There’s a lot to sink into in the Twin Cities this weekend. You can spend a night at the movies with Mizna’s Arab Film Fest, catch papa mbye’s experimental pop music at Icehouse, walk along the Mississippi River with Indigenous artists at the Weisman, or post up on Nicollet Mall for an all-day jazz block party.
Here are a few picks to help map out your plans.
SWANA stories on screen
Mizna’s Twin Cities Arab Film Festival returns to the Main Cinema and the Walker Cinema this weekend for its 20th edition, spotlighting films that trace the past and present of Southwest Asian and North African (SWANA) communities.
This year’s theme, “Looking Forward, Looking Back” runs through the work of co-programmers Michelle Baroody and Ahmed AbdulMageed, with support from Mizna’s volunteer screening committee. They watched roughly 150 submissions and requested additional titles from distributors, leaning into their shared interest in SWANA archival footage.
“We’re living in a moment where we’re grappling with the past and sort of figuring out how we came to this present,” Baroody said. “Looking back at the fragments that exist, creating new archives from the bits that we have and figuring out how to tell different stories feels really important in this moment.”
“Do You Love Me,” screening at the Main Cinema on Saturday, draws on 70 years of film, television, home videos and photography to tell a history of Lebanon that fills in what official records leave out.
“To tell stories is to survive,” Baroody said, quoting Lebanese poet Etel Adnan. “I think that impulse to turn to the archives is part of that.”
“With Hasan in Gaza,” screening at the Walker Cinema on Sunday’s closing day, revisits a journey director Kamal Aljafari made in 2001 to find a friend he met in prison. Aljafari filmed that search through Gaza’s streets and then forgot the tapes for more than 20 years. The rediscovered footage captures fleeting, everyday scenes and faces from Gaza that may never be seen again.
“You get to see Gaza before all this destruction that happened in the past two years,” AbdulMageed said. “There’s this push in filmmaking of needing to create all the time. Why not look back when there’s so much more material there? Where you can discover new things without necessarily producing more?”
The festival also includes a music video bingo night at Bryant Lake Bowl on Saturday and a closing reception Sunday at the Walker. Find the full festival schedule here.
The Twin Cities Black Film Festival this weekend will also put diasporic stories on the screen, including a Minnesota Made series of shorts. Screenings will be held at the Mann Theater Edina on Friday, Sept. 25, and Saturday, Sept. 26.
Date: Friday, Sept. 25 through Sunday, Sept. 27
Time: Various times for different screenings and events.
Location: Screenings at The Main Cinema, 115 S.E. Main St., Minneapolis and Walker Cinema, 725 Vineland Place, Minneapolis.
Cost: Free outdoor screening. $16 for indoor screenings at the Main Cinema. $15 for closing day screenings at Walker Cinema ($12 for members, seniors and students).
For more information: Visit mspfilm.org/series/tcaff
Artist to watch: papa mbye
Papa mbye first emerged in the Twin Cities arts scene as a cartoonist who designed flyers for music shows before moving into music himself.
Based in Minneapolis, he released his 2024 EP “Parcelles 16” and followed it this year with “JAKAARLO,” which translates to “to be close to” in Wolof.
His songs land somewhere between warped indie soul and guitar-driven pop, with melodies that sound like they’re being discovered in real time. He’ll perform “JAKAARLO” at the Icehouse on Friday.
Date: Friday, Sept. 25
Time: 8 p.m.
Location: Icehouse, 2528 Nicollet Ave., Minneapolis
Cost: $20.91 online. $27.91 at the door.
For more information: Visit icehouse.turntabletickets.com
Indigenous art along the Mississippi
Head to the Weisman Art Museum on Saturday for the opening of “Merciless’ — Indigenous Lands Since 1776,” an exhibit exploring the relationship between Indigenous communities and the Mississippi River.
The festival will bring the exhibit outdoors with a Native vendor fair, food trucks, Dakota quillwork demonstrations and guided tours.
Throughout the day, visitors can explore Marlena Myles’ augmented reality installation; Missy Whiteman’s virtual reality experience; and Natchez Beaulieu’s mosaic design inspired by the medicine wheel and traditional Anishinaabe star knowledge.
Stick around for a 3 p.m. performance from Native folk and blues musician Keith Secola and Friends.
Date: Saturday, Sept. 26
Time: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Location: Weisman Art Museum, 333 E. River Road, Minneapolis
Cost: Free
For more information: Visit wam.umn.edu/opening-festival-merciless-indigenous-lands-1776
The Dakota’s jazzy block party
The Dakota Block Party is taking over Nicollet Mall for a day of jazz, soul, R&B and blues. The party will feature a vintage market and food trucks, plus plenty to keep kids busy: face painting, doughnut decorating, tie-dye and sidewalk chalk.
L.A. Buckner & Big Homie will kick off the outdoor main stage, while Peruvian saxophonist Lucia Sarmiento joins a lineup of jazz sets inside the Dakota.
Date: Saturday, Sept. 26
Time: 2 to 10 p.m.
Location: Nicollet Mall
Cost: Free
For more information: Visit dakotacooks.com/dakota-block-party
