Mizna

Mizna Mizna is a woman-led contemporary arts organization promoting experimental approaches to Arab + SWANA art, lit + film.

We publish Mizna Online and our biannual print journal, "Mizna," and produce the annual Twin Cities Arab Film Fest.

ARAB FILM FEST HIGHLIGHTDO YOU LOVE ME BY LANA DAHERScreening September 26 at the Main Cinema, followed by a pre-recorde...
09/02/2026

ARAB FILM FEST HIGHLIGHT
DO YOU LOVE ME BY LANA DAHER

Screening September 26 at the Main Cinema, followed by a pre-recorded discussion with the filmmaker

WHAT: 20th Twin Cities Arab Film Festival
WHEN: Sept 23–27, 2026
WHERE: The Main Cinema, closing events at the Walker Art Center + special programs across the Twin Cities

Full lineup, tickets + passes now available! tcaff26.eventive.org
Through Sept 7, passes are 15% off!

Learn more + get passes at tcaff26.eventive.org

ABOUT THE FILM
Do You Love Me is a personal journey through Lebanon’s audiovisual memory, composed entirely of archival footage. It is a love letter to Beirut, spanning 70 years of film, TV, home videos, and photography, exploring the Lebanese collective psyche – marked by joy and intimacy, destruction and loss. Through the eyes of citizens, filmmakers and artists, the film reconstructs a fragmented history in a country without a national archive, celebrating creative expression as both resistance, renewal and a way to preserve memory. To accompany the film, Daher has created a website, doyouloveme.film, which serves as an annotated index of her sources.

This film is presented with the support of Alliance Française MSP

Experimenting with the poetics of translation, Yuemin He composes poetry inspired by the experience of translating the w...
09/01/2026

Experimenting with the poetics of translation, Yuemin He composes poetry inspired by the experience of translating the work of award-winning Chinese contemporary poet Zhang Zhao.

Read more from Mizna: Translational when you purchase your copy today!

Mizna: Translational is guest edited by Mona Kareem

mizna.org/shop

Thanks to all who joined us for the Twin Cities premiere of EVE last week!If you missed this Mizna event, check out the ...
09/01/2026

Thanks to all who joined us for the Twin Cities premiere of EVE last week!

If you missed this Mizna event, check out the rest of Mizna's busy fall calendar to join us for more meaningful and exciting programs! Learn more at mizna.org

ARAB FILM FEST 2026HADI MOUSSALLY RETROSPECTIVE + MUSIC VIDEO BINGO WITH SALMA ZAHOREMizna's Arab Film Fest presents a r...
08/31/2026

ARAB FILM FEST 2026
HADI MOUSSALLY RETROSPECTIVE + MUSIC VIDEO BINGO WITH SALMA ZAHORE

Mizna's Arab Film Fest presents a retrospective of Lebanese filmmaker Hadi Moussally’s short films, which offer a fresh, colorful, and clear discourse on what it is to be gay and Arab. Moussally and his frequent collaborator Olivier Pagny will be in attendance for a discussion following the retrospective screening.

Moussally’s drag alter-ego, Salma Zahore, will host a Music Video Bingo Night at Bryant Lake Bowl.

WHAT: 20th Twin Cities Arab Film Festival, embracing the theme Looking Forward, Looking Back
WHEN: Sept 23–27, 2026
WHERE: The Main Cinema, closing events at the Walker Art Center
TICKETS + PASSES: tcaff26.eventive.org

EL FUNOUN IN MINNEAPOLISTAWASOL DABKE WORKSHOPS, PERFORMANCES + SPECIAL SCREENING SEPTEMBER 2026Dancers from El-Funoun, ...
08/29/2026

EL FUNOUN IN MINNEAPOLIS
TAWASOL DABKE WORKSHOPS, PERFORMANCES + SPECIAL SCREENING SEPTEMBER 2026

Dancers from El-Funoun, the premier Palestinian dance group based in Ramallah, will be visiting Minnesota again on their tour of the United States in September 2026 for performances and a series of dabke workshops for beginners and advanced dancers. This is an incredibly special opportunity for Minnesota audiences to engage with master dabke dancers trained through El-Funoun, an innovative and precious cultural treasure.

WORKSHOPS
• September 9: Community Dabke Workshop
• September 10: Dabke Workshop for Experienced Dancers
• September 12: Dabke Workshop for Children & Caretakers

PERFORMANCES + SCREENINGS
• September 11: El Funoun Performance ft. Yalla Drum
• September 12: A Night We Held Between by Noor Abed: Screening + Discussion
• September 12: El Funoun Performance

Learn more + register now at mizna.org

Hosted by Body Watani, Grief & Rage Circle for Palestine, Mizna, and FD13 residency for the arts. With collaboration and support from Red Eye Theater, Pillsbury House and Theatre, New Arab American Theater Works’s Yalla Drum and Families against Military Madness.

