinema in the Department of Fine Arts at the University of Baghdad. He also participated in a film workshop at UCLA. Omid now lives in Iraq and works for Iraq Al-Rafidain, a film production company based in Baghdad. He is also a board member for the Iraqi Independent Film Center.
Iraqi Voices
Iraqi Voices is an ongoing collaborative mentorship program that gives Iraqis in Minnesota support and training to transform their stories into high-quality documentary video shorts. The films in this program were written and directed by Iraqi-American participants and photographed and edited by Nathan Fisher. Produced by the Iraqi and American Reconciliation Project and Northern Monday Films. This project 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.
All films presented in Arabic with English subtitles.
THE ACTOR
Dir. Adnan Shati
2015 | 7 min
Synopsis
An Iraqi actor discusses the Friday demonstrations in Baghdad.
STEALTH PATHOGEN
Dir. Nathan Fisher
with Adnan Shati, Dr. Azur Maluki, Ishaq Maluki
2015 | 9 min
Synopsis
An Iraqi physician is in Minnesota on a one-year research fellowship while his colleagues are being systematically assassinated back home.
IRAQ DARKLY
Dir. Jamal Ali
2015 | 15 min
Synopsis
A short film in three acts: Iraq Darkly presents multiple views of contemporary Iraq.
EAST BY MIDWEST
Dir. Jamal Ali
with Inam Alaseel, Amel Al-Sammarraie, Ali Alshammaa, Abduallah Falija, Nathan Fisher, Jamela Hasoon, Ghazwan Khalid, Salwa Mohaldeen, Mohammed Raif, & Nadya Saleem
2016 | 15 min
Synopsis
The new half-hour documentary in the Iraqi Voices series will work to dismantle caricatures of Muslims and Arabs in the United States. It shows Muslims praying at a Catholic church in Minneapolis, follows the Iraqi owners of a grocery story in St. Paul, and includes an interview with the first Muslim woman to win a state election in Minnesota. The completed film will premiere at the Landmark Center on October 29, 2016.
PRESENTED WITH SUPPORT BY
TWIN CITIES ARAB FILM FESTIVAL
Mizna presents the eleventh Twin Cities Arab Film Festival in partnership with the Film Society of Minneapolis St. Paul. The Arab Film Fest showcases modern Arab cinema, featuring debut screenings of independent narrative, documentary, and experimental features and shorts.