20th Arab Film Festival Opening Night

Wednesday, September 23 at 7:00 PM

Visiting filmmaker: Abu Bakr Shawky

ABOUT THE FILM

During the tense summer of 1967, as war looms over Egypt, aspiring concert pianist Ahmed begins a pen-pal correspondence with an Austrian woman named Elizabeth. Based on the actual meeting of director Abu Bakr Shawky’s parents, The Stories combines narrative vignettes with archival footage to create a decade- and nation-spanning time capsule of love and family in the ’70s. Together, Ahmed and Liz live through war, family joys, and opposition, as well as the failures and triumphs that rocked Egypt through the ’80s. The Stories is a chronicle of the small victories of a family trying to survive a country under the constant threat of change.

FILMMAKER BIO

Abu Bakr Shawky is an Egyptian-Austrian filmmaker. He studied political science in Cairo and received an MFA in film production from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. His debut feature Yomeddine premiered in the Main Competition of Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for the Palme d’Or. The film received the François Chalais Award and was Egypt’s submission to the 91st Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film. His award-winning film Hajjan premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and had its SWANA premiere at Red Sea Film Festival. Shawky was named by Variety as MENA Talent of the Year (2018) and was listed by Forbes Magazine as among the top five Arab directors on the global stage.

Join us before the opening night film The Stories for a catered reception to celebrate the opening of the twentieth edition of the Twin Cities Arab Film Fest. Entry to reception is included with your Opening Night film ticket, or Arab Film Fest All–Access Pass. RSVP here.

PRESENTED BY MIZNA

Mizna is a critical platform for contemporary literature, film, art, and cultural production centering the work of Arab and Southwest Asian and North African artists. For more than 25 years, Mizna has been creating a decolonized cultural space to reflect the expansiveness of our community and to foster exchange, examine ideas, and engage audiences in meaningful art.