ARAB FILM FEST 2026 FREE OUTDOOR SCREENINGJoin us for a free outdoor screening of the mystery classic film. Want a hint?...
08/28/2026

ARAB FILM FEST 2026 FREE OUTDOOR SCREENING

Join us for a free outdoor screening of the mystery classic film. Want a hint? It's a musical comedy starring Lebanese icon Fairuz and directed by seminal Egyptian director Youssef Chahine.

TICKETS + PASSES: tcaff26.eventive.org

This program is free, suggested donation $10.

7pm: Before the film, grab bites from the Baba’s Hummus food truck and Mi’aawaa Bakery, and wine from Batroun Mountain Wines for a suggested donation. Plus tunes from the fab DJ Jacques!

8pm: Screening of mystery film. A limited number of chairs will be available. Please bring your own chair!

Lights⚡️Camera 🎥 Action! 🎬ANNOUNCING MIZNA'S 20TH ARAB FILM FEST FULL LINEUP 🎟️ TICKETS + PASSES AVAILABLEWHAT: 20th Twi...
08/26/2026

Lights⚡️Camera 🎥 Action! 🎬

ANNOUNCING MIZNA'S 20TH ARAB FILM FEST FULL LINEUP 🎟️ TICKETS + PASSES AVAILABLE

WHAT: 20th Twin Cities Arab Film Festival, embracing the theme Looking Forward, Looking Back
WHEN: Sept 23–27, 2024
WHERE: The Main Cinema, closing events at the Walker Art Center
TICKETS + PASSES: tcaff26.eventive.org

FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS

9/23 OPENING NIGHT: The Stories by Abu Bakr Shawky + Q&A with the director!
+Opening night reception before the film at A-Mill Artist Lofts, catered by Shish

9/24 FREE OUTDOOR SCREENING: Mystery Classic Film
+ Drinks, bites + music before the film!

9/25: HADI MOUSSALLY RETROSPECTIVE + Q&A with the filmmakers

9/26: PANEL DISCUSSION Gathering past and present festival curators in conversation, catered by Dervish Mazza

9/26: An Incomplete Calendar by Sanaz Sohrabi

9/26: Cotton Queen by Suzannah Mirghani+ Q&A with the director, moderated by Safia Elhillo

9/26: Do You Love Me by Lana Daher + Q&A with the director

9/26: MUSIC VIDEO BINGO Melody Hits with drag queen Salma Zahore

9/27: With Hasan in Gaza by Kamal Aljafari

9/27: CLOSING NIGHT, Bouchra by Meriem Bennani and Orian Barki
+Closing night reception before the film, catered by Baba's

TOMORROW! Mizna presents a screening of Slingshot Hip Hop by Jackie Reem Salloum.August 26, 2026 at 7pm at FilmNorth, cu...
08/25/2026

TOMORROW! Mizna presents a screening of Slingshot Hip Hop by Jackie Reem Salloum.

August 26, 2026 at 7pm at FilmNorth, curated by former AFF curator Fouzi Slisli .
Tickets available now at mizna.org

ABOUT THE FILM
Slingshot Hip Hop documents the emergence and evolution of Palestinian hip hop, weaving together the narratives of resilient young artists navigating life in Gaza, the West Bank, and Palestine 48. As they delve into the world of Hip Hop and harness its power as a transformative tool, overcoming the barriers imposed by occupation and poverty.

We're excited to welcome Abdimalik Ahmed to the summer edition of the Baba's x Mizna Lit Series!Baba’s and Mizna co-pres...
08/24/2026

We're excited to welcome Abdimalik Ahmed to the summer edition of the Baba's x Mizna Lit Series!

Baba’s and Mizna co-present the third 2026 reading of the quarterly series featuring the Mizna Writing Collective and their invited guests. This time, we’ll hear from George Abraham, Abdimalik Ahmed, and Fargo Nissim Tbakhi.

August 25 at 7pm, Baba's Hummus House
No RSVP needed, this event is free to attend and will have ASL interpretation.

Learn more at mizna.org

Another beautiful excerpt from one of two new poems by Nima Hasan, a poet and a single mother of seven surviving a genoc...
08/23/2026

Another beautiful excerpt from one of two new poems by Nima Hasan, a poet and a single mother of seven surviving a genocide in Gaza, now on Mizna Online. She continues to write poetry on the front lines of life and death and remains able to summon the playful, witty, and defiant energy of love in words.

If Nima's work speaks to you, please consider donating to her GoFundMe campaign to find safe passage out of Gaza: https://gofund.me/2bec07741

Read more of Nima's work at https://mizna.org/mizna-online/two-poems-from-nima-hasan/

Address

2446 University Avenue W, Suite 115
Saint Paul, MN
55114

Opening Hours

Monday 9:30am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9:30am - 5pm
Thursday 9:30am - 5pm

Telephone

+16127886920

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Mizna posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to Mizna:

Shortcuts

Share