Twin Cities Arab Film Festival: Minnesota Made: Shorts and Fragments + Discussion

About this event

20th Arab Film Festival Thursday, September 24 at 5:30 PM Minnesota Made: Shorts and Fragments presents films from local Arab, Muslim and SWANA artists working across artistic and visual media. This segment includes finished films, collaborations, and works-in-progress by image-makers from our local(ish) community. A short discussion with the filmmakers will follow the screening. ABOUT THE FILMS STARING CONTEST Dir. Hend A. Al-Mansour • USA • 2026 • English • 2 min This animated film depicts various psychological reactions that unfold as a young woman engages in a staring contest with an older man. The sequence invites viewers into a world of personal emotional interpretation. FILMMAKER BIO Hend Al-Mansour is a Saudi-born Arab American installation artist whose work draws on Islamic art, Arabic aesthetics, and narratives of Middle Eastern women. Her practice encompasses screen-printed textile environments, Arabic calligraphy, and shrine-like installations that merge contemporary Islamic art with feminist storytelling. She holds an MFA from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, and an MA in Art History from the University of St. Thomas. Her work has been recognized by the McKnight Fellowship, the Jerome Fellowship in Printmaking, and multiple Minnesota State Arts Board grants, and has been exhibited internationally. RUUNTA Dir. Abdilatif Hassen • USA • 2025 • Somali, English • 15 min Ruunta, or “truth” in Somali, celebrates the nuanced lived experiences of the Somali community in Minneapolis, the challenges we face, the beauty within our connection with each other and the ancestors who guide us along the way. Ruunta follows a young Somali man torn between who he is expected to be and who he knows he is—in a city that knocks him down and lifts him up. FILMMAKER BIOS Abdilatif Hassen is a writer and director from Minneapolis. He is inspired by his community, and motivated to share stories that uplift each other. He created Ruunta with intention as…

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