5:30-6:30PM Opening Night Reception at A-Mill Artist Lofts, + local catering

7PM The Stories at The Main Cinema

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.

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. RSVP here.

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. 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!

In case of rain, this screening will move indoors and take place in theater three at the Main Cinema.

To mark the twentieth edition of Mizna’s Arab Film Fest, spanning twenty-three years, we gather past and present festival curators in conversation. Going beyond nostalgia, the discussion will reflect on the festival’s history, what conditions led to its establishment in March 2003 (opening one week after the US invasion of Iraq), and how we can think about the endurance of it and its Arab/SWANA audiences against the backdrop of the last two decades. The conversation will also consider the current state and the future of Arab/SWANA film and broader cultural production. RSVP here.

9:30pm doors/10pm event

Melody Hits Night by Salma Zahore is a joyful music video bingo experience celebrating the unforgettable songs that shaped a generation. Inspired by the legendary early-2000s Arab TV channel Melody Hits, the night is packed with iconic music videos, sing-alongs, laughter, surprises, and exciting prizes to be won.

For many Arabs, it’s a nostalgic trip back to childhood and teenage memories. For everyone else, it’s a fun and welcoming introduction to Arab pop culture through the music videos, artists, and songs that became cultural icons across the region. Whether you grew up watching Melody Hits or you’re discovering it for the first time, expect an evening full of joy, camp, and collective celebration.

Tickets $5 in advance; $5–$10 sliding scale at the door. Free at the door (while seats last) for TCAFF pass holders. Reserve your tickets here. 

Mizna’s Arab Film Festival holds its closing day with a pair of special screenings and a closing reception co-presented with and at the Walker Art Center. 

3pm With Hasan in Gaza

5:15–7pm Closing reception + catering from Baba’s

7pm Bouchra

Closing reception will be held in the Bazinet lobby with catering from Baba’s and a cash bar. Passholders will receive a code to reserve their tickets to the Sunday events at the Walker through their website. More information here.

With Hasan In Gaza
Constructed from rediscovered footage shot in Gaza in 2001, With Hasan in Gaza is a profound cinematic meditation on memory, loss, and time. Reserve your tickets here.

Bouchra
Bouchra, a 35-year-old queer Moroccan coyote in New York documents her long-distance relationship with her mother in Casablanca, as they explore together the love, pain and secrets that unite them through calls and intimate conversations. Reserve your tickets here.